New buildings in Wales will be expected to raise their sustainability standards and include renewable and low carbon energy technologies, such as solar panels and combined heat and power, as part of tough new planning policies to tackle climate change.

The move is part of a two-pronged announcement to tackle climate change through the design of new buildings and efficiency of existing houses in Wales that will be announced by Environment, Sustainability and Housing Minister Jane Davidson yesterday.

The second part of Ms Davidson’s announcement was the launch of an advice booklet to help householders improve the energy efficiency of existing homes and help them cut fuel bills at a time of rising costs.

Ms Davidson said: "Rising fuel bills affect us all - and these two steps by the Assembly Government are practical ways forward to help keep costs down and reduce our carbon footprint."

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The 'Improving Your Home - A Climate Change Guide' gives practical carbon and bill cutting advice to people making improvements to their homes, such as building conservatories or converting lofts into extra living space. It will help make existing homes more fuel efficient and more resilient to the effects of climate change and rising fuel costs.

For new buildings Ms Davidson unveiled further consultation on changes to Planning Policy Wales to tackle climate change at the inaugural Wales Planning Conference in Cardiff, organised by the Royal Town Planning Institute Cymru.

The proposals set expected minimum national standards for the sustainability of buildings and for the incorporation of renewable and low carbon energy sources.

The proposed policies would expect a minimum standard for homes based on the Code for Sustainable homes, and on the Building research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Scheme (BREEAM) for other buildings. This standard will initially be set at Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 for housing and BREEAM 'Very Good' for other buildings. It is intended that the policy will commence in April 2009.

Ms Davidson said: "This policy will ensure that there is a level playing field across Wales and avoid the unnecessary burden for each local planning authority to devise, justify and propose similar policies to improve the sustainability of new buildings in their Local Development Plan (LDP)."

(JM)