6.1 In response to climate change the Climate Change Act 2008 requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by at least 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 – below the 1990 baseline and the Government intend to deliver this by setting and meeting five-yearly carbon budgets for the UK during that period.
6.2 Through the UK Renewable Energy Roadmap the Government has committed to the EU 2009 Renewable Energy Directive target to achieve 15% of energy consumption to be delivered from renewable sources by 2020.
6.3 The Planning and Energy Act 2008 allows local authorities to set reasonable requirements in their development plan documents for:
6.4 Building a Greener Future: Towards Zero Carbon Development, and its subsequent Policy Statement, state:
6.5 In 2009 the Minister for Housing and Planning confirmed the policy to require all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016 and set out the proposals which will be taken to implement it.
6.6 Developments will not be required to achieve zero carbon emissions entirely within the site boundary. Instead there will be a minimum requirement for emission savings through energy efficient design of the building fabric (set by Building Regulations). Further measures will be required to achieve 'carbon compliance' on site, bringing the emission savings onsite up to 70% by 2016. This may include measures such as improved energy efficiency of the buildings fabric (above what is required by Building Regulations), on site low carbon and renewable technologies and/or connection to on site or off site heat networks or a combination of these measures.
6.7 The residual CO2 emissions beyond carbon compliance in 2016 are to be dealt with through 'Allowable Solutions' which are yet to be determined by the Government but are likely to include:
Achieving Zero Carbon Homes from 2016
6.8 The National Planning Policy Framework states that local authorities should support the move to a low carbon future by planning for new development in locations and ways which reduce greenhouse gas emissions, actively support energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings and set local requirements for a building's sustainability in a way consistent with the Government's zero carbon building policy.
6.9 Since May 2008 it has been mandatory for all new homes to have a rating against the Code for Sustainable Homes. The Code attempts to rate the sustainability of residential dwellings by assessing them against nine key criteria including energy and carbon dioxide emissions, water, materials, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, health and well being, management and ecology. Code level 6 is the highest rating.
6.10 The Council is already committed to working towards lower carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy. Policy CP1, of the Core Strategy sets out the Council's broad approach to sustainable development. This policy requires applicants for all new residential development of one unit and above and for all new commercial development to submit a C-Plan Energy and Sustainability Statement demonstrating the extent to which sustainability principles have been incorporated into the proposals and the expected carbon emissions. This is available at http://threeriverschecklist.co.uk/default.aspx. In addition, the Council's commitment to lowering carbon emissions is also illustrated through:
6.11 The preferred approach is for reductions in carbon emissions to be met on site in the first instance. However, the Council will be introducing a Carbon Offset Fund as part of the government's 'allowable solutions' approach for cases where sufficient reductions in carbon emissions can not be delivered on site. Payments into the fund will support initiatives to reduce carbon emissions within the existing building stock and district heating schemes. If taken forward, the Council will produce further guidance in the form of an SPD.
6.12 In addition to lowering carbon emissions in new developments, the Council recognises that it is crucial to address the deficiencies within existing stock. The Hertfordshire Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Study (2010) highlights that the existing residential building stock is responsible for a significant volume of total carbon emissions; with the domestic sector accounting for 40% of total emissions within Hertfordshire. In Three Rivers, the average domestic emissions in 2008, was estimated at 2.6 kt C02 per capita exceeding the national average of 2.4 kt C02 per capita. It is therefore vital that improvements are made to the existing stock in order to meet the Governments long term targets for the reduction in carbon emissions. If a Carbon Offset fund is taken forward, it will be used to retrofit the existing building stock with energy saving measures.
DM4 Carbon Dioxide Emissions and On-Site Renewable Energy |
a) From 2013, applicants will be required to demonstrate that development will produce 5% less carbon dioxide emissions than Building Regulations Part L requirements (2013) having regard to feasibility and viability. This may be achieved through a combination of energy efficiency measures, incorporation of on-site low carbon and renewable technologies, connection to a local, decentralized, renewable or low carbon energy supply. In the event of a delay to the revision of Part L of the Building Regulations anticipated in October 2013, applicants will be required to demonstrate that development will produce 10% less carbon emissions than required by Building Regulations Part L 2010 until such a time the revisions are made. b) From 2016, applications for new residential development will be required to demonstrate that the development will meet a zero carbon standard (as defined by central government). The same standard will be applied for non domestic buildings from 2019. c) In line with Government policy, the Council will support a range of allowable solutions for dealing with the remaining carbon emissions. This may include payment into a Carbon Offset Fund which will be used to retrofit existing building stock with energy saving measures for the future. The approach will be set out in a further SPD. |
| Policy Links | |
| National Policy (others may also be relevant) |
National Planning Policy Framework |
| Related Core Strategy Policies | CP1: Overarching Policy on Sustainable Development |
| Core Strategy Strategic Objective | S1, S10 |
| Further Guidance | |
| Supplementary Planning Documents | Sustainable Communities SPD Design SPD |
| Additional Information | Hertfordshire Building Futures: http://www.hertslink.org/buildingfutures Three Rivers District Council: Our Climate is Changing http://www.ourclimateischanging.com/ |
6.13 Policy DM4 is critical to helping to address climate change and reflects national and regional policy and the local high priority to tackle this issue. Buildings such as houses and offices account for approximately 40% of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UK and the Council will encourage all new development to be as energy efficient as possible.
6.14 The benchmark used for targets to reduce carbon emissions is the current Part L of the Building Regulations, in line with national policy. The Council's use of the C-Plan system provides a reliable, consistent and transparent method of assessing the likely energy use and carbon dioxide emissions of a proposed development for developers and the Council and will be used to calculate the contributions to 'Allowable Solutions' from 2016.
6.15 The policy approach will contribute directly to Core Strategy Objective 3: in terms of reducing energy consumption, promoting use of renewable energy and addressing climate change.
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