Ealing Council has adopted new housing development standards aimed at ensuring future homes are fit for purpose, sustainable, and enhance resident wellbeing. The Ealing Development Guide 2026-2031, approved by the Cabinet on Thursday, July 9, 2026, sets a high benchmark for all council and partner-led housing projects across the borough.
Councillor Louise Brett, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Safe and Genuinely Affordable Homes, described the guide as setting Ealing ahead of the curve in terms of, you know, home standards or good home standards.
The new standards aim to address challenges such as escalating construction costs, skills shortages, and grid constraints.
The guide emphasizes a place-led approach, ensuring new developments contribute positively to neighbourhood character, social infrastructure, and community life. It promotes high standards of energy efficiency, sustainability, and resident wellbeing, aligning with the council's commitment to tackling the climate crisis and fighting inequality.
Key aspects of the guide include a focus on Passivhaus certification for all new buildings, aiming for Passivhaus Plus or Premium standards to ensure rigorous quality control and long-term affordability. The guide states that Every development scheme coming forward under the new guide will require sign off by the council's gateway approval process.
Furthermore, it emphasizes Post-Occupancy Evaluation
to measure performance and drive continuous improvement, and requires third-party building performance evaluation on completion, covering thermography, indoor air quality, acoustics, and building services.
Beyond Passivhaus certification, the guide aims to reduce living costs through simple, efficient design.
It specifies that Compact forms, durable materials, and thoughtful detailing reduce energy use, cleaning, and maintenance while keeping service charges manageable.
The guide also emphasizes whole-life costs and resident affordability
and notes that Passivhaus homes cut space heating demand by typically 75–90%, materially reducing bills.
It also mandates Whole Life Carbon Assessments to minimize carbon across the building lifecycle, addressing both operational and embodied carbon.
Overheating is addressed through a hierarchy of passive design strategies, prioritizing external shading, natural ventilation, and minimizing internal heat gains. The guide prioritizes external shading over internal shading. Plant/place/retain deciduous trees on south and west façades to maximise shading and winter sun benefits. Prioritise passive ventilation with generous, safe side-hung openable windows. Minimise internal heat gains from lighting, appliances, and equipment.
The guide also references Homes England's Healthy Homes Guidance
which requires overheating risk modelling and passive mitigation measures
and notes that Passivhaus not only meets but often exceeds Healthy Homes requirements.
The guide also promotes water efficiency and resilience, requiring integrated water management approaches that reduce demand, maximize on-site reuse, and move towards water neutrality.
Furthermore, the Ealing Development Guide 2026-2031 encourages diverse delivery models, including support for small and medium-sized developers, non-market housing, and custom and self-build projects. To support small and medium-sized developers, the guide aims to provide transparent access to land, planning guidance, and streamlined approvals for well designed, sustainable proposals.
It also emphasizes capacity building and knowledge sharing
through training and collaborative forums to improve delivery outcomes.
It also emphasizes the importance of co-design and long-term stewardship, involving residents in the design and ongoing care of their neighbourhoods. The guide states that Tailor engagement strategies to the type and scale of project and the community, ensuring inclusivity across age, background, and digital access.
It also highlights Gather and integrate feedback from previous developments to improve outcomes and anticipate challenges
and Implement stewardship mechanisms: establish residents' committees, maintenance agreements, or formal stewardship programs to ensure communal areas are well-maintained and accountability is clear.
While the guide sets a high benchmark, it acknowledges that not every element is mandatory. Deviations will be considered on a case-by-case basis if a clear business case can be demonstrated. The guide states that Every site is different, and not every element of the guide is mandatory if there is a clear business case for departure.
It also notes that Each project will be required to demonstrate the financial impact it will have on the HRA.
The guide further mentions that deviations will be considered at each gateway approval stages.
The Ealing Development Guide 2026-2031 addresses grid constraints by stating: Adopt low energy, low carbon to reduce peak loads; coordinate with Scottish and Southern Electricity Network. consider decentralised heat pumps; evidence from Hounslow demonstrates load reduction strategies.
It also notes that Passivhaus buildings support this transition by lowering peak loads and integrating renewable energy, storage, and smart controls.
The guide will be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect evolving policies, legislation, and best practices. The Cabinet's approval can be found in the Public reports pack Thursday 09 Jul 2026 17.00 Cabinet.
