TCPA - Sustainable design and construction

Sustainable design and construction:

Guidance for planners on preparing development plan policies at the regional and local levels

A TCPA Sustainable Housing Forum guide

There is a wide-ranging scientific consensus that our cli- Adapting to the harmful impacts of climate change. mate is changing and that these changes will intensify

with potentially catastrophic implications for global In October 2003 the Forum published Building ecosystems. While the science is well understood and theSustainably: how to plan and construct new housing for actual climate changes well documented, there is a signif- the 21st century'. The report set out the changes needed icant gap in the perception of the general public and poli- to the planning system and building regulations to bring cy-makers as to the urgency required to address this cri- sustainable housing into the mainstream.

sis. Action is required now, and on an unprecedented

scale, to deal with the climate change challenge. Since then, there have been major changes to the plan-

ning system, brought about by the 2004 Planning and Housing currently contributes around 27 per cent of UKCompulsory Purchase Act, and greater potential for build- CO2 emissions, with buildings as a whole bringing this ing regulations to address sustainable development figure to nearly 50 per cent. Therefore, in order to have athrough the 2004 Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act. hope of reaching legally binding emission reduction tar- The forthcoming Code for Sustainable Homes may also gets and achieving more sustainable forms of develop- play an important part in raising environmental stan- ment planning, design and construction processes for dards.

buildings must be made more sustainable.

This guide seeks to assist planners at regional and local Spatial planning in particular has a major and positive levels develop policies that promote sustainable design contribution to make in meeting this challenge through and construction.

promoting policies, in Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS)

awnildl rLeodcuacleDtehvee tlohprematenotf Fc rliammaetewochrka n(gLeD Fb)y, : documents thatHow to use this guide

Promoting the highest standards of resource and This guide sets out the importance of developing policies energy efficiency in new developments so as to relating to sustainable design and construction and the reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions arising from issues that planners, at regional and local levels, should construction and use; be aware of when preparing policies in Regional Spatial

Requiring land-use patterns that reduce the need andStrategies (RSS) and Local Development Documents. the propensity to travel by car;

Vigorously promoting small- and large-scale renew- The guide provides an introduction only and should be able energy projects; used together with the Sustainable Housing Forum web

Reformatting or restricting development which wouldpages:

otherwise have a major negative impact on COemis-

sions; and 2 www.tcpa.org.uk/shf.htm

The guide is split into advice for planners at regional and local levels and contains a summary of key issues for consideration. Further information, links to supporting documents and case studies of their use in practice are included in the website and relate to these specific issues. www.tcpa.org.uk/shf.htm

Advice for planning at regional level

To support progress on sustainable housing, sustainableRegional Assemblies should use all five elements of this development needs to be defined in planning terms indefinition to develop appropriate policies within their RSS. RSS. While PPS1 defines sustainable development, the

Government's Sustainable Development Strategy offers aSustainable design and construction will cover a broad more advanced definition, which should also be consid- range of measures relating to both the buildings them- ered. This definition requires: selves and the surrounding neighbourhood. The table

below prioritises the most important issues that Regional

Living within environmental limits Assemblies should consider when developing policies

Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society relating to housing, construction, and sustainable devel-

Achieving a sustainable economy opment. This represents a generic set of policy issues and

Using sound science responsibly therefore should be refined to take into consideration

Promoting good governance regional differences. Further information and case studies

are available at: www.tcpa.org.uk/shf/regional.htm

Policy Process Issues R1. Community development and involvement - schemes should encourage and enable the active involve- (e.g. in a manage- ment of local people and increase their understanding and influence over issues which affect their lives

ment plan) R2. Applications for strategic developments should include a statement showing how sustainability princi-

ples will be met in terms of demolition, construction and long-term management

R3. Where appropriate, the same sustainability principles should be used to assess planning applications R4. Sustainable on-site construction processes, dealing with issues such as waste management

Policy Content Issues R5. Climate change - policies must ensure that while proper measures are taken to deal with adaptation,

the first priority is the reduction and avoidance of climate change by making carbon-neutral decisions

R6. Appropriate re-use of land and buildings and consideration of densities - higher densities are common- ly held to be environmentally beneficial, however this may not necessarily be the case. Decisions on den- sities and whether or not to re-use land or buildings should be taken on a case-by-case basis

R7. Energy - zero energy or net export of energy should be the goal through energy efficiency, embedded renewable energy generation, and energy efficient supply systems

R8. Conserve materials and other resources and promote use of locally sourced, recycled or sustainably managed resources.

R9. Conserve water both internally and externally

R10. Reduce the impacts of noise, pollution, flooding and micro-climatic effects

R11. Ensure designs conserve and make the most of existing natural systems, particularly in relation to biodiversity, both within and around the building, and to create new habitats where appropriate

R12. Promote sustainable waste behaviour in new and existing developments. Applications for strategic developments should include a statement showing how sustainability principles will be met in terms of demolition, construction and long-term management

R13. Facilitating more sustainable behaviour through policies promoting sustainable energy, waste and transport infrastructure

R14. Ensure appropriate development form in relation to the characteristics of the existing site and sur- rounding area; access, proximity to amenities, and permeability to promote walking, use of public trans- port, useful open space, and security

Advice for planning at local level

The following objectives need to be considered by local Once policies are in place, detailed guidance, informa- planning authorities in developing strong and comprehen- tion on good practice, and details of how these design sive Core Strategy and Development Plan Document and sustainable construction policies can be best inte- (DPD) policies: grated should be included in Supplementary Planning

Documents (SPD).

