Public meetings scrutinising a 50,000 home blueprint in Norwich and surrounding areas have raised fears the plans could increase heating bills and carbon emissions.
Green groups expressed fears that the house building plans do not go far enough to set high energy efficiency standards.
The concerns were raised at the start of the second week of hearings to assess the 'Greater Norwich Local Plan', (GNLP) which will govern how the city and surround areas grow over the coming years.
The hearings are intended to help shape the plan, by settling which areas in Norwich, South Norfolk and Broadland council areas are most appropriate for development. In total, some 50,000 homes are planned between now and 2038.
Jamie Osborn, a city and county Green Party councillor, criticised the plan's energy efficiency targets, arguing they were below the government’s own aims.
“To be frank, if we are aiming for net-zero as a county and as a country, it is far far too low," he said.
“The Climate Change Committee states that the Uk’s legally binding climate change targets cannot be met without the near elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings and we can’t do that unless buildings are energy efficient.”
Mr Osborn said it would be cheaper to get it right first time rather than to retrofit them later.
He also criticised the lack of consideration for building properties from timbre framing, which would lock up some carbon.
Sam Hunter Jones, a lawyer for ClientEarth, echoed Mr Osborn’s comments, saying the plan was failing to “keep step” with government changes, with tighter regulations expected in June this year.
John Walchester, a representative for the GNLP, accepted part of the plans may soon be "dated" but stressed they could be superseded by new government regulation.
Mr Walchester added that he did not think it was for the local plan to decide what materials properties should be made out of.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Osborn said he was worried Norfolk councils were bowing to development pressure for lower energy efficiency standards.
He said: "At a time of climate emergency and when people are facing appallingly high energy bills, councils should be doing everything they can to make sure that housing is of high energy efficiency to reduce heating bills and carbon emissions."
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