News
Presentation at RICS Retail Development Conference
Planning for Sustainability's Principal Director Paul Giesberg will be giving a presentation about sustainability in property development at the RICS conference on Retail Development. The Conference will be held on 4 February 2010 in Basingstoke. More information about the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
Sustainable Building - Advice For Small Development Proposals Has Become More Affordable
In the UK the requirements to build sustainable homes become more and more onerous. Proposals for medium and large development have been subject to strict environmental and sustainability requirements for some time now. However, recently even planning applications for small development such as single houses need to be accompanied with a raft of documentation, such as evidence that a certain level of the Code for Sustainable Homes will be achieved, an energy statement and a flood risk assessment. Read more about Sustainable Building - Advice For Small Development Proposals Has Become More Affordable
Environmental impact assessment: do the regulations apply to your project?
In 1985 the EIA Directive (EU legislation) on Environmental Impact Assessment of the effects of projects on the environment was introduced. It was amended in 1997. The requirements of the Directives are incorporated within UK law through "The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999" and their equivalents for other parts of the country. Not all real estate development projects are covered by the regulations. In particular the regulations do not apply to most small scale development projects. I regularly receive questions from developers who want to know if their project is covered by the regulations and in this article I will describe the process to determine if the regulations apply to a particular project. Read more about Environmental impact assessment: do the regulations apply to your project?
On-site renewables and the UK Renewable Energy Strategy
Since the Planning and Energy Act came into force in 2008, local authorities can require that development proposals include the provision that the energy performance of buildings is greater than that required by the building regulations and that a proportion of the energy that is used by the new development will be produced on the development site and utilising renewable sources. Many local authorities have now adopted policies that require that a certain percentage of the energy use of new development will be generated on the site using low or zero carbon technologies. A description of the selected mix of technologies and the rational behind them is laid down in an Energy Statement. Read more about Onsite renewables and the UK Renewable Energy Strategy.
BREEAM Accredited Professional
Good environmental performance and sustainability are important elements in modern development projects. Careful planning is essential to ensure that the requirements are met in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Therefore sustainability should be considered in an early stage of the project with the support of a sustainability expert. In response to client and industry calls for a formal recognition of specialist skills in design of more sustainable buildings BRE Global has introduced a new BREEAM Accredited Professionals (or BREEAM AP) qualification. Read more about BREEAM AP.
Cost analysis of the Code for Sustainable Homes
The Department for Communities and Local Government has published their final report about the additional costs that are associated with meeting the various levels of the code. The report provides an estimate of the additional costs for a number of house types in 2008 and considers the potential for future cost reductions as experience with new technologies lead to increased efficiencies.
Government publishes draft Eco-towns PPS
To meet the challenges associated with the predicted growth in demand for new housing the government has introduced the concept of eco-towns to provide a substantial slice of new housing. The government's aspirations for the sustainable design and construction are high. To provide guidance to future developers of these sites the Department for Communities and Local Government is preparing a Planning Policy Statement. Early November a draft for consultation was published.