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Housing and Environmental Sustainability
Introduction
1. This paper is in four main parts:
 Suggested key issues for the Commission to consider - bullet points
under paragraph 2 below
 A background discussion of why this topic is potentially important for the
Commission - paragraphs 3 to 9
 Some key facts – paragraphs 10 to 13
 A discussion, in more detail, of relevant policies and targets which link into
the suggested key issues – paragraphs 14 to 46
Suggested Issues for the Commission to Consider
2. Views of Commission Members are sought on the following points which are
discussed in more detail in the body of the paper.
Energy Efficiency (paragraphs 14 to 31)
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Is there a case for suggesting faster progress with insulation work and
other energy efficiency measures in existing housing than currently
envisaged by the Scottish Government – both on environmental grounds
and to help tackle fuel poverty?
If so, should we be encouraging more expenditure by the Scottish
Government on financial incentives to private owners (and, possibly,
social landlords) and, if yes, should any additional expenditure be means
tested but with a more generous means test than currently applied, made
generally available on a first come first serve basis, used to designate
more Areas Schemes or prioritised in some other way?
Irrespective of the case for additional funding, should we be suggesting
that the Scottish Government should simplify its funding packages,
avoiding frequent changes in titles and acronyms and that the Scottish
Government should be given responsibility for energy company funding
in Scotland so that this can be better integrated with the Government’s
own funding schemes?
In addition, since it is private owners and tenants who will benefit from
lower fuel bills as well as a general community benefit in reduced GHG
emissions, should the focus be on using the regulatory powers set out in
the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and, if so, how would these
regulations be applied and enforced?
Given the apparent limited impact of the Energy Performance
Certificates, which are required at the point of sale, are there ways of
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making the market work more effectively so that sellers benefit from
investment in energy efficiency measures through increased prices?
Using the regulatory powers mentioned above to require owners to bring
houses up to specified standard before putting them on the market would
be a way of building on the EPC concept but it could have indirect
consequences for the operation of the housing market.
Do members agree that the Scottish Government has adopted a
thorough and sensible approach to the upgrading of energy efficiency
standards for new housing through the Building Standards
Should we be recommending that the Scottish Government adopts a
more ambitious approach, with increased targets, for encouraging micro
and community power generation by rationalising the financial incentives
and giving clear advice on the relevant technologies, what they can
deliver for households in different types of houses and parts of Scotland
together with estimated costs and savings?


Other Operational Emissions (paragraphs 32 to 36)
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Is there a case for more advice to householders on how to reduce their
environmental impacts or is this already covered either through advice
on specific topics, for example, advice on recycling or the benefits of
active travel or through general, across the board advice?
Should the Scottish Government issue stronger central
direction/guidance on the need to use brown field land for new housing,
for more higher density housing and linking new housing to existing
settlements or are these inevitably matters which should be left to local
discretion?
Even if local discretion is both inevitable and desirable, should there be
better monitoring of the impact of current guidance?
Alternatively, or in addition to the above, should we be thinking of
inviting the Scottish Government to give serious consideration to the
ideas for the radical ideas for urban land reform put forward by
Professor David Adams of Glasgow University
Embodied Emissions (paragraphs 37 to 46)

Does it makes sense, from an environmental point of view, to promote
refurbishment of existing housing and bringing back empty houses into
use where at all possible rather than demolishing and replacing them –
notwithstanding the higher levels of energy efficiency achieved by new
buildings?
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
Does it also make sense to seek to limit demolitions, as far as possible,
to housing which is technically obsolete and, if so, how can this be
achieved?
 Leaving aside the energy efficiency/ zero carbon building standards
(which have been and are under review) should there be a review of
other aspects of the Building Standards for new housing which would
seek to balance short term extra costs (financial and environmental)
against additional longevity and the environmental benefits that might
result from this?
Other

Are there any other matters on this topic which members think we
should be taking a view on?
Why is this topic important for the Commission?
