The vast majority of people in the UK’s property sector are sceptical about
the industry’s ability to achieve demanding government targets requiring all new
homes to meet zero-carbon standards by 2016.

That is the conclusion of a major new survey of 7,000 people from across the
property and construction sectors, which found that 76 per cent regarded the
government’s zero-carbon home target as "unrealistic".

Similarly, 73 per cent of respondents said that a government target requiring
all new commercial properties to attain zero-carbon status by 2019 was also
unlikely to be met.

The survey from the British Property
Federation, law firm Taylor Wessing and communications consultancy Spada,
reveals growing disquiet across the industry about the demanding new targets.

However, it also confirms there is still widespread support for tighter green
building regulations. A majority of respondents said they thought regulation
would continue to drive improvements in building’s environmental performance,
while 68 per cent said that sustainability was either "very" or " highly"
important to their business.

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, urged the
sector to work closely with the new government to develop workable green
regulations.

"With an industry that is sceptical about carbon-reduction targets, closer
collaboration between government and the industry is essential if these are to
be met," she said. "Government will need to work with all sectors to understand
fragmented views and identify why certain sectors feel the targets are more
achievable than others."

Housing minister Grant Shapps recently confirmed that the government would
retain the 2016 target for new zero-carbon homes, and it is widely believed he
will also retain the 2019 target for commercial buildings. He also confirmed
that the government will release the long-awaited definition of what constitutes
a zero-carbon home this summer.

John Alker of the Green Building
Council said that concerns over how the government will define zero carbon
were central to scepticism about the viability of the 2016 target.

"Almost by definition, you need to know what will be required to meet the
zero-carbon standard before you can assess whether it is achievable," he said.
"Once we know what the definition is, we’d expect confidence in the target to
increase."