MAROONS SHOW THE WAY ON GREEN BUILDINGS

Friday, 13 November 2009

Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe
12/11/2009

Queensland has cemented its role as Australia's sustainable housing policy pioneer with the passing of new building laws today.

Building covenants and by-laws that restricted sustainable housing features will now be banned, while selling a house or unit from 2010 will have to include a mandatory sustainability declaration.

Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe said Queenslanders would soon have more choice when seeking a property with sustainability features.

"Sustainable houses and units are great for the environment as they can use less energy and water and help Queenslanders reduce their carbon footprint," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"They can also deliver lower operating costs for the people who live in them.

"We've shown the way in Australia with mandatory energy and water efficiency standards for air-conditioners, lighting and water fixtures brought in earlier this year."

"A new sustainability declaration will now be required when selling a house, townhouse or unit in Queensland from 1 January, 2010.

"The sustainability declaration will list a property's energy, water, safety and access features for prospective buyers and provide a valuable marketing tool for sellers.

"Just as many people look at fuel economy and running costs when buying a car, sustainability features should be a key consideration for prospective homeowners."

A declaration must be completed before engaging an agent to sell the property, and the property is not allowed to be advertised for sale until it is completed.

Advertising material, such as web listings and signage created especially for the property will also need to reference where the sustainability declaration can be viewed.

The declaration must be available during open-house inspections and provided within a reasonable time frame if requested by a potential property buyer.

Mr Hinchliffe said the Bligh Government had also stopped developers and bodies corporate from banning sustainable housing features.

He said despite support from more than 70 per cent of Queenslanders surveyed during the Improving Sustainable Housing in Queensland consultation process, the opposition refused to support the Sustainability Declaration.

"This 'ban on the banners' is expected to have a positive impact on housing affordability by reducing upfront construction costs and ongoing operational costs," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"There must be freedom for home owners and builders to provide the most environmentally sustainable homes possible.

"If a home buyer may want to reduce their costs and carbon footprint by choosing a smaller house with fewer bedrooms, a single garage and one bathroom to suit their lifestyle and needs then they should be able to choose.

A proposed building code to ensure buildings near major transport routes, such as roads and railways, have low noise levels for occupants was also passed today in Parliament.

"We plan to regulate construction standards for new residential buildings or alterations in designated transport corridors," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"This will be achieved through smarter designs and better use of standard building materials such as masonry walls, solid core doors and standard thicknesses of glazing."

The code will only apply to new houses, townhouses, units and other accommodation like hotels, motels and hostels. Major renovations of these building types will also need to comply, where practical.

Properties which have existing covenants will also be subject to the proposed code.

Transport corridors are up to 250 metres from certain Local Government roads, State-controlled roads and railways that have minimum transport noise levels of around 58 decibels.

For example, a person standing next to Sandgate Road, which receives approximately 33,000 vehicles per day, could be expected to experience noise levels of 77 decibels.

At present residential buildings on properties near state-controlled roads require an acoustic assessment and case-by-case state approval, often conditional upon the implementation of noise mitigation measures.

Soon building certifiers will be able to assess plans and approve construction of buildings if the proposal meets the requirements of the code.

This will allow for faster development timeframes by eliminating the need for expensive reports to be compiled and considered.

"The proposed new building code will provide a more consistent standard across the state, reduce the time and costs to gain a final building approval and give greater certainty and up-front design direction for developers," Mr Hinchliffe said.

Information on all designated transport corridors will be provided to the relevant local governments for their planning schemes to allow better identification of transport noise corridors by building certifiers, prospective purchasers and developers.

The State Government is also developing a user friendly website whereby free searches can be conducted based on addresses or lot plan numbers to determine if the property is located within a designated transport noise corridor.

Media contact: Minister Hinchliffe's office: 3224 8750

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