asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of the 160,000 homes to be built in the London Thames Gateway development they forecast will be zero-carbon homes meeting level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. [HL857]

The Code for Sustainable Homes (the code) is a voluntary set of sustainable design principles covering performance of new homes in nine key areas, including energy and CO₂ emissions, water, materials, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, health & well-being, management and ecology.

New homes that are assessed against the code receive a 1-6 star rating. A 1-star home is built to higher sustainability standards than those set out in current Building Regulations whilst a 6-star home is a truly sustainable, zero-carbon home. The criteria on how to achieve each star rating are set out in detail in Code for Sustainable Homes: Technical Guide, available on the Communities and Local Government's website at: www.communities.gov.uk/thecode.

We have also set a timetable and strategy for making all new homes zero-carbon—equivalent to code level 6 for energy efficiency—by 2016 through Building Regulations.

In the November 2007 Thames Gateway Delivery Plan, we stated the Government's desire to establish it as an eco-region putting sustainability at the heart of everything we do there. While we have not forecast the Code for Sustainable Homes ratings for the homes in the Thames Gateway to 2016, we will be working with partners and stakeholders to support delivery of homes that meet exacting environmental standards.