Overcoming Challenges to Design Affordable and Sustainable Social Housing

The UK Government has set the target of reaching net-zero by 2050 and social housing will play a significant role in achieving this goal. Local authorities and housing associations will be subject to new Government requirements outlined in the Future Homes and Building Regulations Standard. This standard ensures new homes built from 2025 will produce 75-80% fewer carbon emissions than homes delivered under current regulations.

Karen Lythe is the Assistant Director of Strategic Housing and Sustainability at Doncaster Council. She is responsible for leading the Council House Build Programme and the delivery of the new Environment and Sustainability Strategy. She works alongside her colleague, Matthew Clarkson, Design and Construction Manager, to help the council reach net-zero ambitions.

In this video, Karen and Matthew give insights into the challenges they faced when delivering Doncaster’s Council House Build Programme and share how they overcame these. They discuss how they plan to adopt the guidelines set out by the Future Homes Standard and explore innovative solutions to provide affordable and sustainable social housing.

Other posts on sustainability shared with GE Insights cover engaging with tenants to ensure their support in addition to smaller scale pieces such as the environmental benefits of hybrid working.

The Government’s Future Homes and Building Regulations Standard requires all houses built from 2025 to produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes delivered under current regulations. We heard from Karen Lythe, Assistant Director of Strategic Housing, and Matthew Clarkson, Design and Construction Services Manager at Doncaster Council about overcoming challenges to deliver the council’s House Build Programme in line with the Future Homes Standard.