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Green amendments to NI building regulations scrapped

Posted: 01/02/2008

Carbon emissions from housing in Northern Ireland are likely to stay much the same after NI finance minister Peter Robinson MP binned proposed legislation to tackle climate change. Robinson decided NOT to implement changes to building regulations which would have forced property developers to build greener homes.

The new regulations would have made it compulsory for new buildings to have small wind turbines, wood fuelled boilers and solar panels - but now this will not happen.

The Irish News reported last week that this U turn comes in spite of the draft Programme for Government promising to reduce Northern Ireland’s Carbon Footprint by at least 25% by 2025.

Darrell O'Kane, Housing Account Manager for VELUX Company Ltd in Ireland, commenting on Robinson's decision not to amend the building regulations, said, "The recent u-turn by Northern Ireland Executive Finance Chief Peter Robinson, which reverses the government’s earlier pledge to make on-site renewables compulsory under amendments to the Building Regulations, is both irresponsible and misguided. This latest move totally undermines the government's earlier commitments and is at the cost of the environment and Northern Ireland's homeowners".

"Feeble suggestions that a policy ensuring that all new building incorporate microgeneration will limit a developers’ flexibility are totally unfounded. Since the initial announcement of this planned policy, the installer industry has been gearing up to offer developers a range of solutions which will aid them in their mission to ensure their new developments meet the new regulations".

"This recent decision not only goes against wider government plans to improve the energy efficiency of new homes but it leaves much of this new industry vulnerable to a significantly lower demand than was first anticipated. Incorporating renewable energy does not mean a
compromise on design or flexibility".

"Peter Robinson’s recent decision seems to contradict the government’s wider plans to ensure all new homes are carbon zero by 2016. He has clearly bowed down to misguided, external pressures and I would urge the Northern Ireland Government to think again – reducing the country’s carbon emissions is the responsibility of everyone, developers have a key role to play in this and they should not be excused".

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