Climate Emergency Archives - Planning Design Ltd

2020 Vision – Designing the decade ahead

18th December 2019 by Gary Stringer

Here at Planning and Design Practice 2019 has been a good year for our business. We have completed more work and had more success than in any previous year. Our successes have been highlighted in our regular newsletters, on our web-site and on social media. We expect growth to continue and I would like to thank all our clients and our staff for their support and hard work this year.

The election result was decisive. We have an elected government with a large majority which includes a broader based constituency. We will be leaving the European Union at the end of January 2020 but with an agreement in place.

The current government policies towards planning and architecture, the National Planning Policy Framework and the National Design Guide are likely to remain in force. The protection of Green Belts will continue as will the emphasis of developing brownfield land.

The government has trailed a white paper on accelerating and simplifying the planning process while continuing with its ‘beauty’ agenda, which seeks to protect the appearance and character of both town and countryside; this creates tension between the two aims which will play out in decisions where NIMBY and Neighbourhood Plans are a factor. Good architecture will continue to be important and the Paragraph 79 option will remain in force.

For the development industry, for both planning and architecture there is more certainty. The Conservative Party has promised to achieve the construction of 300,000 new homes a year by 2024 with a continued emphasis of home ownership. However the government has been running a multi-tenure approach and it is expected that this will continue. The gains by the Conservatives in the North of England might help to support council house building and building by Housing Associations and by Community Land Trusts. Homes England has been playing a more active role.

Climate Change is likely to drive policy in 2020 which will combine with Brexit to put into place new policies to reduce carbon emissions and to improve biodiversity. The Environment Bill consultation period has ended and it is likely that all new developments will have to provide a 10% net biodiversity gain. The implications of this are that for most planning applications, an initial baseline ecological report will be required.

In architecture, low carbon building and use will become key requirements. Part of this will be because Parliament and local Councils have declared a Climate Emergency and now need to act. Architecture and the built environment is one area where change can be effected quickly, added to this, the UK is to host the 2020 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, when the government will need to outline its measures to the rest of the world as to how it intends to combat climate change. The Climate Change conference is also an opportunity to promote trade and business and to sell UK ideas and systems to help solve the international crisis.

Architecture will be asked to meet new standards, through changes in building regulations and through Supplementary Planning Guidance and Local Plan Policies which are likely to require zero/near zero carbon homes and business premises and in addition buildings, structures and use of land which will allow biodiversity to thrive, where space is shared between people and the natural world. This will be a challenge for all participants and for the architectural profession.

We look forward to 2020 and the next decade, a time that will be marked by big policy shifts. It is also the start of a 5 year parliament when the government will want to be seen as ambitious. The government will also want to mitigate the impact of Brexit and development and construction is a means by which the economy can continue to grow when cross border checks could adversely impact on other sectors of the economy.

The tension between developments, the economy, meeting our social needs while also protecting our environment will intensify and we now need to enhance the natural world to help us move toward balance and away from the continued destruction of the natural world. It will be a challenging decade.

On behalf of Planning Design Practice I would like to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous 2020.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Please note: Our offices will close at 5pm on Monday 23 December and we return from 9am on Thursday 2 January 2020.

Back to the future? Rethinking terraced housing

4th February 202011th December 2019 by Gary Stringer

Political parties of all stripes are vowing to ‘tackle the housing crisis’ and make Britain carbon neutral in the coming decades. This could radically change how we build and live in our homes in the future. Or perhaps not. Jon Millhouse, Director at Planning & Design Practice Ltd, believes that terraced housing could be the key to meeting this challenge.

Good ideas have a habit of coming back around. At the turn of the twentieth century, the most popular form of house building was terraced housing. As a concept, it was simple, yet effective. It didn’t require much land take, yet each household was usually allocated a decent amount of internal accommodation, and a garden. There was typically a shop on the corner of every street, or a pub; schools and places of work usually within walking distance. People travelled further afield by bicycle or tram.

Later in the twentieth century, as cars became the dominant mode of transport and the aspiration for most families, our built environment changed too. Rows of terraced houses were swept away to accommodate new roads. Those terraced streets which did survive became car-dominated. Those who could afford to often moved in the suburbs, or better still, the countryside, relying on the private motor car to serve their needs. The type of housing we began to build, and continue to build to this day, is designed around the car; low density detached housing with driveways and garages.

As we face up to the challenges of tackling climate change, and building enough houses to accommodate our population without having to pave over our treasured countryside, reverting to terraced housing once again, but in a manner fit for the twenty first century, could be a big part of the solution. Many aspects of that original urban form suit our needs today. Having only two (narrow) walls exposed to the outside world rather than four, significantly reduces heat loss. The higher densities enabled mean we can create walkable and cyclable neighbourhoods, reducing our reliance on the car. Small convenience food stores, micropubs and trams are all coming back into fashion. Fewer cars mean quieter streets, where children can play, and residents can interact, helping to address the increased problem of social isolation. It also means more exercise, which is good for our physical and mental health, particularly if supplemented with public open space in close proximity, offering opportunities for recreation, biodiversity and trees to help with carbon capture, urban cooling and flood resilience.

