In its draft Local Plan, it talks about a 'transition to a low carbon economy', including practical steps such as incorporating sustainable building-design into planning decisions and looking at Decentralised Energy Networks:
4. Key Issues and Objectives
What Influences East Devon Now
4.1 There
are many positive things about East Devon. We have listed some
of these below
under thematic headings:
e. Carbon
Emissions & Climate Change - East Devon offers a wide ranging
potential
for renewable energy generation. There are current proposals for a
flagship
combined heat and power plant to serve Cranbrook and other eco-
friendly
initiatives in the District.
Green Infrastructure – A High Quality Green Framework
for Development
What the
sustainability appraisal and other evidence tells us about green infrastructure
at East
Devon's West End:
• Climate
change is a significant challenge that needs to be given prominence in decision
making.
Innovative solutions need to be sought to ensure that other sustainability
considerations
(such as landscape designations do not constrain the achievement of low
and zero
carbon development). It is possible to achieve positive effects on what may
initially
appear to be conflicting sustainability objectives.
17 Climate Change
Climate Change and Low Carbon Development
17.1 The
best available evidence shows that we are seeing and can expect to see future
changes
in the global climate as a consequence of past and ongoing greenhouse gas
emissions.
These changes could escalate in the future and it is therefore essential that
in East
Devon we plan for greater energy efficiency and generation of energy from
renewable
sources. There can also be economic benefits to be gained as well. This
chapter
of the plan addresses these themes.
What you
said about carbon reduction:
• There
is strong support for specific areas or locations to be identified for
renewable and
low
carbon generation with respondents mainly supporting small scale localised
solutions.
Others felt that all areas of the district should be considered with opportunities
taken as
they arise.
• 22% of
respondents to the Issues and Options report supported the Local Plan
requirement
for on-site renewable energy production while 49% supported a higher
standard.
27% favoured an alternative approach with the matter considered against
other
objectives, particularly as the issue is being addressed nationally (Code for
Sustainable
Homes)
What the
sustainability appraisal and other evidence tells us about carbon reduction:
• Climate
change needs to be given due prominence in decision making. Innovative
solutions
need to be sought to ensure that some sustainability considerations do not
constrain
the achievement of low and zero carbon development. It is entirely possible to
achieve
positive outcomes by balancing apparently conflicting sustainability measures.
•
Allocating sites for renewable energy production sends a positive message to
developers
that East Devon is proactive in encouraging renewable and low carbon
energy
generation.
• The
biggest contributors to CO² emissions in East Devon are the road transport and
domestic
sectors at 36.8% and 35.8% respectively. In the South West overall the top
two
contributors are the industry and commercial sector and domestic sector, at
36.1%
and 32.8%
respectively.
• Per
head CO² production is high in the East Devon District (8.4 tonnes) compared
with
Exeter
(5.7 tonnes) but similar to the regional average of 8.2 tonnes. This is
characteristic
of a predominantly rural area with a higher reliance on road transport.
•
Flooding risk in East Devon is expected to worsen with projected sea level
rises and
wetter
winters. Areas of Flood Zones 2 and 3 are identified around all of the main
rivers
in the
District as well as many of their tributaries.
• There
is strong support for significant weight to be given to low or zero carbon
construction
throughout the District with house building being a key player.
Transition to a Low Carbon Economy
17.2 The
Climate Change Act (2008)44 has put in place legally binding targets for the UK
to
achieve
an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with reductions of
34% by
2020, against a 1990 baseline. Emissions from buildings account for
approximately
half of all emissions nationally. There is little scope to force existing
buildings
to become more energy efficient, other than by offering incentives to upgrade
and
making renewable technologies a requirement of applications for refurbishment
or
extension,
but all new development will be required to be “low carbon”.
17.3 As
demand for fossil fuel energy grows, energy prices are rising. This threatens
the
security
of energy supply as well as increasing the likelihood of fuel poverty. An
important
means of mitigating this risk is by reducing the demand for energy from new
and
existing development through improved efficiency measures.
