AN 'innovation centre' to train modern house-building skills and philanthropic land owners are two of the things needed to provide future low-energy homes in Dorset.

The alternative is to continue with the 'dictatorship of developers' who are generating "super profits" according to a Dorset housing conference.

The views come from an online meeting about future homes for the county, organised by the Dorset branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Other ideas raised at the Wednesday evening event include replacing a Stamp Duty tax based on the value of homes for an alternative which recognises how environmentally-friendly a property is – the better the 'green' credentials, the lower the tax.

Spokesmen for both Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset Council, effectively ruled out using their powers of compulsory purchase to get beneficial housing schemes underway.

Dorset Council leader Cllr Nick Ireland told the meeting it was 'cumbersome and too complex' but said his council is actively looking at all the land it owns to see what might be suitable for housing to meet local needs.

He said the best chances of change would be through use of the council's land for housing and the new Local Plan, although that was likely to be two years in the making.

BCP's housing spokesman Cllr Kieron Wilson spoke of a 110-home development at Hillbourne in Poole which will aim for the best low-energy standards, give a boost to the local economy, and would provide an example of what could be done.

He backed the idea from Nick Ireland for a county-wide net-zero innovation centre to train future builders in the skills to construct low-energy homes. The conference had been told that a lack of skills was often the reasons why low-energy homes were not being built, or were too costly for many people to consider.

One of the other cost reasons was because few landowners were prepared to sell to community housing projects at agricultural values, most wanting to maximise profits. Current planning laws were also often cited as a barrier to developing edge of town sites.

Conference delegates heard that the main housing developers in the UK had been actively lobbying Government against proposed changes to legislation which would improve the efficiency of homes, because it shaved small percentages off what was described by one delegate as their "super profits."

In contrast builders across Scandinavia and many European countries had for decades been developing low-energy homes and planet-friendly building techniques.

The conference heard claims that many big building companies were also resistant to providing lower-cost homes or social housing – preferring bigger properties where they could make the most profit. Many also often argued against the percentage of social housing they were required to provide, claiming it would hit their profit margins.

The meeting heard that a lack of legislation from the Government was also problematic – forcing a handful of councils to lead by example, including Bath and North East Somerset and Cornwall Council, insisting on set 'green' standards and targets for all new homes in their areas.

The meeting heard that in both areas of Dorset it was almost impossible to get developers to fit solar panels or to install electric vehicle charging points on their new developments, with heat pumps also widely resisted.

Several speakers called for a more positive approach from the Government on 'eco standards' for new housing – warning that the cost of retro-fitting properties 10-15 years into the future would be expensive for property owners.

Two of the speakers, actively involved in developing green homes, said a shift in mind-set, led by the Government was needed – to build homes people wanted, not homes designed to maximise profits.

Bristol-based architect Sam Goss, who has been involved in the West Dorset Hazelmead project at North Allington praised what he said was a remarkable group of people who had pushed the 53-home project through, building the low-energy homes they wanted, and developing a place with a positive sense of community.

He said although Dorset Council had initially opposed the project the authority now saw it as an exemplar.

He said the site was an example of where, if professionals stood back, the people involved would innovate and come up with ideas for the homes they needed, not what they were told was required.