Housing

HOB100 All new housing will be zero carbon and built to the highest environmental standards.

HOB110 We will encourage the placing of solar panels on present housing where possible and support the retro fitting of Energy efficiency materials.

HOB120 All housing should include Bio diversity measures and no one should be further than 5 minutes walk from green spaces.

HOB130 We would increase the amount of council housing as well as co-housing and housing co-operatives. in the Bath area as it is currently insufficient to meet the need. These type of housing should be the priority in any housing development for the foreseeable future. Bath needs a socially mixed population and the Green Party will endeavour to serve this need.

HOB140 We would ensure the council surveys all empty property, including privately owned, and begins a process of using compulsory purchase orders on properties that have been vacant for longest.

HOB150 We would seek to ensure that all new housing developments are mixed developments, with an aim of at least 50% not privately owned.

HOB160 We would give priority to housing that is suitable for families to ensure that Bath retains a diverse social community (as family housing can also be lived in by single people, but families cannot live in housing built especially for single people)

HOB170 We would ensure that new housing development encourages sustainable transport use, including car-free housing estates with easy access to public transport and within walking distance of all main facilities. It should include where required the buildings of school, surgery, community space including lay provision and infrastructure costs.

HOB180 In some areas of Bath there are increasing numbers of houses in multi- occupancy. To ensure that we do not end up with high densities of this type of housing, we would introduce controls to restrict the numbers of houses in multi-occupancy to ensure we keep mixed communities.

HOB190 Private space, exclusive of cooking and washing facilities, must be a minimum size of 15 square metres per person. This is in addition to any communal spaces.

HOB200 We would work to stop the rental of properties for long term holiday rents.