3. Housing – new construction and the day to day use, repair, maintenance and
improvement of the existing stock – can have a significant environmental
impact through its use of resources such as energy, land and building
materials.
4. Environmental sustainability is concerned with minimising the use of
environmental resources to protect the wellbeing of future generations. In
short, it is concerned with inter-generational equity. The most quoted
definition of sustainable development comes from the work of the United
Nations Bruntland Commission’s report in the 1980s:
“Sustainable development is the kind of development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs”
5. Sustainability in the sense of long term viability which promotes wellbeing is
often considered to have 3 interrelated pillars – environmental, economic and
social. All 3 are clearly important for the Commission, but this paper focuses
on environmental sustainability and this will need to be linked into work on
the economic and social aspects of housing policy and practice in due
course.
6. Much of the focus of work on environmental sustainability is on the impact of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activity on climate change.
This reflects the threat posed to life on the planet for future generations by
the current level of emissions. The severity of this threat has led to
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international scientific efforts to establish a framework for classifying and
quantifying GHG emissions and to set global and national targets to minimise
the risk. It is widely accepted that there is a need to reduce global GHG
emissions by 80% by 2050 in comparison with 1990 levels to avoid the risk of
uncontrollable climate changes in the second half of the 21st century. This
target is enshrined in UK and Scottish legislation. In addition, there are
targets for intervening years and sectoral targets which are consistent with
this overall target, including a target for the residential sector in Scotland. All
these targets are monitored by the UK Committee on Climate Change.
7. GHG emissions from housing can be divided into 2 sorts – “operational”
emissions which are largely the result of the use of energy in the home for
space and water heating and “embodied” emissions resulting for the process
of initial construction and any subsequent refurbishment.
8. Although the embodied emissions associated with a new house are relatively
high, the longevity of most housing (the Scottish Government estimates that
85% of homes in use by 2050 have already have been built) has meant that
operational emissions have been the principal target of housing policy.
9. In addition to GHG emissions which result directly from housing, housing
developments can impact indirectly on the environment in a number of other
ways, for example:
 Housing developments on green field sites may lead to a permanent loss of
good quality agricultural land which is in short supply in Scotland.
 Housing developments built at low densities may make it difficult to provide
public transport or encourage active travel and, therefore leads to increased
car based commuting which, in turn, generates additional GHG emissions.
 The use of water by households in the home and the arrangements for
reuse, recycling and disposal of household waste can impact on GHG
emissions and the use of scarce resources.
 The use of space within housing developments can impact on biodiversity.
This paper seeks to cover these topics as well as GHG emissions although it is,
in some cases, difficult to quantify relevant impacts on a national basis.
Key Facts
10. GHG emissions in the residential sector1 were estimated at 6.6 MtCO2e2 in
2011 i.e. 13.5% of Scotland’s total emissions of 48.8 Mt CO2e. Residential
1
Residential sector GHG emissions largely arise from space and water heating but they do not
include emissions from power stations generating electricity
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emissions have fallen by 20% since the accepted base year of 1990 as
compared with an overall drop for Scottish emissions as a whole of 31% over
the same time period. Although there has been a steady fall over time in
residential emissions, the actual figure for any one year is very weather
dependent and, in 2010, was slightly higher than in 1990.
11. Although not directly an environmental measure, fuel poverty, defined as
requiring spending more than 10% of household income on household fuel
use to maintain a satisfactory heating regime, increased steadily from 13% of
all households in 2002 to 33% in 2009 and has since fallen to 29% in 20113.
This increase in the number of households in fuel poverty undoubtedly
reflects the substantial increases in fuel prices in this period.
12. There have been significant improvements in home insulation, admittedly
from a low base, and replacement of central heating boilers with more
efficient equipment. By the end of 2011 only 2% of homes had no loft
insulation, although less than half (45%) had the recommended 200mm
depth of insulation, and two thirds of cavity walls had been insulated.
