<p>The environmental agenda is the “biggest challenge” for the housebuilding industry and is set to dominate its work for years to come, Neil Jefferson, managing director of the Home Builders Federation, said today (March 11).</p> <p>Speaking at HBF’s Live Events webinar, which offered a spring update on the housing market and the key issues impacting the sector, Jefferson said the government’s wider environmental targets would have implications for the delivery of more homes. “The government has the twin priorities of building more homes and meeting environmental targets.”</p> <p>And the green agenda did not just concern carbon emissions in new homes but the interrelated issues of biodiversity, water, embodied carbon and other matters, he said.</p> <p>The industry needed to approach the environment “affordably and safely”, Jefferson said. “But homes must also be attractive. We must take the customer with us," he added.</p> <p>“The environment is the biggest challenge of the day and will dominate our work in future years.”</p> <p>Alongside Neil Jefferson, Edward Lockhart, co-chair of the Future Homes Task Force, talked about the Future Homes Task Force, the industry’s cross-sector response to the environmental agenda. </p> <p>Lockhart said the task force was now “in detailed discussions” with MHCLG on establishing …