Green improvements 'need to be controlled'

Britons planning to make environmental improvements to their property need to be sensible, it has been argued.

Homeowners planning green improvements should remember to check with their home insurance provider before carrying out any work.

Andrew Leech, executive director of the National Home Improvement Council, said there are many new technologies which could improve energy efficiency - such as wind turbines or air source heat pumps - but people need to avoid installing "outlandish" and obtrusive eyesores.

He commented: "We need to make it easier for people to make environmental changes - but we also need to keep a little bit of control on them so they don't go overboard."

According to housing and planning minister John Healey, measures to reduce carbon emissions by cutting out a number of planning rules are soon to be introduced.

However, he noted that this relaxation of the planning rules would come with strict caveats about size, noise levels, location and the visual impact on an area.

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