Approximately 5% of households upgraded their central heating boilers in
20114. Nevertheless estimates of the realistic potential for insulation work and
other domestic energy saving measures published by the Scottish
Government in 20075 are substantially higher. In total the costs of these
works (in current 2007 prices) was estimated at £16 billion which would yield
cumulative savings of £35 billion by 2050. This cost covers cavity wall and
loft insulation, glazing improvements and short term upgrades of 100% of the
realistic potential and solid wall insulation of just under half of the realistic
potential stock. In addition allowance is also included for boiler upgrades, and
the installation of solar water heating and other forms of domestic renewable
energy. Overall, these improvements were estimated to reduce residential
GHG emissions by 42%.
13. Other relevant factual material on environmental impacts is difficult to find:
 The Countryside Survey estimated that the built up area of Scotland
increased by some 2,000 hectares from 1998 to 2007 but it is not clear
how much of this was due to housing development. 6
2
GHG emissions are normally quantified in terms of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.
This takes account of all greenhouse gases which are weighted according to their impact on global
warming.
3 Scottish House Condition Survey Key Findings 2011
4 All figures taken from Scotland’s Sustainable Housing Strategy, Scottish Government 2013
5 Consultation on the Energy Efficiency Plan for Scotland, chapter 6, figure 6.7
6 Countryside Survey. Scottish Government land use statistics. This change was not statistically
significant.
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
The Scottish Derelict and Vacant Land Survey recorded almost 11,000
hectares of derelict and vacant land in Scotland in 2012 – a figure
which has not changed much in recent years.7
.
Current Policies and Associated Policy Targets
Operational Emissions - Energy Efficiency and Micro Generation
Policy Targets
14. The Scottish Government currently has a number of policy targets in this
area. In terms of outcomes, the 2 key targets are:
 To make a full contribution to the Government’s GHG reduction targets i.e.
to achieving the 80% reduction by 2050 (as set out in the Climate Change
(Scotland)Act 2009 and interim targets;8
 To ensure that no-one in Scotland has to live in fuel poverty, as far as
reasonably possible by 2016 – as set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act
2001.
In terms of outputs, the relevant milestones are to ensure by 2020 that:



Every home to have loft and cavity insulation where this is cost effective
and technically feasible
Every home with a gas fired central heating boiler to have a highly efficient
one with appropriate controls
At least 100,000 homes to have adopted some form of individual or
community renewable heat technology.
Recently a further objective has been added for 2030.

To deliver a step change in provision of energy efficient homes through
retrofit of existing housing and improved building regulations.
15. It is probably premature to attempt to assess success in achieving GHG
emissions. The Scottish Government does not publish sectoral targets, but
the overall target for Scotland was missed in 2010, largely, it is argued,
because of the exceptionally cold winter, whereas the 2011 figures show the
overall target being exceeded. Within this total picture, the residential sector
achieved proportionately less reduction than Scotland as a whole. The
position on fuel poverty seems much worse. Given that over 25% of all
households were in fuel poverty in 2012, it seems very unlikely that the 2016
target can be met.
7
8
Area of Vacant and Derelict Land, Scottish Government.
An interim target of 42% was set for 2020 and there are also annual targets for the period up to 2022
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Current Policy Measures
16. The Scottish Government has a number of policy levers it can use ranging
from advice, financial assistance and regulation.
17. Financial assistance towards the cost of insulation measures and, in some
cases, for installing or replacing central heating boilers, has been available
for some time through a complex and changing range of schemes with
funding provided directly from the Government or through energy company
obligations. The current schemes are known as the Home Energy Efficiency
Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) and the Energy Company Obligations
(ECO) and the intention is to implement Area Based Schemes targeted at
areas with high levels of fuel poverty alongside national schemes to provide
for the most vulnerable households i.e. those dependent on social security
benefits, wherever they are.