In order to ensure development meets the highest

standards of sustainability LPAs should work closelyEvery location is different and so model policies are diffi- with departments dealing with Building Regulations,cult to produce, however, the table below describes the where these are managed by the local authority. issues that are likely to need consideration when develop-

ing development plan policies and SPDs. Some will form

The most effective way of raising the environmentaldistinct policies in their own right, others will contribute standard for new buildings is to develop specific to part of more general policies. Further information and design and construction policies in DPDs. case studies are available at: www.tcpa.org.uk/shf/local.htm

L1. Community development and involvement - schemes should encourage and enable the active involvement of local people and increase their understanding and influence over issues which affect their lives

L2. Applications for strategic developments should include a statement showing how sustainability principles will be met in terms of demolition, construction and long-term management

L3. Where appropriate, the same sustainability principles should be used to assess planning applications L4. Sustainable on-site construction processes, dealing with issues such as waste management

L5. Climate change - policies should aim to ensure developments that have a positive, or at least neutral impact on climate change. They should also seek to limit vulnerability to the effects of climate change over time e.g. flooding, higher temperatures or storms

L6. Appropriate re-use of land and buildings and densities - LPAs should consider in sustainability terms the most appropriate option for a partic- ular development. If buildings are to be demolished then their replacement must be built to the highest environmental standards, e.g.

EcoHomes Excellent , using the forthcoming Code for Sustainable Homes or using a sustainability checklist

L7. Energy - zero energy or net export of energy should be the goal: significant savings in energy used by buildings can be made by policies requiring the highest environmental standards of construction and site layout (e.g. EcoHomes - Excellent ). Once all practical energy efficiency measures are in place renewable energy or efficient supply systems should be required. PPS22 allows local authorities to develop policies requiring a proportion of a development's predicted energy requirement to be provided by on-site renewables

L8. Conserve materials and other resources and promote use of locally sourced, recycled or sustainably managed resources

L9. Conserve water both internally and externally - policies should seek to minimise the amount of water used in developments by for example requiring: rainwater harvesting (e.g. through green roofs) and water recycling. Policies should also seek to reduce the impact a development has off-site (i.e. flood risk) by requiring Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS)

L10. Increasing densities and mixing uses means that careful consideration needs to be given to noise and pollution. Quality urban design can help to minimise problems and complement Building Regulations

L11. Policies should draw on quality urban design principles to ensure that external natural systems are used to maximise comfort in and

around buildings. This could include consideration of passive solar design and ventilation, shading, and longer term changing climatic conditions The natural environment should be enhanced, particularly in relation to biodiversity

L12. Promote sustainable waste behaviour in new and existing developments, including support for local integrated recycling schemes, carbon- neutral CHP schemes and other treatment options. The waste hierarchy (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Recover-Dispose) should be applied to all stages of development, design, construction and final operation

L13. Facilitating more sustainable behaviour through more sustainable energy, waste and transport infrastructure could include considering car clubs, embedded energy or waste systems

L14. Ensure appropriate development form (building and neighbourhood scale) in relation to the characteristics of the existing site and sur- rounding area; access, proximity to amenities, and permeability to promote walking, use of public transport, useful open space, and security

TCPA 2006 The TCPA Sustainable Housing Forum has the following

objectives:

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is an

independent charity working to improve the art and sci- To raise the environmental standards of new housing ence of town and country planning. The TCPA puts socialso as to make a contribution to sustainable develop- justice and the environment at the heart of policy debate ment targets and the reduction of emissions that con- and inspires government, industry and campaigners to tribute to climate change;

take a fresh perspective on major issues, including plan-

ning policy, housing, regeneration and climate change. To establish what practical steps could be taken to Our objectives are to: achieve these higher standards by drawing together

the experience from the growing number of innova-

Secure a decent, well designed home for everyone, intive housing projects and assessing how much of

a human-scale environment combining the best fea- current best practice could be applied as the norm tures of town and country  throughout the house building industry;

Empower people and communities to influence deci- To make recommendations to government and the sions that affect them house building industry for the specific changes to the design and regulatory systems having the best

Improve the planning system in accordance with the potential for achieving higher standards by 2010; principles of sustainable development

To use the drive for higher standards in new housing in order to raise public and political awareness of the

Town & Country Planning Association practical possibilities for making new construction 17 Carlton House Terrace generally more sustainable, and the long-term bene- London, SW1Y 5AS fits, both financial and in relation to quality of life.

Tel 020 7930 8903 The following organisations have contributed to the Fax 020 7930 3280 preparation of this guidance:

www.tcpa.org.uk

Building Research Establishment

Global to Local Ltd.

Queen's University Belfast

Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development Town & Country Planning Association WWF-UK