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.