18. The Scottish Government intends that these programmes should spend in
the order of £200m per annum but only £79m was allocated directly from the
Scottish budget in 2013/14 and the remainder is to come from the rather less
certain funding contribution from ECO which operates on a UK basis and is
managed by the main energy companies with funding from a levy on fuel
bills.9 Following concerns about rising fuel prices, the funding for ECO
schemes was reduced at the end of 2013
19. The Area Based Schemes have been selected by local authorities who have
each been given an allocation by the Scottish Government based on a
formula which reflects the level of fuel poverty in their areas and the number
of hard to treat properties. Most areas selected by local authorities are mixed
tenure areas, although it is only the private owners who are eligible for grant
assistance. There are no precise estimates of the number of households who
might benefit but the Scottish Government estimates that it might be in the
range OF 15,000 to 20,000. Local authorities are encouraged to use these
schemes to insulate solid wall properties and those with difficult cavity walls
(collectively known as “hard to treat”) and owners can receive up to £7500
from HEEPS plus, possibly some extra, funding from ECO.
20. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the existing arrangements for
providing financial assistance for energy efficiency work by private owners is
confusing and fragmented. There have been some 6 schemes since 2009/10
with often similar objectives but different names, acronyms, terms and
9
The Energy Company Obligation is targeted at households. There is a an additional UK scheme
called the Green Deal scheme which provides loan funding for energy efficiency improvements which
are the repaid by a supplement to fuel bills.
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conditions. The split of funding between the Scottish Government and the
energy companies does not help for joined up policy. .
21. In terms of regulation, the Scottish Government included certain energy
efficiency measures in the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) to be
achieved by 2015 although these were seen to be relatively modest and a
new Energy Efficiency Standard for social housing, to be achieved by 2020,
has recently been subject to consultation. The main concern for social
landlords is how the cost of these additional requirements will be met.
22. The new Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing will be implemented
using the powers given to Scottish Ministers under the Climate Change
(Scotland) Act 2009 to make regulations to require owners to bring their
houses up to a specified standard. In principle, these powers could be used
to require owner occupiers and private landlords to upgrade the energy
efficiency of their houses and the Government plans to consult on draft
regulations in 2015. Any such regulations would require difficult decisions
about the appropriate standards, how they would be enforced and whether
there would be a different approach to private landlords as opposed to owner
occupiers.
23. Finally in relation to regulation, the Government specifies standards for new
buildings in the Building Standards and there has been a progressive
improvements in the required energy efficiency standards and a further,
revised standards are planned for 2014. The improvements are following a
trajectory originally set out in the Sullivan Report10 published in 2007. This
has 4 stages - improvements in energy efficiency standards in 2010 and
2013 (now postponed until 2014), to achieve a 30% and 60% reduction in
energy use compared with the 2007 standards, subsequent improvements by
2016/17 to achieve net zero carbon buildings (i.e. where there are no net
emissions from water and space heating, light and ventilation and, finally, by
2030 an ambition to have total life zero carbon buildings i.e. where are net
zero emissions over the whole life of the building taking into account
embodied carbon.
24. In terms of advice, the Scottish Government funds the Energy Savings
Trust’s Home Energy Scotland Advisory Network which provides advice to
households over the phone or through its website. Typically, this is advice on
grant assistance and potential contractors.
10
A Low Carbon Building Strategy for Scotland, Scottish Government 2007
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25. A rather different form of advice is provided through the Energy Performance
Certificates (EPCs) which are part of the Home Reports which all sellers must
provide to potential purchasers when their house is put on the market. They
provide an overall assessment of energy efficiency and suggested possible
measures. Although this was intended to be a means of transforming the
market, the information provided tends to be standardised and formulaic.
There has not been any systematic research into the success of EPCs
although a review of Home Reports as a whole is planned, but the Scottish
Government accepts that the value of energy efficient homes is not reflected
in higher property values or more favourable lending terms.
Micro and Community Power Generation
26. This is a second and, relatively minor, strand in the Scottish Government's
strategy. Micro generation encompasses a range of power generation
technologies that can, in the right circumstances, at the domestic scale.
These can include, for example, solar panels, ground source and air source
heat pumps, small windmills and biomass fuelled boilers. Community
schemes can generate sufficient power to supply a number of houses.
