Renewed eco focus for London developers

Developers in the capital have been urged to redouble their focus on energy efficiency in a bid to make the capital a "global pioneer" in environmental planning.

Mayor Ken Livingstone this week unveiled a revised version of the 15-year London Plan, in which construction firms are asked to aspire towards tough new green targets that include reducing carbon emissions by 20 per cent.

Emphasising the importance of building with energy efficient materials while also drawing from locally-generated renewable energy sources, the Plan is intended to cement London's reputation as one of the most environmentally-responsible cities on the planet.

"This is an important step towards our zero carbon goal and one that developers can, and must, step up to deliver," the mayor said. "There is broad and strong support for the London Plan's new energy policies and developers, architects and engineers are already making proposals that not only meet the current targets but often exceed them."

Last December, Mr Livingstone also launched the Green Homes service, which aims to help Londoners cut their annual carbon footprints by half a million tonnes before the end of the decade.

News posted on 21st February, 2008