Nick James

The Governments New Net Zero plan just doesn't add up. Part II Following up from last years post on the green washing of the governments announcement on Net Zero Teesside carbon capture scheme which claimed the facility could remove up to 50% of the emissions from the country's industry. An independent study has shown that the facility will be responsible for more than 20m tonnes of carbon emissions. The study calculated that 'upstream emissions' such as extraction, refining, transportation and methane emissions had been omitted. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have not disputed the figures in the report. This comes just weeks after the governments climate action plan was ruled unlawful in the high courts as it would fail to meet the UKs climate goals. Yet again the numbers don't add up.

3

Some initial key headlines in Labour’s manifesto for planning include: Immediate update to NPPF Restoring mandatory housing targets Strengthening ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ Aim of building 1.5 million homes Investment in more planning officers in planning departments Brownfield first approach Strategic review of Green Belt and release of lower quality ‘grey belt’ Reform of CPO powers Combined and Mayoral Authorities to strategically plan for housing growth in their areas Roll out of a New Towns programme Deepening devolution settlements for existing Combined Authorities New statutory requirement for Local Growth Plans that cover towns and cities across the country https://lnkd.in/erdRxmyU

20

MILTON KEYNES REGULATION 18 LOCAL PLAN - good to see Plan-making still going on, with the Reg 18 Plan being considered next week in advance of consultation in July. Consultation on the Reg 19 plan is anticipated to occur in early 2025, with submission of the plan by June 2025. https://lnkd.in/eiivAFAS

24

1 Comment

‘Social value’ has come to the fore of discussions about how we evaluate the impact of the built environment on people’s quality of life. But how do we go about defining and measuring this value? ADR spoke to Hassell and the Green Building Council of Australia about their new joint discussion paper, which offers a working definition of social value and seeks to help readers navigate existing measurement systems. Read the Q&A below. #socialvalue #builtenvironment #architecture

36

3 Comments

GWE Weekly Sustainability News 📣 This week's headlines are brimming with positive developments for a greener future! Green Homes for All? 🏠 More than half of UK homeowners are considering applying for the government's new Green Energy Grant. This grant, announced in July's budget, will significantly reduce the cost of energy-saving home improvements, making a sustainable lifestyle more accessible. Renewables Powering the Planet! ⚡️ A new report reveals that over 30% of the world's electricity now comes from renewable sources! This is fantastic progress for a cleaner energy future. ☀️ Tech Giant Takes Action on Carbon 💻 Microsoft is leading by example by signing a carbon removal contract with Stockholm Exergi. This innovative approach utilises bio-energy with carbon capture and storage for permanent carbon removal. ♻️ #sustainability #greenenergy #renewableenergy #climatechange #greenhomes #microsoft

14

Speaking time today. Join me and a host of other speakers discussing all things heat and heat decarbonisation for Wales. #decarbonisation #heatdecarbonisation #heatnetworks

16

3 Comments

Great to see the second of our The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) articles to mark #WaterSavingWeek go live today in PoliticsHome, as we step up efforts to get the conversation flowing like the very stuff we all need to survive. Read more below and many thanks to Becky Trotman MCIPR for her support on this important topic. 👇 👇 👇 https://lnkd.in/eryYkpaR

11

1 Comment

UKERC / South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre briefing paper published today: Seven Principles of Place-based Net Zero Policy for SMEs This new report outlines seven principles for place-based approaches to decarbonisation for #SMEs. Drawing from extensive research across the UK and lessons from different sectors, it sets out policy-focused recommendations for achieving transformative change in SME #ClimateAction. Authored by Will Eadson, Sam Hampton, Katherine Sugar, Richard Blundel and Phil Northall. Find out more and download the report: https://lnkd.in/eeUK7hX5

12

*Green Enterprise Grants* Mid Devon District Council has launched a new capital grant scheme to help SMEs to save energy and carbon. Capital grants £500 to £5k for up to 50% of eligible costs, with a maximum project budget of £25k. Projects should be fast to deliver and ready to go. *Applications for the Green Enterprise Grants are open until midday on 10 June 2024.* Details and bid guidance: https://lnkd.in/e-r9wq9t Councillor Natasha Bradshaw, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: “We know that Mid Devon businesses want to take positive action on climate change, this grant scheme supports them in achieving this.” Councillor Steve Keable, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration, added: “Reducing carbon emissions is good for the planet and for business. Through this scheme we will demonstrate that small changes really do lead to big impacts in terms of reducing a business’ carbon footprint.” #grants #SustainableMidDevon Devon Climate Emergency Mid Devon Network - Business Networking

7

Phase 5 of the Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund opens to applications tomorrow!   With up to £16m of funding to boost decarbonisation skills, the grants aim to help public sector organisations to engage the specialist and expert advice and skills required to create robust heat decarbonisation plans to prepare for heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency works.   Apply by with delivery partner Salix by 1st May 👉 https://lnkd.in/eqjA3dse #PublicSector #Procurement #ProfessionalServices #Consultancy #PublicSectorFunding #Funding Bloom Procurement Services

9

Principal in our London Planning Team, Laura Jenkinson, is featured in Building Magazine this week, discussing the challenges of retrofit, and what a new government could do to improve the current system. She comments on the race to quality and need for intervention to prevent stranded assets, exploring prime examples of where retrofit is being successfully achieved. Laura provides her recommendations to planners and policy makers on how to deal with these challenges. Read the full article below https://lnkd.in/erH_8RuG