27. The Energy Savings Trust estimates that some 11,000 micro-heat
technologies had been installed by 2012. The Government's Sustainable
Housing Strategy sets a target of at least 100,000 homes having adopted
some form of individual or community renewable heat technology by 2020 i.e.
around 4% of the stock.
28. There is a somewhat confusing array of financial incentives to encourage
micro generation including a Scottish Government Home Energy Renewables
Loan Scheme and a Renewable Heat Premium Payment from the UK
Government and these can be combined. There is also the possibility of
assistance under the Green Deal and payments under the "feed in tariff" if
electricity is supplied to the grid. Local authorities and RSLs can obtain loan
finance from a separate Warm Homes Fund for micro and community
renewable.
Energy Efficiency Policies – Conclusions
29. The various grant schemes that have been available linked to the Energy
Savings Trust advisory network has certainly encouraged both cavity and loft
insulation works by owner occupiers and there is a general move by
consumers towards more efficient boilers as old ones are replaced. Social
landlords have also invested in energy efficiency works in their housing. This
is reflected in the energy efficiency ratings recorded over time by the Scottish
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House Condition Survey which show the percentage of the stock assessed
as having a “good” rating increasing from 40% in 2003/04 to 65% in 2011; for
socially rented housing the improvement has been from 56% to 76% over the
same period. In general, the poorest energy efficiency is found in the private
rented sector but even there 52% was assessed as good in 2011.
30. Despite these improvements, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that, to
date, the various policy measures described above have largely impacted on
the “low hanging fruit ” i.e. loft insulation and the houses where it is easier to
install cavity fill insulation. . It is also not clear how good a good rating
actually is i.e. does it achieve all the realistic potential for insulation or is just
relatively better than poorer insulated housing. The Scottish Government’s
estimate of £16b to be achieved by say 2030 to achieve the full potential
would require £700m expenditure overall per annum.
31. In relation to micro renewables, the current target is relatively modest and
more might be achieved with a simpler financial incentive structure and more
and better information for the public about what is possible and its benefits.
Other Operational GHG Emissions
32. As mentioned above, other operational GHG emissions associated with
housing are linked to the use of water by households, the disposal of
household waste and transport from the home to work, shopping centres and
leisure facilities. The general drift of the changes required to reduce
household emissions from these sources is clear – reductions in the use of
water through advice and water metering, reduction and recycling of
household waste; and increased use of public transport and active travel –
but a comprehensive analysis of policies and impacts is beyond the scope of
this paper.
33. It has been suggested that the Commission should be considering the case
for targeting new building on brown field as opposed to green field sites and
prioritising higher density housing as a means of reducing environmental
impacts including GHG emissions. In both cases, this is largely a matter for
national and local planning policies.
34. At the national level, the relevant guidance is set out in the Housing chapter
of Scottish Planning Policy11. This suggests that development plans should:
Scottish Planning Policy – the statement of the Government’s policy on nationally important land
use planning matters, Scottish Government, February 2010
11
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
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Allocate a generous supply of land for housing with a minimum of 5 years
effective land supply maintained at all times and an indication of the
possible scale and location of land up to year 20
Set out a settlement strategy taking account of factors such as investment
in infrastructure; accessibility of services, employment and open space;
protection of the landscape, bio-diversity, cultural heritage; flood risk etc
Promote the efficient use of land by directing development towards land
within existing settlements where possible and considering the use of
previously developed land before development on greenfield sites
Determine the density of new development in relation to the character of
the place and its relative accessibility with higher densities appropriate at
central and accessible locations using good design to achieve higher
density living environments without overcrowding or loss of amenity.
Meet the majority of housing land requirements within or adjacent to
existing settlements.
35. This is clearly generalised advice with a strong flavour of “motherhood and
apple pie” with the result that, rightly or wrongly, land use policy for new
housing is being determined at local level in response to local development
and planning applications. In any event, the overall environmental impact,
positive or negative, is relatively limited because the current level of new
building only adds marginally to the total stock. For example, the total amount
of new house building in 2012 was only 0.6% of the existing stock.
