Climate Change Fears

3.50.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 7th Sep 2006

Liberal Democrats on Oxfordshire County Council are concerned about the impact of climate change brought about by new housing development figures forced on the South East by the government. Oxfordshire has to take a large amount of extra housing, without the necessary infrastructure to support it.

If there are to be more housing, at the very least they need to be built to environmental standards. There have been national guidelines drawn up and some work with district councils has already begun, but more needs to be done to encourage housebuilders to follow best practice guidelines on energy efficiency for all new-build dwellings.

Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Zoé Patrick who has tabled a motion for full Council next week says, "We are calling on the government to use its powers to promote energy efficiency. More needs to be done to ensure housebuilders are required to use the highest standards possible for eco-friendly homes. This is about more solar panels built in, more insulation and more attention being paid to create housing which will require less energy to heat in winter and remain cool in summer. We also need to consider water use and waste water. The impact on climate change brought about by thousands of new dwellings has to be taken into account when developers put in their proposals."