None of these ideas are new, none of this is rocket science. It is merely common sense. We shouldn’t assume that modern problems require a revolutionary, technological solution. Much can be learned from the past.

But neither should we assume that in re-adopting a house type of the past, we have to accept its historic limitations. Modern terraced housing can be better insulated, better lit and more spacious than its predecessors. We can generate heat and power through microgeneration, rather than coal. With such mod-cons, terraced houses can once again become the kind of property that developers want to build, and that people want to live in.

Jon is both a Chartered Town Planner and a Member of the Ins titute of Historic Building Conservation.

He can be contacted at jon.millhouse@planningdesign.co.uk or via telephone on 01332 347371.

Image: geograph-2703969-by-Dave-Bevis
Popular terraced housing at Chester Green, Derby. Fronting a quiet road reserved for cyclists and pedestrians, and a public green space.

Modern terraced housing at Oaklands, Duffield Road, Derby.
(Planning permission obtained by Planning & Design Practice Ltd on behalf of Meadowview Homes).

Examples of an urban form designed around the motor car became the norm in the later twentieth century.

(Images: Google Maps)

Call on government for stronger direction on climate action

18th November 2019 by Gary Stringer

A recent survey by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), has revealed that an overwhelming majority of UK planners want the next government to give stronger direction and more resources to enable local planners to deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

With 79% of respondents agreeing that climate action should be a top priority for the profession, only 17% felt their nation’s planning system or policy framework was well equipped enough to deal with the current climate crisis.

Nearly 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that there needed to be stronger direction from central government and greater resourcing, training and capacity for local authority planning departments to enable more effective local planning for net zero carbon.

Victoria Hills, Chief executive, of the RTPI said: “The government’s own advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change, has acknowledged the role of planners in taking decisive and effective climate action, but without strong direction from central government and an increase in resources and capacity at a local level, it will be impossible for planners to meet the challenges of climate change and achieve the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“These challenges are so significant and long-term that widespread and fundamental changes in the way our societies are organised and managed will be required. Planning can’t resolve this issue on its own.”

Ms Hills also confirmed that the RTPI has recently joined the UN’s Planners for Climate Action Campaign, which aims to catalyse and accelerate climate action through responsible and transformative urban and territorial planning practice, education and research.

At its annual conference earlier this year, The RTPI launched its Resource Planning for Climate Action campaign, which calls on government to take radical climate actions around buildings and transport, and to develop a tool to help local authorities gauge the carbon impact of existing and emerging local plans.

The campaign calls on the next government to:

ensure that all new build homes are zero carbon and that measures and resources are put in place for existing homes to be zero carbon and to begin a major national retrofitting programme for existing homes;
roll-out SCATTER, a tool for assessing the carbon impact of existing and future local plans, on wider scale;
ensure that climate change mitigation is a vital component of wider planning and infrastructure policy and that government listens to the planning profession in formulating that policy;
give more resources to local planning authorities;
empower devolved national governments and local authorities to lead on climate change mitigation in the devolved nations at local level and give them the resources to do so;
invest in UK infrastructure for smart energy heat and sustainable mobility, including greater collaboration between the ministries of BEIS, DfT and HCLG, as well as devolved governments.

A total of 994 out of the RTPI’s 25,000 members responded to the RTPI’s climate change survey. Respondents came from across the public, private and third sectors.

“Town planning is increasingly important across the world as climate change bites,” said Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“With climate change the provision off public transport must increase, the use of the private car should be reduced and our homes should be built to zero carbon. This means building at greater densities and making the best use of land in our urban areas. It means co-ordinating development with public transport and building in locations of greatest accessibility so that people have a choice of transport options, to do this will give young people and the elderly autonomy in their lives, reduce inequality through better access to work and public services and in doing so create greater well-being for all.“

Respondents of the survey also called for zero carbon targets to be set in Building Regulations, more collaboration with other industries in the built environment sector, greater subsidies for retrofitting and more focus on transport planning.

Recent Flooding

13th November 2019 by Gary Stringer

Recent heavy rainfall resulted in numerous flood alerts being issued across Derbyshire, and South Yorkshire and the weekend saw the River Derwent burst its banks, with the resultant flooding causing travel chaos, widespread disruption and a tragic loss of life.

Derbyshire was hit with more rainfall in 24 hours than it normally receives in a month. The Environment Agency’s gauge in Glossop, a market town on the edge of the Peak District, recorded 114mm of rain in the 24 hours up to 4am. On average Derbyshire receives 90.7mm of rain during the month of November.

This is just months after the evacuation of the Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge, when thousands of residents were evacuated amid fears a dam could collapse after being damaged by floodwaters.

Heavy rainfall saw concrete panels on one side of the dam on the Toddbrook Resevoir, which holds 300 million gallons of water, partially collapse, creating a crisis that has cost Derbyshire County Council in the region of £700,000.