As there is no national recording of the land used for new house building or
the density of new developments, it is impossible to monitor the position yet
alone estimate the environmental effects which will vary considerably from
area to area and site to site.
36. Nevertheless, the statistics on urban derelict and vacant land in Scotland
indicate that this amounts to some 11,000 hectares and this figure has not
changed much since 200112. This represents a considerable underused
resource and suggests that more than advice and guidance to direct
development to brown field land may be required. David Adams13 from
Glasgow University has looked, in depth, at the way in which the market in
derelict and vacant land fails to achieve development. These can include
ownership constraints (multiple or fragmented ownership, ownership
unknown or owner unwilling to sell), valuation problems caused by the lack of
comparators and the lack of interest in development on the part of some
landowners. He argues that the traditional remedy of compulsory purchase
12
The research by David Adams (see below) indicates that this total is not static and that, each year,
some vacant and derelict land is developed and new sitesbecome vacant or derelict.
13 The Potential for Urban Land Reform in Scotland - David Adams, University of Glasgow, paper
given to AESOP-AGSP Congress, Dublin July 2013.
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by a public authority are rarely used because the procedures are
bureaucratic, expensive and time consuming, or perceived to be so. He
recommends that consideration should be given to 3 proposals for promoting
urban land reform in relation to derelict and vacant land
 a community right to sell by public auction when there is a
demonstrable public interest
 majority land assembly - when the developer has acquired a large
percentage of the land, he would have the right to acquire the
remainder compulsorily (as is the case apparently with company
takeovers)
 owner participation in development - essentially a land readjustment
or pooling process to allow fragmented plots owned by those in
favour of redevelopment to be consolidated and serviced whilst still
owned privately.
Embodied Emissions
37. The amount of GHG emissions given off during the process of building new
houses or rehabilitating existing ones will obviously vary, to some extent,
from one house or rehabilitation project to another. These can only be
calculated using life cycle analysis which attempts to measure the carbon
input in all stages of the process of production of new and refurbished
housing. There has been only a limited amount of work of this nature in
relation to housing.
38. One such study funded by the Empty Homes Agency14 calculated that each
new home included in its study 50 tonnes of CO2e so that, if this figure is
reasonably correct the 15,000 houses built in 2012 would have generated
0.75 Mt CO2 i.e. approximately 11% of the annual operational emissions
created by the use of energy in the home.
39. The same study estimated that the refurbishment required to bring an empty
home back into use was about 15 tonnes of CO2e i.e. 30% of the carbon
input into a new house, although this is likely to vary more than the carbon
input into new houses which must all conform to the current Building
Standards. The higher standards of energy efficiency required in new
housing will reduce operational emissions, but the Empty Homes report
suggests that it would take several decades and generally more than 50
years for this to offset the lower carbon input into rehabilitation.
New Tricks with Old Buildings – reusing old buildings can cut carbon emissions” Empty Homes
Agency, March 2008. This work was based on 6 case studies.
14
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40. A more exhaustive review of the existing literature would be required to
compare these calculations against other life cycle analyses. But they are
supportive of the common sense view that it makes good environmental
sense to attempt to retain as many existing houses as possible, for as long
as possible, rather than demolish and replace them routinely after a fixed
period or, for example, when any debt on the initial construction has been
paid off.
41. Compared with the number of demolitions in the 1960s and 1970s, recent
decades have seen much lower levels. Since 2000, the number of recorded
demolitions has varied between 3,000 and 6,000 per annum 15 and the
majority of these are thought to be former social rented houses. Some will be
technically obsolete, for example, certain types of industrialised housing
constructed after the second world war, but most are likely to be simply not
socially sustainable i.e. very unpopular primarily for social and economic
reasons. A more elaborate explanation is summarised in the quote below:
Across the UK, the presumption against social housing has allowed demolition
to be regarded as the solution to a whole range of problems, many of which have
little relationship to the physical fabric of the buildings being demolished, but are
rather a function of wider underlying social problems and of failures in management
and maintenance. (Carley, 1990) Demolitions can have a compounding effect on
remaining housing: the rental base is reduced while historic debts remain, and the
resulting financial constraints can mean that other homes are left to deteriorate to a
state where they too are considered fit only for demolition. (Scottish Executive,
2003)
Some social housing does indeed need to be demolished, but this is the minority.
