The Future Homes Leadership Council met for the first time on 29 June 2023, according to the Future Homes Hub, which announced the launch. The Council "comprises CEOs from a cross section of the country's homebuilders including those of the largest eight homebuilders" as well as smaller companies described as being at the forefront of building zero carbon sustainable homes1.
Its stated purpose is "to help lead the sector's rapid journey to being zero carbon and nature positive"1. The actions agreed at the first meeting were to ramp up sharing, further develop the roadmap including where additional quick action can be taken, and develop the sector's communications1.
"The Council will meet every six months to agree actions for the sector"
Membership of the Council will rotate, which the Hub said reflects that leadership for sustainability must be shared across the sector. Terms of reference are to be published shortly1. The largest ten companies have agreed substantially increased financial contributions to the Hub to support the collaboration and help small and medium sized enterprises in particular1.
The Hub set the Council's work against a series of regulatory and standards milestones. It said the 2021 regulation changes reduce operational carbon by over 30 per cent, Biodiversity Net Gain is to be introduced in November 2023 and means all sites will improve biodiversity by 10 per cent, and the 2025 Future Homes Standard will make all new homes zero carbon ready1. It also cited a water efficiency roadmap setting a pathway to reduced water consumption and an embodied and Whole Life Carbon implementation plan preparing the sector for deeper emissions reduction1.
The five messages from the first meeting covered commitment, roadmap, collaboration, SMEs and customers. On collaboration, the Council agreed that all companies should share research and development and that close partnership with the supply chain is fundamental. On SMEs, it recognised the need to support smaller firms to navigate change, including through sharing technical solutions. On customers, it described a focus on building better homes and places for residents and their communities1.
Why it matters for households
The Council is a builder-led body rather than a regulator, so it does not itself set the standards that apply to a new home. What it signals is how the largest housebuilders intend to approach the rules that do: the 2025 Future Homes Standard, under which new homes are to be zero carbon ready, and Biodiversity Net Gain from November 20231. For a household buying or commissioning a new home, the practical questions about running costs, heating system and carbon emissions sit with those standards and with the design choices builders make under them. The Hub has not reported which specific technologies or specifications the Council's members will adopt, and no detail has been published on how the agreed sharing of research and development will reach buyers. The distinction between the two main compliance routes for the standard is set out in the site's comparison of Option 1 and Option 2.
What happens next
The Council will meet every six months to agree actions for the sector, and its terms of reference are to be published shortly1. Biodiversity Net Gain is due to be introduced in November 2023, and the Future Homes Standard is expected in 20251. No date has been reported for publication of the terms of reference beyond "shortly", and no further meeting date has been given.
Sources1 cited
- Future Homes Leadership Council launches, futurehomes.org.uk