28

Last week I was invited by the Westminster City Council to a workshop to review their new #WLC reporting tool called PACER (Planning Application Carbon Evaluation and Reduction).    They have developed an online tool to report WLC information on projects. They are in the beta testing phase, have not yet been released to everyone, and are not required for planning approval yet. The beta test will finish in March next year, and they expect to be released to the public for all planning applications.    They have also 13 councils more aligned to use the tool after the beta test is finished, and they expect more to express interest. They are also talking to the Greater London Authority to see if they adopt this tool instead of the templates that they use now, but this is still under discussion.    The tool asks for general building information to model a control model. The assessor will also need to add carbon information about the project and materials list, all aligned with the RICS V02 WLC (to be enforced in July 2024); it is also similar to the information that the GLA is requesting.    It was a very interesting afternoon with a lot of engaging conversations about third-party verifications, which project stages are the correct ones to ask for this information; what information would be necessary to be collected to draft benchmarks in the future; avoiding doubling the amount of work for consultants and coordinating the amount WCL tools, platforms and local authorities; etc. It was also very nice to see so many people from the sustainability built environment gather in one room. I enjoy talking to Dewi Jones, Mirko Farnetani, Shikha Bhardwaj, Philip Guthrie, Noma Nkala, Ben Gholam, Alex Rich, Poppy Cunningham PIEMA, Elaine Toogood, Alex Benstead, Ian Poole among others. #RSHP RSHP #PlanningPolicy #EmbodiedCarbon #OperationalCarbon #LifecycleAssessment #NetZero

44

12 Comments

Our attendees gain insights into managing Biodiversity Net Gain with Helen Nyul - Barratt Developments plc, Alexa Culver - Environment Bank and Eric Owens MBA MA MRTPI - Buckinghamshire Council. Learn about offsite mitigation strategies and resource allocation.  #ThePlanningSummit #Biodiversity #UrbanPlanning #Sustainability

21

4 Comments

A few thoughts from me and other commentators, on the effect of the draft and final NPPF changes on plan making in Green Belt authorities. In addition to the quotes in this article, some other thoughts from me on this topic: "For Green Belt authorities, since the draft changes to the NPPF, we have seen three main scenarios. First, authorities stalled plan reviews, even those well advanced through the process. Notably, Mole Valley which was already progressing through examination, and similarly with Spelthorne. More recently, authorities have reacted to the draft changes and generally taken a more protectionist approach to Green Belt, such as Three Rivers which referred to its latest draft consultation late last year as, “the council’s new plan for fewer houses and protecting the green belt”. A similar approach has been adopted by Bristol and adjoining authorities, and playing out currently in Elmbridge’s examination. Lastly, what remains to be seen, following the publication of the final changes last December but against the background of Labour advocating a more pro housing, less restrictive, approach to Green Belt, is whether plan reviews still to reach Regulation 19 stage will be more likely to seek to meet housing needs in full. Sevenoaks and Surrey Heath, both due to publish Regulation 19 consultations later this year, are just two examples to watch. Looking further ahead to 2025 and beyond, even where plans are recently adopted, there may be a greater prospect that authorities which do not meet their need in full will be a target for non-allocated sites. In this regard, it is worth revisiting the Suffolk Coastal/Hopkins Homes Supreme Court Judgement." https://lnkd.in/emmYaiWG

22

2 Comments

This article in Building by Thomas Lane interviewing David Partridge on the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard clearly sets out the aims and intentions of what will be an important tool in reducing carbon emissions once released.

16

📢 Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 3: Draft Guidance Announced 📢 Today, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has revealed the launch of the draft guidance for SHDF Wave 3 with over £1.2bn of funding available. This move will allow the retrofit decarbonisation sector to make large-scale impact and social change in supporting over 140,000 households around the country, building on momentum built over recent years. This means thousands of people will be supported in tackling the biggest crises of our time, benefiting from better energy efficiency, warmer homes, more affordable bills, and improved health and wellbeing. As a turnkey retrofit decarbonisation solutions provider, we’ve built up years of extensive experience in managing large-scale projects that make a huge difference to communities, with more than £100m of schemes currently live under SHDF Waves 2.1 and 2.2, which followed on from improving thousands of homes under the SHDF Demonstrator and Wave 1 phases. Get in touch with us via enquiries@sustainablebuildinguk.com today to talk to us about your ‘Strategic Partnership’ or ‘Challenge Fund’ bid(s). Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gx-82z_m #SHDF #SocialHousingDecarbonisationFund #Wave3 #SHDFWave3 #retrofit #decarbonisation Gary Lawson Derek Horrocks

41

5 Comments

New research from Social Investment Business has revealed that out of 13,000 community buildings in England examined, a staggering 7,375 do not meet basic energy efficiency standards. And the disparity between communities is stark, with the most deprived neighbourhoods and those based in the North of England having the highest density of energy inefficient buildings.   With the cost-of-living crisis driven in part by energy prices rocketing, these figures highlight that community businesses, who are often delivering vital support to communities in times of crisis, are at the brunt of the impact of these rising costs. And we know from Power to Change's 2023 report on Community Businesses and Climate Action that 72% of community businesses are already driving climate action, meaning the sector is both at the forefront of climate solutions, and the impact of energy inefficient, high carbon emitting buildings.   Power to Change’s investment into Key Fund Investments Energy Resilience Fund is playing a role to address this by helping community businesses to retrofit their buildings with energy saving initiatives, but this evidence demonstrates the need for both further investment into energy efficiency measures for community buildings, and crucially more technical assistance to help them access and implement the support available. https://lnkd.in/eHNCEUBx https://lnkd.in/ebE9dfX2

36