Much of the rest might not be of the form we would choose to build today, but can,
nevertheless, provide good homes for relatively little extra investment. (Stuart
Hodkinson, in Glynn 2009a; Glynn 2011) Demolition does not only reduce the
social housing stock. It disrupts lives and breaks up communities. It is a long
drawn-out and messy process that can produce a lot of individual hardship,
especially when, as is often the case, it involves elderly and long-established
households16
42. In principle, therefore, it ought to be possible to reduce the level of
demolitions and, consequently, the need for replacement housing especially
in the short to medium term. However, housing is a consumer good, albeit
one with a long life and, in the long term, the level of demolition and
replacement may need to increase because the parts of the housing stock
are in such poor condition that refurbishment is not an economically viable
15
Statistics on demolitions are published by the Scottish Government but with a warning that local
authority returns (from which the national figures are compiled) may underestimate private sector
demolitions.
16 Mass Demolitions and Growing Housing Waiting Lists – Sarah Glynn 2011. This is a paper given by
the author to a seminar at the University of Helsinki in 2011 and which draws on her research in
Dundee,
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option. But it is difficult to go beyond this very general assertion since
modelling obsolescence in the Scottish housing stock would be a very
complex task and well beyond the scope of this paper.
43. It has been suggested that the Commission might wish to consider the case
for increasing the quality of new housing as a way of improving its longevity
and, thereby, making it more environmentally sustainable. The Building
Standards17 apply to all new houses and to conversions and is, therefore, the
obvious mechanism for achieving higher standards. The standards relate to
the structure of the building, prevention of fires, energy use, other
environmental matters, noise, and safety including access to and inside the
dwelling.
44. Through the work of the Sullivan Committee (see paragraph 23 above), the
Government has endorsed a road map for achieving “total life zero carbon
buildings by 2030 i.e. where there are net zero emissions over the whole life
of the building taking into account embodied carbon.
45. Apart from these proposed, radical changes, there are 2 aspects to the
standards which are particularly relevant for “future proofing”. Firstly, there
are standards which facilitate the use of the house for persons with
disabilities and are particularly relevant to the concepts of “lifetime homes” or
“barrier free” housing. The Building Standards include access standards
which are relevant to this debate. Secondly, there is a debate about the need
for minimum space standards. These were included in the Building Standards
(based on the Parker Morris report) up to 1987 when they were removed
although they were retained for publicly funded housing which in recent years
has been subject to standards set out in “Housing for Varying Needs”
originally published by Scottish Homes18. There is, therefore, a potential gap
in relation to private housing.19
46. Whether there is a need for any further rationalisation or enhancement in
standards and what this would cost are detailed technical matters beyond the
scope of this paper. But the UK Government has published a Code for
Sustainable Housing which applies to new housing in England and Wales,
based on technical work by the Building Research Establishment, and it
17
The Building Standards for Scotland comprise statutory Building Regulations supported by
published Technical Handbooks for domestic and non domestic buildings. The most recent Technical
Handbook for Domestic Buildings was published in 2013
18 Housing for Varying Needs” Scottish Homes, 2004
19 The UK Government has recently gone out to consultation on a proposal to rationalise design
standards for new housing in England and Wales by adding space standards to their Building
Standards. Some commentators have argues strongly that these should be based on an updated
version of Parker Morris.
14
24th March 2014
might be helpful to check whether there are items included in this Code which
are not properly covered in the Scottish Building Standards.
Richard Grant
March 2014
15