Monitoring scheme to assess eco claims

Finalists announced for Sustainable Housing Awards 2011

The finalists for the Sustainable Housing Awards 2011 have been announced.

HCA identify 18 schemes for development cash

The Homes and Communities Agency has earmarked 18 schemes with plans to deliver 1,300 new homes as the first group to benefit from the £420 million Get Britain Building programme.

Model village

It’s been more than a decade in the making, but eventually Derwenthorpe will be a great example of an energy-efficient community. Jess McCabe finds out why it’s taken so long to build

Call made for associations to help tenants more

Smaller housing associations with no intention of developing homes should push the money they generate into social innovation projects to better the lives of their residents, it has been argued.

The genius of Jane Jacobs

Zero in on tax rules

Landlords can still use subsidiaries to receive VAT benefits but they must seek proper legal advice, say Richard Brooks and Victoria Jardine

Ringing the changes

Opened last year, Orbit Heart of England’s Sampson Close development in Bell Green is one of the first schemes in the area to meet Passivhaus standards. Here the various partners explain why they are taking this high energy efficiency approach to house building.

Health check

Can living in an energy-efficient home improve residents’ well-being? Gentoo’s latest retrofit pilot aims to find out. Martin Hilditch reports

How to...

Social landlords can play a big role in improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s homes. But they must lobby hard to ensure ministers understand that they will need support to do so, says Martin Wheatley

Tips from the top

A mentoring scheme is helping talented housing professionals break through the glass ceiling. Lydia Stockdale finds out who is benefiting from this process