It has been a while now since I helped write the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Healthy Homes and Buildings’ White Paper back in 2018. Although slightly outdated now, the evidence is clear and more than ever before we need action to make our homes and buildings healthier.

Here is a reminder of the key asks which I urge the newly elected government to address as a matter of urgency.

Firstly, the Government and local authorities should make health and well-being a top priority. It would be great to see the UK Government replicate legislation passed in Wales. Their Well-being of Future Generations Act requires public bodies to think about the long-term impact of their decisions to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.

We also need the Government to join up the relevant departments and agencies who have an interest in health and retrofit of buildings with clear ownership.

A National Renovation Strategy is then required to set out plans to retrofit the current UK building stock. Our building stock is some of the worst performing in Europe. The strategy should take a whole house approach, starting with the building fabric and address the other building requirements associated with health and well-being, like thermal comfort, air quality, lighting and acoustics.

To do so improved tools will be required, such as a building passport. That clearly sets out the improvement measures required for a particular building.

We need to stop building homes and buildings that are energy inefficient. This will prevent us having to spend time and money on retrofitting them later. We need national optimum standards for new buildings.

We also need to develop the knowledge and skills around health and well-being across government and the industry, so it becomes standard practice to consider health and wellbeing in policymaking, new build design and retrofit projects. 

Industry and government should work together to raise public awareness about the link between the built environment and health and well-being.

This would help to create consumer demand for home improvement measures and start to create a market for Net Zero, as well as healthier homes and buildings.

Finally, we should measure the impact from current and future newbuild and renovation schemes to build the political, economic and business case as evidence into future policy making decisions, so that health and well-being truly is at the forefront of the Government’s decision-making processes.

Given we spend on average 90% of our time indoors, the indoor built environment contributes directly to people’s health and wellbeing.

It is astonishing to note that the estimated cost of leaving people in poor housing is in the region of £18.5 billion per year. This statistic demonstrates the need for change: we need to build homes and buildings that are healthy for people.

In the white paper, health is that defined by the World Health Organisation as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being’. Therefore, healthy Homes and Buildings are not simply those where there is a lack of ill health, but Homes and Buildings that maximise the occupant’s physical, mental and social well-being.

While energy efficiency plays a significant role, healthy homes and buildings are about much more; including thermal comfort, air quality, acoustics, lighting, and views of the outdoors.

Also, focusing on carbon alone without paying due care and attention to other factors has led to unintended consequences in the past. Overheating, poor air quality, mould and moisture are all known problems from poor quality approaches to energy efficiency schemes and safety should be foremost.

We have a real opportunity to create and use buildings to promote positive health and wellbeing while addressing Net Zero.

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Author:

Jade Lewis

Chief Executive, Jade Advocacy