Towards climate neutral urban planning

1
Towards climate neutral urban planning

• Allen Creedy
• Partner with ethics etc
• Planning Sustainable Development Consultant

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National planning policy context for climate
change

• The UK national framework for planning is defined
  in a series of Planning Policy Statements (PPS).
  Several of these are relevant or applicable to
  climate change and need to be considered when
  developing local planning policies to tackle
  climate change
• PPS 1 Delivering Sustainable Development sets
  out the overarching planning policies on the
  delivery of sustainable development through the
  planning system

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Planning and climate change

• Recent consultation what changes do we need to
  make to our panning system to address the
  challenges of climate change? Stimulated by IPPC
  Stern report
• Results of consultation and new Policy paper
  about to be produced!

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PPS 25 Development And Flood Risk

• What sets out Government policy on development
  and flood risk.
• Objectives
• flood risk is taken into account at all stages in
  the planning process to avoid inappropriate
  development in areas at risk of flooding,
• direct development away from areas of high risk.
• reducing flood risk overall
• How All plans and development proposals must be
  independently verified against flood risk and
  standards for run-off imposed

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PPS 22 Renewable Energy

• What National policy that defines how the
  planning system must encourage the development of
  renewable energy resources. The supporting
  practice guide provides help for practitioners to
  secure effective delivery on the ground.
• Binding Targets for all spatial plans to
  contribute x MWh of generated capacity for all
  renewable energy types
• How all plans must identify the places and
  spaces for renewable energy and muncipalities
  must actively encourage
• Muncipalities may adopt policies requiring all
  new buildings to be include embedded renewable
  energy minimum 10 Merton Rule

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Building a Greener Future

• What National guidance for Muncipalities who
  must
• identify local opportunities to promote
  decentralised and renewable or low carbon energy
  systems, consistent with ensuring a competitive
  market and affordable energy.
• have a strategy for securing decentralised and
  renewable or low carbon energy in new
  development.
• local authorities should specify the proportion
  of renewable or low carbon energy in new
  developments, taking account of feasibility,
  viability and deliverability.

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Incorporating climate change mitigation into
local planning policies

• System
• Top down with targets and policy framework set
  for by national government for all forms of
  development housing / jobs / energy etc)
• Muncipalities are enablers and regulators not
  developers - Private sector has access to capital
  and leads new development, owns most land
• Spatial plans for muncipalities
• must reflect regional and national targets
• depend on partnerships and agreements with
  private sector for delivery
• Are independently appraised for their
  sustainability that includes consideration of
  climate change
• Must be changed as a result of sustainability
  appraisal findings

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Helping developers take account of Climate Change

• Adapting to Climate Change A Case Study
  Companion to the Checklist for Development,
  recently published by the Three Regions Climate
  Change Group (represented by London, South East
  and East of England government offices),
  available at
• www.london.gov.uk/climatechangepartnership/docs/ad
  apting-climate-change-case-study-ver2.pdf

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Development briefs Benchmarking
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Building Regulations

• What sets minimum standards for Buildings
  Performance
• Energy Conservation
• Water Conservation
• Acoustics
• Emissions
• Materials
• Comment Out of date and struggling to keep pace
  with climate change radical overhaul and
  replacement UK from being poor man of Europe in
  2006 will be leader by 2016
• Jubilee wharf will become the norm

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Code for Sustainable Homes

• What Environmental Assessment Method for all
  residential buildings standardised framework
  for improving environmental performance of
  buildings (progressively mandatory)
• Possible Score code 1-6
• Minimum code to be achieved
• Code 4 2009
• Code 5 2014
• Code 6 Zero Carbon 2016
• Achievement of a code level in advance of
  deadline can be demanded by controlling
  stakeholders e.g. national government now
  demands score of 4 for all new social housing
• Muncipalities private companies can also set
  minimum score for developments where they are a
  stakeholder

