Sustainability Vision Statement for the Phoenix site in Lewes.

The development of the Phoenix site is a major opportunity for Lewes District Council to create a flagship sustainable development in our town.  With the effects of fuel supply issues and global climate change becoming more obvious in the world around us, Lewes Matters requests that the Council takes a visionary approach to this development.

There are many projects around the UK which provide us with clear examples of new building schemes that are more harmonious with the environment.  A large number of local authorities around the country are being proactive in encouraging developers to adopt higher standards in their buildings^{Note 1}.  We would like ours to do the same.

Using what has become called “The Merton Rule”^{Note 2}, councils are requesting that all new developments over a certain size have some portion of their energy needs met on site.  This is a clear legal precedent, which we would like to see adopted for the Phoenix development^{Note 3}.

It has been shown in other areas that renewable energy, and other environmental technologies, such as rainwater harvesting, are not only good for the residents of a scheme, but that they are good for business also.  Such initiatives reduce the impact that a new development will have on the existing infrastructure, as well as contributing to a reduction in lifetime carbon emissions.

As fuel prices increase, fuel poverty will become more of an issue in our district.  Renewable energy can go some way to ensuring that this is less of an issue.

Already we are seeing water shortage issues in our district; rainwater harvesting would lessen the impact of this development on our dwindling supplies.

With a development of this size Lewes Matters would like to see the council making a bold statement of their commitment to our environment and the future of our town.  There are many ways in which this development could be positive for both the environment and the people of Lewes.  However it will require the council to take a strong lead on the social and sustainability issues surrounding this development.  We urge the council to set the developers high targets for the sustainability of this development, going beyond the minimum standards to provide the people of Lewes with a model for the future.

There are many ways for the council to encourage higher standard in this development.  There are a whole range of technologies and ideas which we feel should be incorporated to ensure that this development id beneficial to our town, its’ residents and the local environment.  Outlined below are a range of these ideas:

Technologies for on site generation of renewable energy:

• Solar Thermal systems (Solar Hot Water Systems)  A well designed solar thermal system could provide up to 70% of a building's hot water needs over the year, for a capital investment of around £2K per house on a new build, or £3.5K if fitted afterwards.
• Biomass Combined Heat and Power unit, which could provide metered heat to all the homes in the development, and also some of the sites electricity needs.  This sort of scheme is common on the continent, and is becoming much more common in the UK.  As it uses biomass, (wood or vegetable oil) as a fuel it would assist with the development of the local economy
• Ground Source Heat pumps take heat from the ground that can then be used in heating buildings. This technology requires no combustion, only the energy to power an electric pump which can be provided by solar panels and wind turbines.
• Solar Electric systems which provided electricity for some homes. A well designed solar electrical system could provide up to 100% of a building's electricity needs over the year
• Wind Turbines to provide electricity for some homes. Either by using small roof mounted turbines throughout the development, or by one larger on for the whole thing.
• Rainwater harvesting systems, to collect rainwater and filter it for non potable uses within the buildings. This is now commonplace on lots of buildings in the UK. It can provide multiple benefits – a reduction in water costs to the users of the buildings, and reduced incidence of flooding due to heavy rain, as there would be less storm water discharged to the local sewerage system

Notes

1.  Kirklees council is the first council in the country to set a policy which aims to ensure that by 2011 at least 30% of energy consumption is through renewable sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, and biomass boiler plants. The immediate effect of the policy is that all new public buildings will have10% of their energy needs met from on site renewable energy sources. This will rise by 5% a year untill 2011 when the 30% target will be met. New residential homes and schools now under construction or in the design stage are already incorporating wind turbines and solar panels.

Cllr Andrew Cooper, the council's Cabinet member for Housing and Property, said: "We are effectively setting our own version of the Building Regulations for renewable energy in Kirklees that will impact every residential home, every children's centre and every school we build. This policy ensures a new high standard for buildings in the future and that future is green. As conventional fuel prices for gas and oil continue to rise, and our emissions continue to damage our atmosphere, we must look to more cost-effective and ecologically friendly energy sources. Investment in renewable energy is not only good news for Council taxpayers of today but also in years to come. “

Woking Borough Council is one of the first boroughs in the country to sign up to a Climate Change Strategy. This means it has agreed high-level plans to tackle a wide range of issues which affect the environment in the borough, with a focus on reducing emissions harmful to the atmosphere. The strategy is one of the most comprehensive yet to be developed in the UK and covers a whole spectrum of the borough’s energy uses.

Among its many innovative energy saving initiatives, the council has developed:

• the UK’s first sustainable energy 200kWe fuel cell
• the first private wire electricity, district heating and cooling sustainable energy station in the country
• the use of photovoltaic cells, on a number of council-owned properties to create sustainable electricity.

2. The south London boroughs of Merton and Croydon say developers and house builders, after initial scepticism, are now embracing renewable energy and a variety of other green initiatives on the grounds that they are good for business.

Around Croydon, all new housing developments - and 55 are now under way or in the pipeline - have to incorporate renewable energy as well as high insulation and other above average environmental standards.

The initiative began with a seemingly innocuous change of wording in a government planning guideline six years ago. Rather than "encouraging" developers to incorporate renewable energy sources into new buildings, Merton said it would "expect" them to do so.

The first renewable project was a development of 10 small industrial units fitted with micro wind turbines and one solar panel.

"There was a worry that companies would go elsewhere, but the developer came back, and now the fourth development has been approved with bigger turbines on 15-metre high poles and 100 sq metres of solar panels" says Adrian Hewitt, Merton's principal environment officer.

The Merton agenda is based on all new businesses, such as small factories and retail outlets, showing that at least 10% of energy requirements will come from renewable sources, such as wind turbines and solar power. In a further stage of the green initiative, combined heat and power plants are being encouraged around the borough, which has set a target of cutting greenhouse emissions by 15% in 2015.

The strategy is now so entrenched that when the DIY retailer B&Q put forward plans for a 10,000 sq metre superstore off the A3, it readily agreed to incorporate small wind turbines, solar panels and a sustainable energy exhibition centre in the complex. Hewitt says B&Q has spotted a niche in the market for a new business opportunity - namely, cut-price baby turbines. He says: "People who see their bills going up will not only want to insulate to the maximum, but also want ownership of an energy source. And there's potential here to halve bills."

3. Precedents have been set across the country where local councils have specified that developers meet certain standards regarding energy use and on site energy generation for a development.  The Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) says: 'Local planning authorities and developers should consider the opportunity for incorporating renewable energy projects in all new developments. Local planning authorities should specifically encourage such schemes through positively expressed policies in local development documents.' (Para 18)

This has been translated by many councils by setting a required percentage of the energy requirements of the development being met by renewable energy on site.  Typically 10% of the energy requirement of the development when it is fully occupied is the figure specified, and developers use a range of technologies to achieve this figure.   However there are some councils have are seeking higher standards and working up to requesting 30% on site generation. There are many councils across the country who have adopted these plans. Merton in South London was the first, and it won a test case which gave the green light for other councils to be able to apply the same rules in their districts.  Other councils include Croydon, Kirklees, Woking, Southwark.