17.4
There is strong evidence that the climate is changing45. The outcome for East
Devon
is
predicted to be increases in summer temperatures, greater fluctuations in
weather,
uncertainty
surrounding rainfall trends and an increased risk of flooding. These have
the
potential to increase risks to health and comfort, cause damage to buildings and
infrastructure
and increase building energy consumption from cooling. It is important
that new
development responds to these risks.
17.5 In
addressing climate change and energy security the planning process can not only
mitigate
against the risks but can help to turn them into opportunities for local
businesses,
giving East Devon a competitive advantage and helping it to prosper in the
future.
The implementation of planning policy at a local level is crucial to deliver
the
radical
reductions in energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions required to
support
the national transition to a Low Carbon Economy. The scope of policy can
cover the
appropriate location and layout of new development, and provide active
support
for energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings and the delivery of
renewable
and low-carbon energy infrastructure.
17.6 All
development proposals must be planned over the lifetime of the development to
ensure
that the maximum potential for reducing carbon emissions and minimising the
risks
posed by climate change are achieved. Developers must be mindful of the
carbon
emission standards which will be required for later stages of the build
programme
as decisions taken at the outset can compromise the viability of emissions
reduction
in latter phases. In some parts of the District it will be possible to generate
energy
locally at a scale which could serve the local area, for instance through a
Combined
Heat and Power scheme. New development should include infrastructure to
enable it
to be connected to such CHP schemes, whether they already exist or may be
provided
in the future. Where low carbon technologies are not installed new buildings
should be
designed for easy installation and/or adaptation at a later date.
Development that Minimises the Demand for Energy
17.7
Buildings and their associated infrastructure perform essential economic and
social
functions,
though they result in a significant environmental burden during their
construction,
occupation and demolition.
17.8 The
Government has established that through Part L of the Building Regulations 46,
emissions
allowed from new buildings will be reduced incrementally and that “zero
carbon”
buildings will be required within the plan period. The definition of “zero
carbon”
has
introduced three concepts; “energy efficiency”, “carbon compliance” and
“allowable
solutions”.
17.9
Evidence suggests that in spite of increasingly strict standards at the point
of build new
development
often fails in practice to deliver expected carbon emissions reduction.
This may
be due to the way in which occupants subsequently operate their buildings
rather
than any fault with the building process. Developers will be expected to commit
to extended
periods of Post Occupancy Evaluation and commissioning of building
systems
to demonstrate their intent to ensure that new development operates as
effectively
as possible and that calculated carbon reduction is realised in practice.
17.10 The
broader sustainability performance of a development is most commonly measured
using
either the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) for residential development or
BREEAM
for non-domestic development. It is expected that these standards would be
used to
demonstrate the environmental performance of developments greater than 10
homes or
1,000m2 for non-domestic buildings.
17.11
Recent analysis by CLG (2011)47 has shown that the most significant cost to
meeting
the CSH
is in reducing carbon emissions. The national timetable for “zero carbon”
homes is
expected to require Code Level 4 energy standard from 2013 and Code
Level 5
energy standard from 2016. The CLG analysis has shown that the non-energy
requirements
for CSH Code 4 can be achieved with minimal cost uplift for a broad
range of
development types. It would therefore be reasonable to expect homes from
2013 to
meet Code Level 4 of the CSH. Developers may feel there is additional value
in obtaining
Codes 5 or 6 of the CSH from 2016 or earlier.
17.12
Proposals for well designed, sustainable buildings will be supported unless it
would
cause
harm to a heritage asset or its setting, and this would not be outweighed by
the
proposal’s
wider social, economic and environmental benefits. This will also apply in
the case
of refurbishment of existing development, for example regarding the fitting of
external
insulation to properties with solid walls.
17.13
Higher levels of building sustainability, in advance of those set out
nationally, will be
sought
for larger scale developments such as those in the West End or other localities
in the
District where there is the potential for over 10 hectares of new development
either
housing or other buildings.
17.14
Proposed development will demonstrate how the scheme presented will minimise
vulnerability
and provide resilience to impacts arising from climate change.
Specifically,
this will include the increased risk of summertime overheating and
subsequent
potential requirement for artificial cooling, water stress, and flooding.