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Code for Sustainable Homes - Zero Carbon Homes
What  i.e. the carbon emissions resulting from
ALL energy used in the home is zero! the
energy used for heating, lighting, cooling, and
operating electrical equipment must over the
course of the year generate no net carbon
dioxide. Stimulate technological innovation and
planning policy
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Code for Sustainable Homes

• What The Code measures the sustainability of a
  home against design categories, rating the whole
  home as a complete package.
• Design categories with mandatory
• and minimum performance levels for
• energy/CO2
• pollution
• water
• health and well-being
• construction materials
• management
• surface water run-off
• ecology
• waste

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Code for Sustainable Homes case study
Newcastle Throckley Waterworks
What disused water treatment works owned by
Northumbria Water Limited (NWL) Open competition
to find partner to remediate and develop the site
to meet code 3 and as an exemplar for water
conservation Winner Esh Group proposing 70
homes using OSF Lessons NWL accepted reduced
price for the site in return for improving
performance to code level 4. Will use partnership
development of the site to raise awareness of the
environmental credentials of NWL company
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Throckley waterworks
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Carbon Challenge - Eco- Villages

• What national government competition for
  developers of government owned land
• Objectives
• raise environmental standards development will
  achieve Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes
  zero carbon
• deliver high-quality design combined with
  exceptional environmental performance homes
  that keep warm in the winter and cool in the
  summer
• reduce construction and supply chain costs
  through economies of scale while aiming to
  approach zero carbon
• include lifestyle features that cut emissions
  within the community through good designs that
  encourage behavioural changes in the use of
  electrical appliances such as televisions and
  computers, and include changes in transport,
  waste collection and food delivery and
• ensure that affordable and low cost homes are
  included, especially for families

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Carbon Challenge - Eco-Villages

• Where
• 10ha brownfield site in Peterborough for 450
  family homes
• 6.1ha redundant hospital site in Bristol 120 town
  house units plus 30 apartments as part of the
  listed building conversion.
• Why?
• Developers will benefit from publicity and first
  mover advantage
• Test bed for new technology
• No sacrifice of liveability or environmental
  quality

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Carbon Challenge trying to tackle tough issues

• Transport Localisation not globalisation -
  life based on walking and cycling
• On site car clubs using electric cars charged
  from on site renewables
• Grow our own opportunities onsite
• Waste
• Construction uses materials from waste stream
• Anaerobic digestion of waste to methane for
  community heating
• On site composting
• Finance
• Flexible approaches to who pays for what and
  when
• on site/off site capital and revenue costs

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BREEAM

• What Building Research Establishment
  Environmental Assessment Method for all non
  residential buildings standardised framework
  for improving environmental performance of
  buildings. (Not mandatory)
• Possible Score "Pass, good, very good or
  excellent
• Minimum score can be demanded by controlling
  stakeholders e.g. national government demands
  score of excellent for
• All government buildings
• All buildings co-financed by national government
• All buildings constructed on land purchased from
  national government
• Muncipalities can also set minimum score for
  developments where they are a stakeholder.

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BREEAM case study - schools

• Every school in England is being rebuilt to
  BREEAM excellent standard
• All have embedded renewable energy water saving
  devices etc
• All are financed by the private sector and rented
  to Muncipalities

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Climate Change Partnerships

• Spatial Planning and
• Energy service companies community wind, CHP,
  Biomass, Energy from Waste
• Voluntary off set schemes

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What remains to be done?

• Embedding learning from initiatives and
  competitions into plans and practice
• Transforming Best practice into common practice
• Facilitating exchanges
• Training and awareness for planners and
  politicians
• New partnership models
• Sustainable Mobility Integrating Sustainable
  urban transport plans with sustainable planning
• New financing models

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Questions?

• contact
• Allen Creedy
• www.ethicsetc.co.uk (EU based work)
• www.ethicalpartnership.co.uk ( UK based work)
• allen_at_ethicalpartnership.co.uk