"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 7 Jun 2004 11:16:57 +0100, "IMM" wrote:



I really couldn't a hoot about a developer and its shareholders. If they
will not deliver the goods then the government has to force them into the
20th century. Getting them into the 21st century is asking too much.


You may not directly, but this is a naive view. The shareholders are
typically pension and other managed funds, not to mention the
contribution of corporation tax to the exchequer.

You missed the point yet again.

Energy Park in Milton Keyens has people touring it in their cars to
see
the
wonderful homes, which counters your pie in the sky claims.

The very notion of Milton Keynes and all that goes with it is a big
turn off to a lot of people.

You said it. "ignorance".

That is how it is, however. It would be pretty difficult to
legislate people to like Milton Keynes.

Well seeing as it is a boom town/city and they are short of houses you naive
view of the world is once a again off mark.

If you want to know why Wimpey is not
building eco's by the 100s of thousands
then go and ask the these people why
they are not? There is no reason whatsoever
why they should not be building eco homes.

Yes there is. They perceive that people don't
want them,

What balls! They don't want change. They are frightened of change.

It isn't balls, but I don't disagree with you. As I said, people
perceive their houses as their major investment and protection, for
right or from wrong. This results in being risk averse in that area.
You can't legislate against human nature either.

Once again mossed the point.

The only way to charge these large
money making dinosaurs is to legislate.

In the short term possibly.

It has to be to get them to deliver. they virtually have monopolies
governments should control them when they fail to deliver.

There is more than adequate monoplies control legislation as it is.

This is clearly not without political
risk or successive governments would have legislated zero
energy homes for all new builds.

It is going that way. The new insulation regs are a major hype. the
Canadian government is operating their R-2000 over here too, as well as
many
other countries too.

I didn't know that Ottawa had jurisdiction in the UK. You learn
something new every day.

John Prescott has warned them to catch up or he will
make them do it.

By sticking one on the chairman of Wimpey?

I hope so.

I think that it would be about the only way.....

You are right. Just as well we have Johnny then.

They never even looked into other
more cost effective ways, just going
along doing the same old expensive inefficient thing.

Because it is what they perceive that
the public wants, and what they
know how to do.

What tripe. They build to what they "think" they make the most money on.

The two are inextricably linked. It's called the free market.

Free market? about 15 companies build about 85% of all homes. Monopolies.

They are doing very well so why should they change. That is theri
mentality.

Why indeed. The economic drivers are not there.

Exactly, so the government should force change through.

It still comes back to the same three things though - education,
economics legislation. At present, the government is clearly
focussed on the third of these.

It has to be as certain industries are still in the 1930s. No
government
wants to legislate unnecessarily.

The present one does it all the time.

Because it has to keep the country keeping up. I wish they would
de-legislate on land though.

I wish that they would repeal most of the garbage regulations and
stealth taxes introduced since 1997.

I hope they keep them except the taxes as LVT should be introduced.

I very much doubt whether there will be meaningful land reform in our
lifetimes.

If, in 1988 you said that the Soviet empire would be dismantled in a few
years with Russia apply to join NATO you would have found a van pull with
men in white coats pulling you in. And os that exactly what happened.

Land re-distribution is taking place on a small scale in Scotland right now.