Renewable and Decentralised Energy
17.15
Whilst reducing the demand for energy through efficiency measures will be
crucial to
lowering
carbon emissions, reducing the carbon intensity of the energy we consume
will also
play a critical role in helping the UK is to meet its climate change targets.
The
Renewable
Energy Directive (2009)48 sets a target for the UK to achieve 15% of its
energy
consumption from renewable sources by 2020. As well as reducing
environmental
impact, renewable energy can also offer diversity and security of supply.
East
Devon recognises its responsibility to contribute to energy generation from
renewable
or low-carbon sources in the District.
17.16 The
potential renewable energy resource in the District has been assessed by the
Council49.
There is the potential to adopt a variety of technologies at different scales,
from
domestic to commercial, across the District. This ranges from a relatively
modest
number of
commercial scale wind turbines, which could provide a quarter of all carbon
savings
from renewable energy, to a very large number of much smaller on-site
installations
such as photo voltaic panels to produce domestic electricity and hot water,
and heat
pumps.
17.17 A
large proportion of East Devon’s land area is covered by environmental
designations
such as
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Much of the coastline is also designated
as a
World Heritage Site. Once these, and other constraints such as wind resource
and
exclusion zones around existing houses have been accounted for, there is still
the
potential
for some commercial scale wind generation within the District. There is also
the
potential for a Centralised Anaerobic Digestion plant and large photo voltaic.
17.18
Significant weight will be given to the wider environmental, social and
economic
benefits
of renewable or low-carbon energy projects whatever their scale. Planning
permission
will not be refused for a renewable energy project because local renewable
energy
resources have been developed.
17.19
Analysis by the Council has shown that there is great potential for on-site
renewable
energy
technologies. As the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations are
tightened,
increasing amounts of low or zero carbon technologies will be required.
Incentive
schemes such as the Feed-in Tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive have
improved
the viability of small scale renewable energy. As such specific percentage
targets
for the proportion of energy met by renewable energy sources are not
stipulated.
Reducing the demand for energy through efficiency measures still remains
a cost
effective means of helping to meet the regulations, and could help reduce the
size of
required renewable technology.
17.20 The
presumption will be made in favour of sustainable development for community-led
initiatives
for renewable and low carbon energy, including developments outside such
areas
being taken forward through neighbourhood planning.
17.21 New
development should come forward in locations and ways which reduce
greenhouse
gas emissions. This means locating development close to everyday
facilities
and public transport. The density and mix of building types and use proposed
in a
development should be mindful of the energy load across the development. Higher
densities
and combinations that provide a balanced heat load are likely to provide
greater
potential for cost effective low carbon energy solutions.
17.22
District Energy Networks enable the use of large scale heat and/or electricity
generation
technologies to supply a number of nearby homes and businesses.
Networks
can vary in size from 20 homes to 2,000 homes or more. Even when using
natural
gas, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems can provide significant carbon
emissions
reduction. However it is important the CHP systems are designed to avoid
the
situation where excess heat is not used while electricity is generated. Small
gas
CHP
systems can be viable for as few as 250 homes. On a larger scale the district
energy
system East of Exeter is perhaps the best example of renewable CHP in the
country.
17.23 In
parts of the District where there is the potential for over 10 hectares of new
development
(either housing or other buildings), developers will be expected to
contribute
to community heating, hot water and cooling systems and CHP and provide
the
infrastructure required as an integral part of the development. Where it is
proposed
not to
employ such systems, developers must demonstrate why they are not viable
over the
life of developments in that locality.
17.24
District energy systems rely on high numbers of users to make them viable so it
is
essential
that, where new development is happening within reach of an existing or
potential
heat network, that new users connect to the system and provide infrastructure
to easily
enable subsequent future development to also connect to the network. While
heat is
not regulated in the same way as gas or electricity, heat network operators
offer
competitive
long term contracts typically at prices slightly under those of substitute
fossil
fuel systems. Capital costs are similar to traditional heating systems and
equipment
is much more compact compared to fossil fuel alternatives.
