If we accept the need to live more sustainable lifestyles, then we should accept that planning and construction standards need to be raised so that the benefits of sustainable buildings in sustainable locations are increasingly available.

This publication aims to provide a straightforward and accessible path through the maze of published advice about sustainable development.

The Sustainable Developer Guide is intended as a useful resource for anyone involved in the development process. Its main focus is on planning and design, but it also offers advice about the construction and maintenance of buildings and considers how the wider impacts of development can be managed (for example waste and transport issues).

The principal reason for seeking sustainable solutions in design and construction is environmental - it will minimise adverse impacts upon our precious planet, especially from greenhouse gases which can give rise to climate change, so that it can be passed on to future generations with an adequate stock of resources (energy, water, minerals etc.) for their needs.

Clearly environmental damage can have severe social and economic consequences, and thus responsible governments, organisations and individuals are committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings are major sources of carbon dioxide emissions (almost half of the UK total) associated with energy use in construction and operation, and there is now widespread recognition of the role of planning and design in achieving significant savings.

The main role of this guide is to inform and inspire developers, householders and their advisers, and to demonstrate that more sustainable choices, which respect the environment and take a long-term perspective, are within their reach.

It offers:

• A reliable set of recommendations on a range of key topics.
• Directions to the most relevant sources of practical information – publications and web sites.
• A range of case studies that have successfully incorporated several sustainable elements.

This Guide demonstrates that it is relatively easy, and not necessarily more expensive, for designers and builders to improve on their current performance in delivering beneficial environmental and social outcomes.

To date, experience shows that sustainable buildings can be easier to market as well as cheaper to run, and tend to hold their value compared to conventional designs.

At present, the environmental dimension of many planning proposals is only partially addressed. Local planning authorities’ powers are mainly focused on the spatial and visual impact of a development rather than its long-term impact on natural resources, health, climate etc. The 2004 planning legislation and emerging guidance suggests that this sustainable agenda will increasingly become part of mainstream policy and practice, and be instrumental in shaping planning negotiations.

Tighter building regulations are also planned from 2005 and there are moves towards a national code for sustainable building driven by an EU Energy Performance Directive that comes into force in 2006.

This guide is therefore timely. Whilst it does not provide a set of rules or standards, it does signpost the route to better practice. In this way, it is intended to complement the advice of architects, town planners, builders, landscape designers and other specialists in the field. The aim is to provide a straightforward and accessible path through the maze of published advice about sustainable development, and, in doing so, it is hoped to raise the design quality of schemes coming forward for planning approval.