The Timber Journey

Sustainable housing in England - lessons from Scotland

Government policy is driving change across the housing sector, boosting output, cutting carbon, and raising standards. The Structural Timber Association is working closely with homebuilders, government, and the Future Homes Hub to support these goals in a sustainable way.


Timber frame construction offers a faster, more efficient, and lower-carbon alternative to traditional methods. In Scotland, 92% of new homes use timber frame, meeting higher energy and carbon standards than in England.


Our Sustainable Homes – Scottish Learning Journey will give you an insight into how Scotland is tackling housing challenges and how similar approaches can help SME developers in England get ready for the Future Homes Standard.

Details of the Site Visit

Date: Travel to Inverness 30 September, Tour starts 1 and 2 October 2026

Times: 7:45am, 1 October 2026, finishing 2pm, 2 October 2026

Starting location: Marriott Courtyard Hotel, Inverness Airport, IV2 7BL Overnight at the Marriott - 30 September for 7:45am sharp start on 1 October 2026.

Finishing location: 2 pm Aberdeen Airport (taxi option to Train Station)

PPE: Bring your own safety boots; everything else will be supplied

Capacity: TBC

*All travel and accommodation for this trip is free of charge, excluding travel to and from start/finish points.


Agenda

October 2026 Learning Journey Brochure_ V1 (1).pdf (pages 4-5)

Join the Site Visit

Michael Brett is Founder of Milestone, a group of businesses that includes Home by Milestone.


Michael has been in the Construction Industry for over 25 years starting on site as a joiner and now running a team of Site Managers. Every year Milestone constructs 5-6 high end custom homes on behalf of clients across the Midlands and beyond. One of the most recent projects has been the construction of a Passivhaus opening his eyes to a new standard of homebuilding and inspiring him to launch Home by Milestone in an effort to accelerate the UK’s shift to smarter, greener homes and communities.

Henry Franklin is Home by Milestone's Centre Manager.



For 15 years Henry has worked in Engineering and Operations Management roles in the Nuclear, Energy and Construction Industries delivering innovative R&D projects. In October 2025 he joined the Milestone Team where he is responsible for Operations and Sales. He's overseeing works to prepare the Centre's Exhibition and Collaborative workspaces in preparation for opening doors in April 2026. 

Mike Webb is the managing director of a small property development company that specialises in Certified Passivhaus builds since 2015.


Prior to this Mike had an MCS accredited Solar panel installation company & his company has installed over 350 schemes making “Electricity from the Sun”. In 2015 he realised we just need to build better to waste less energy & concluded the answer was Passivhaus. Having met Tomas Gaertner who simplifies the Passivhaus system, Mike retrained to become a Certified Passivhaus consultant & then borrowed c £3 million to build the award-winning Seaton Beach apartments building, the first multiblock in the UK to be certified as Passivhaus Plus. http://www.seatonbeach.co.uk