All new homes in Wales 'to be carbon-neutral by 2011'

The Welsh Assembly Government plans to make all new houses carbon-neutral by 2011, its environment minister has announced.

Jane Davidson also told an audience at the Guardian Hay Festival in Powys, Mid Wales, that the Welsh Assembly Government intended to devolve its housing regulations and wanted to be completely energy self-sufficient within the next 20 years.

The environment, sustainability and housing minister said: "Being a small country with devolved government and a population of around three million, and fantastic opportunities for coastline (development), fantastic hills, valleys and water, gives us a huge opportunity to use that as a natural resource and to work with our population in doing so."

Wind farms in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty were ruled out by the minister, who added: "We will only have them in places where the wind gives the greatest possible efficiency."

Ms Davidson said Wales was "ambitious" and would make changes ahead of the rest of the UK.

She added: "We'll be ahead of the UK devolving building regulations and insisting buildings become zero-carbon from 2011.

"We are a very, very ambitious nation. We want to learn from what's best anywhere. I think that any minister anywhere should want to learn from the best anywhere and use that to challenge their own population."