WORCESTER planning chiefs have welcomed a new Government push for environmentally friendly homes.

The Government has announced new ideas to beat climate change, including only building zero-carbon homes.

The city council, which is being consulted on the plan, called it "ambitious but achievable".

Planning officer Jim Pithouse said: "The Government targets are set quite high, and building zero- carbon homes only by 2016 might seem fantastically ambitious, but some housebuilders think it is achievable.

"We still help create homes that needs lots of energy to heat, and the idea is that the planning system has to be used to help change this.

"In Worcester, we have a reasonable track record of being green and we do take environmental issues very seriously, and I would say these targets are supportable.

"I believe if we don't set targets, we won't get there. The full implications of those targets won't be fully appreciated until the Government produces guidelines on what constitutes a zero-carbon home though. It is ambitious, and delivering it will be a challenge, but rightly so, and tackling climate change this way is welcomed."

Zero-carbon usage can be achieved through a range of measures, such as energy saving lighting, cooking and washing, double glazing, solar panelled roofing and top-quality insulation.

The Government has drawn up a code for sustainable homes, which will be adopted by the Guildhall from April. The code introduces a mark of quality for homes rating from one star to six, with scores based on energy, water, pollution, materials used, waste management and water run-off.

Each development that comes before city council planners will be scrutinised and given a star before the authority decides whether to give it the nod or not.