Regulations for all new built property in Wales could add up to 10% to costs, consultants warn

All new build houses in Wales will from 1 September need to conform to strict new environmental regulations which were announced in a surprise move by the Welsh Assembly last year.
 
The rules are being implemented in stages, with development schemes of five or more homes needing to meet the new strict environmental legislation first.
 
All those building properties, including self builders and small scale developers, will need to comply with the strict requirements of Level 3 of the environmental standards known as The Code for Sustainable Homes. Renovations and refurbishments and existing homes do not need to comply.
 
But independent planning consultancy DPP is warning that it will push up the cost of building considerably. ‘The property market in Wales remains particularly fragile and this step to increase the environmental credentials of new homes in Wales has been widely criticised as political one-upmanship on Westminster and likely to further slow down the delivery of much needed new homes,’ said Gareth Hooper an associate partner in the Cardiff office of DPP.
 
He points out that these requirements will add considerably to the level of detail required at the planning application stage developers will want to pass on these costs. Even developers who wish to build just one new home must embrace the new regime. In practice this means developers and self builders will need to consider the environmental requirements of the Code from the outset, incorporating measures into the design, he added.
 
The new regulations require all residential developments to be at least 25% more efficient than those built to comply with 2006 Building Regulation standards, with the Welsh Sustainable Building regulations requiring a 31% improvement.
 
Such energy efficiency gains could be made by improving thermal efficiency of walls, windows and the roof; reducing air permeability or ventilation; installing a high efficiency condensing boiler; carefully designing the fabric of homes to reduce heat loss between inner and outer walls; and the use of community heating schemes, and zero carbon technologies such as solar panels or biomass boilers.
 
Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes also requires homes to use no more than 105 litres of water per person per day by use of special taps and showers, smaller bath tubs and restrictions on water usage in dishwashers and washing machines.
 
More controversially, developers must give consideration to providing space for drying clothing, removing the need for tumble dryers, providing more energy efficient lighting, providing storage space for bicycles, and providing a room that could easily be used as a home office. Once the building is complete, the builder/developer must then be able to demonstrate that they have met the requirements before the house can be occupied.