17.25 The
West End is planned to contain approximately half the proposed housing and
employment
space in the District. Proposed development in this locality should
connect
to the District Energy Network.
Consultation Local Plan – Draft Strategy 34
Decentralised Energy Networks
Decentralised
Energy Networks will be developed and brought forward. New development
(either
new build or conversion) with a floor space of at lEast 1,000m2 or comprising
ten or
more
dwellings should connect to any existing, or proposed, Decentralised Energy
Network in
the
locality to bring forward low and zero carbon energy supply and distribution.
Where
there is no existing Decentralised Energy Network in the locality, proposals
for larger
developments
of 10 hectares (either housing or other buildings) or 300 houses should
evaluate
the potential for such systems and implement them where they are viable over
the
life of
the developments in the locality. Consumer choice of energy sources will be
retained
when
decentralised Energy networks are developed.
How we reached this Policy position:
We are
legally required to achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by
2050
with
reductions of 34% by 2020, against a 1990 baseline. Emissions from buildings
account
for
approximately half of all emissions nationally so there is huge scope to reduce
emissions
as part
of new development.
Consultation
demonstrated strong support for setting challenging renewable energy
production
and carbon reduction targets, although significant concerns regarding the
possible
environmental
impact of major schemes for instance wind turbines may be supported.
Policy
recognises that on major development sites the economies of scale are such that
much
higher
measures can be incorporated, therefore the thrust of Policy is to encourage
and
support
small scale renewable energy production and carbon reduction measures whilst
setting
strict requirements in larger schemes.
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/new_local_plan_publication_draft_dec_2011_lowres.pdf
The Sustainability Appraisal provided detail and analysis:
RESOURCE CONSUMPTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Key Issues
Energy
Consumption
• Devon
currently receives around 1.8% of its energy supply from renewable
sources,
mainly methane gas from landfill and small hydro schemes.
• East
Devon has achieved greater improvements in domestic energy efficiency
than the
South West region overall – 19.8% compared to 15.3%.
• High
renewables targets were set by the now abolished South West RSS.
There is
significant scope within East Devon for small-scale community based
energy
production and combined heat and power (CHP) schemes.
Waste
•
Household waste levels in East Devon are increasing year on year whilst
landfill
capacity in the District is becoming depleted.
• There
is an ongoing drive to increase levels of recycling and composting.
Climate Change
• The
biggest contributors to CO² emissions in East Devon are the road
transport
and domestic sectors at 36.8% and 35.8% respectively. Across the
South
West overall, the top two contributors are the industry and
commercial
sector and domestic sectors, at 36.1% and 32.8% respectively.
• Per
capita CO² production is high in the East Devon District (8.4 tonnes)
compared
with Exeter (5.7 tonnes) but is similar to the regional average of
8.2
tonnes. This is characteristic of a predominantly rural area with a high
reliance
on road transport.
•
Incidences of flooding in East Devon are expected to increase with projected
sea level
rises and the onset of wetter winters. Areas of land classified as
Flood
Zones 2 and 3 are identified around all of the main rivers in the
District
as well as many of their tributaries.
Sustainable Development and Climate Change
• Climate
change is one of the most significant challenges that faces East Devon
and the
issue needs to be given due consideration in decision making.
Innovative
solutions need to be sought to ensure that other sustainability
considerations
(such as the conservation and enhancement of the landscape)
do not
constrain low and zero carbon development as it is often possible to
achieve
positive outcomes where there may initially appear to be conflicting
concerns.
•
Allocating specific sites for renewable energy production sends a positive
message
to developers that the District is proactive in encouraging renewable
and low
carbon energy generation.
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/plg_preferredapproachsareport.pdf
And a lot of other documentation used in strategic planning at the District Council takes climate change very much into consideration, such as the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment from Halcrow:
www.eastdevon.gov.uk/plg_sframainreport01.pdf
Very positive is how the District Council has engaged with the Futures Forum on these issues:
Futures Forum: Development for Sustainability: Futures Forum meeting
Futures Forum: Development for Sustainability: sustainable communities
Futures Forum: Development for Sustainability: sustainability appraisal
.
.
.
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