Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2010 - Falkirk Council

9.7 The latest amendments to the Technical Standards for 2010 came into force from
1 October 2010 and set out the minimum standards that must be achieved when
designing new domestic and non-domestic buildings. The Council will work with
development partners to ensure that all new developments meet (and where
possible exceed) the minimum standards set out in the Technical Handbooks.
The Technical Handbooks 2010 are guidance documents and allow for alternative
innovative solutions to achieve compliance within the specific performance
Standard. The 2010 amendments in relation to new domestic buildings focus on
improved standards for environmental, noise and energy performance amongst
other changes.
Barriers to Achieving High Environmental Standards
9.8 As noted in paragraph 4.4, the Council’s Local Plan promotes sustainability by
aiming to achieve quality community infrastructure through developers’
contributions towards the provision of improved infrastructure. Recent planning
consents have required RSL development partners to make a contribution toward
open space provision where they have not met the required open space standard
within the development site. Although this is a planning condition, the Housing &
Regeneration Directorate has taken the view that the contributions are not HAG
eligible and this could impact on the deliverability of future partnership
development projects. This is an issue which will require ongoing discussion
between the Scottish Government, local authorities and development partners
such as RSLs and is likely to become an increasing issue in the coming years if
the current constraints on public expenditure continue.
9.9 The Council will continue to work in partnership with its RSL development partners
to promote sustainable development and energy efficiency at the design stage of
all new developments contained within the SHIP. However, it is recognised that
delivering highly energy efficient, sustainable homes beyond the statutory targets
has cost implications for development partners which require to be addressed.
Home Energy Strategy
9.10 Progress continues towards meeting the aims of the Home Energy Strategy 2008-
11 which sets out the Council’s commitment to improving the energy efficiency of
the housing stock and addressing issues of fuel poverty affecting vulnerable
households. The main focus during 2010/11 is to improve the energy efficiency of
the housing stock in all tenures and to address the factors that affect fuel poverty.
With this in mind, the Council will be continuing its programmes of insulation
improvements and central heating replacement in its own stock and targeting over
15,000 owner occupiers to encourage them to take up assistance with insulation
measures, income maximisation and tariff advice. This latter initiative addresses
fuel poverty and is funded through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target
funding provided by the Scottish Government and energy companies.
9.11 Partnership with the local Energy Saving Scotland advice centres (ESSac)
continues with the main focus this year being on income maximisation. A number
of events have been planned in conjunction with ESSac to reach residents from all
sectors of the Falkirk Council area.
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