The danger of the 'zero carbon agenda' that has gripped the UK property industry is that it ignores social and economic sustainability and could result in highly perverse outcomes, leading architects, planners and property developers were warned.

Speaking at the Ecobuild conference in London, Dr David Strong, Chief Executive of Inbuilt Consulting, called for an urgent reality check and a change to "whole system thinking".

"I am a strong supporter of zero and low carbon buildings. The drive towards zero carbon is very important – it has had a powerful effect in galvanising the UK housebuilding and property development community and in stimulating innovation," said Strong, who recently won the 2007 Sustainability Leadership Award and is one of the founders of the UK Green Building Council.

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"The single-minded scramble to design and build Level 6 homes gives out the message that this is the highest ambition and most worthy outcome we should aim for," he continued.

"However, if we end up with 'zero carbon' Code Level 6 homes that are uneconomic to maintain, are built on flood plains, overheat in summer, have poor acoustic performance, poor indoor air quality or other unintended consequences, then we have created a generation of homes that are unfit for people. We can't call this sustainability. The so-called 'best' are in real danger of becoming the enemy of the good."

Strong also questioned the reality of "zero carbon" as a useful label for buildings, and warned that it could offer consumers a false promise.

"The actual definition of 'zero carbon' differs significantly between various Government departments and agencies, and some of the definitions are based on completely unscientific formulas. And anyway, a home is only 'zero carbon' in the sense that it complies with a theoretical carbon requirement. It’s how we use that home that really matters.

"A home can only be genuinely zero carbon if the occupants' lifestyles are prescribed and energy is rationed in order to balance onsite energy generation – which is entirely politically unacceptable."

(CD/JM)