Foundation for a new approach

ECO-FRIENDLY homes are at the heart of builders' business agendas in the fierce battle for permission to develop an ever diminishing supply of land in the South East.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott wants an extra 200,000 homes in the region, and brownfield sites must be transformed not just into housing schemes but also into sustainable new urban communities.

Builders are latching on to 'sustainable' as a tool to better their chances of quicker planning approval, meaning more homes and better profits.

London boroughs, including Brent, Merton, Hammersmith & Fulham and Richmond-upon-Thames, are developing their own sustainability checklists to appraise applications.

Britain is reckoned to need 39,000 homes built each year on top of the current 175,000 to meet demand.