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In June, then shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed that in its first 100 days a Labour government would “update the National Planning Policy Framework [NPPF] and list of nationally significant infrastructure investments so that we can start growing our economy and give businesses confidence”.

But while the government has consulted on proposed changes to the NPPF, more than 100 days have passed and there appears to be a failure to get to get to grips with urgent tasks required to bring about quick and effective changes. This is especially the case with making the NPPF more effective at dealing with climate change and decarbonising buildings.

One immediate improvement would be the incorporation of clear and more focused definitions of ‘low-carbon development’ and ‘whole-life carbon’ into the NPPF. These are critical to encourage greater confidence among developers and to create stronger guidelines and references for local authorities and planners when delivering future schemes.

But such definitions are noticeable by their absence. The government should look at fast-tracking this part of any revised NPPF over the coming months.

The British Property Federation’s consultation response provides important guidance on what needs to be done, including the need for up-to-date local authority development plans. Other steps for the government to consider include reinstating the domestic minimum efficiency standards, scrapped by the previous government, and making plans to accelerate housing energy performance retrofitting.

The focus should now be on improving our homes to reduce energy demand alongside the decarbonisation of the grid. The creation of Great British Energy is to be welcomed, but a huge amount still needs to be done in the next five years, not least to improve the carbon efficiency of the UK’s ageing housing stock.

This article was originally published in Property Week, in print and online here.