Architect wants people of County Durham to shape the future of climate-friendly housing

An award-winning architect has called on people in the county to seize a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to push for cleaner, greener housing which will deliver lower energy bills.

Mark Siddall, of LEAP (Lovingly Engineered Architectural Practice) in Durham, says the current public consultation offering residents a say on County Durham’s new housing strategy could spark a green revolution in homes.

And he is keeping his fingers crossed there is a strong upswell in favour of future housing aligning more closely with the council’s net-zero targets.

“I really hope the public sees this consultation for the opportunity that it is - a once-in-a-generation chance to influence the type of housing we build in the county,” he said. “Housing that our children and grandchildren will thank us for.

“I’d like to see a demand for high-performance homes which cut carbon, cut bills and improves quality of life. 

“This is the chance for County Durham to take the lead, just like other leading councils, like York, Exeter, Herefordshire, West Oxfordshire, Forest of Dean and Cotswold, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Midlothian, Perth & Kinross. 

“These councils recognise that investing in better standards not only helps to secure regional jobs, but can also improve investment and spark innovation in manufacturing and technology.”

Among the things Mark hopes the council will take up are:

·         using the management and construction of council-owned housing stock to drive best practice,

·         developing a retrofit strategy for existing housing,

·         prioritising health and well-being whilst also seeking to also reduce carbon emissions,

·         the closing of building performance gaps by adopting recognised standards:

·         for example, for retrofit, adopting the AECB Retrofit Standard, or the Passivhaus EnerPHit Standard

·         for new buildings, adopting the AECB Building Standard and the Passivhaus Standard,

·         establishing whole-life carbon targets for new-build and retrofit.

Mark has won regional and national architectural awards for creating the North East’s first net-zero home - Shepherd’s Barn, in Lanchester - which actually generates more energy than it consumes.

He said: “I think there’s a quiet desire out there among the public to see top quality design which is friendly to the climate, reduces bills and emissions and complements the environment it is situated in.

“Surveys show the environment and climate change are among the biggest issues that concern the public and I hope this will be reflected in Durham Council’s consultation with people pushing for renewables and the highest standards of insulation.” 

The housing conversation is being held by the council to help it develop its new housing strategy for 2024, updating and replacing the strategy agreed in 2019.

The proposed new strategy sets out the vision that, by 2035, County Durham will be a place that has good quality homes that meet the needs of existing and future residents, and that they can afford.

It also aims to deliver quality housing that supports economic growth and contributes to improved health, and which creates and maintains sustainable, mixed, and balanced communities where people live long and independent lives

As part of its aim to create a conversation around housing, the council has launched the public consultation which will run until Friday, August 18 and is particularly keen to get the opinions of the younger generation.

People can get involved by visiting a Customer Access Point or one of the council’s libraries to request a paper copy of the survey.

Alternatively, they can contact the council at [email protected] with comments and questions.

Partners, voluntary organisations, and industry professionals can also join the conversation by filling in the online survey or by contacting [email protected] .

The council will also be visiting the county’s Area Action Partnerships and other partnership forums throughout July.

Feedback will be used to develop the draft County Durham Housing Strategy, which will be shared again with the public for comments in the autumn, with a view to a final version being agreed by March 2024.

For more information on the strategy, and to take part in the conversation, visit www.durham.gov.uk/thehousingconversation