Housebuilders and developers must place economic and social sustainability on the same footing as meeting environmental targets when designing or revamping homes and communities, a conference in Norfolk heard today.

Wayne Hemingway, founder of the Red or Dead fashion label who has since set up Hemingway Design, which specialises in the development of affordable and social housing, said that rising property properties had priced a generation of young people out of the housing market.

Speaking at a regional energy efficiency growth conference in Norwich, Mr Hemingway said economic sustainability for young people is as important as environmental sustainability, but often not regarded as as easy to achieve.

'There is a whole generation of people out there who are very accepting of the fact that they won't own a home,' he said. 'They are not going around depressed. What they want is security of tenure. I hope we do get to a situation where housing is affordable. I would give my right arm for that building boom that would force down prices, but it is not going to happen.'

Instead he said that tenants need to have more security and also flexibility to give them the kind of freedoms taken for granted among homeowners such as how they decorate their homes, or whether they can put up a shed.

'There is a lot more to sustainability than just the environment, we have to think about liveability,' he added.

Hemingyway Design has been working with Freebridge Housing on a £30m project to regenerate Hillington Square in King's Lynn and the conference, organised by Broadland District Council, heard how the project had created community spaces, opened up streets while also closing rat runs to improve the urban environment.