At the height of the situation, a Chinook helicopter from RAF Odiham, was engaged for a combined 72 hours over several days to drop more than 600 tonnes of aggregate on the damaged dam to prevent it breaching.

In a report published in May 2018, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) state that the government needs to do to help create homes and communities that are resilient to flood damage. In the report, titled “The Value of Flood Resilient Architecture and Design” RIBA stresses that the UK can no longer base its approach to managing flood risk on simply keeping the water out, and highlights the following statistics:

Currently 1 in 6 homes in the UK are at risk of flooding – a number that is expected to double by 2050
Flooding causes an average of £1.4 billion of damage each year to businesses and households

Meanwhile a new report from the Royal Town Planners Institute (RTPI) has said that sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are not being delivered at either the pace or scale that is required to cope with the challenges posed by climate change.

The systems are considered an important way of managing surface water runoff in built developments. National planning policy has encouraged their use in all major developments since their introduction into the English planning system in 2010.

However, 96% of local authorities report that the quality of planning submissions for SuDS are either ‘inadequate’ or ‘mixed’. Furthermore, 25% of local authorities have no formal SuDS policies in place, nor any immediate plans to implement any.

According to officials at Derby Council, closing the flood gates at Haslam’s Lane and Darley Fields for the first time saved around 1,140 homes from flooding in the Chester Green and Darley areas during the recent deluge. The gates are part of the city’s £95 million flood defences – part of which are still under construction.

Whilst the successful implementation of the flood defences offers reassurance, with more heavy rainfall forecast, the Council, together with home, business and landowners will be anxiously watching the weather forecasts as we head into the winter months.

“As the effects of climate change become even more apparent new development must become more robust. Land use has a big part to play. The flood allowance for climate change has increased over the past 10 years and the Environment Agency is looking to raise the figure further said Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“As one in one hundred year flood events become common place, locations which we thought would not flood are now flooding. This means that we must have effective surface water run-off measures in place to hold surface water in new developments to prevent run-off adding to flooding elsewhere.

As planners we should avoid building vulnerable developments on floodplains such as housing but in some locations whole towns are liable to flooding. In locations such as this house building needs to take into account flood risk and be built to allow for and accept flooding.

For the government, the wider strategy for climate change resilience must include changes to land use including reforestation of the uplands, retrofit and new build development to zero carbon, a major shift from car use to public transport and a national policy for flood protection, with a national debate over the costs and the benefits of maintaining settlements and communities liable to regular flooding by rivers and near to the sea.”

Sustainability at the heart of Planning & Design

12th December 202210th October 2019 by Gary Stringer

With a recent poll showing that climate change has overtaken Brexit as the public’s top concern, and the news that over half of the UK’s principal local authorities have now declared a climate emergency, there is no doubt that there is ever increasing public concern about living with greater sustainability.

“As architects and planners we are in a good position to use our professional skills and experience to design buildings which can better cope with climate change, which is going to affect everyone, says Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“This means being aware of the latest research, developments and materials in order to design buildings which are highly insulated to be warm in winter whilst cool in summer, generate energy through solar power, have heating systems which use very little energy and do not use gas, oil or burn coal or wood.”

From the earliest discussions with our clients we recognise the importance of outlining the advantages and benefits of building with sustainable aspects incorporated into their projects and ways in which they can reduce the carbon footprint of their project. This is obviously in consideration of their construction budget.

As a practice Planning & Design have been researching and promoting a number of sustainability initiatives, including Passivhaus, Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).

Sustainability and Passivhaus Design

The Passivhaus concept represents state of the art technical solutions for energy efficient buildings. The energy consumption in a building built to Passivhaus standards is reduced with passive measures to such a low level that the building hardly requires any heating, cooling, humidification or dehumidification to meet the predetermined climate and comfort conditions.

The components and principles of a Passivhaus dwelling are as follow:
The dwelling needs just 15kWh of heating energy per square metre net floor surface per year (equivalent of around £50 worth of gas per year)
Super continuous insulation (wall U values 0.15Wm²k)
No thermal bridges (airtight- less than 0.6 air changes/hour at 50pa)
Heat recovery ventilation system
Triple glazed windows argon filled or Krypton gas and insulated frames (0.8Wm²k U-value)

It is worth noting that the criteria is set lower than that for Passivhaus for refurbishment and retrofit in existing buildings.

The Passivhaus Institute have developed a Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) as a design and verification tool for Passivhaus buildings.

Passivhaus certification provides a rigorous quality assurance process verified via independent testing. Certification is available for buildings, specific components, designers, consultants and trades people. Below is a list of the different types of Passivhaus certification options.

Among the many advantages of living in a dwelling designed to Passivhaus are lower energy bills and maintenance costs, cleaner, healthier air quality inside the home, warm snug rooms without any draughts or cold spots in winter and cooler rooms in summer plus zero carbon.

Code for Sustainable Homes

The Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) was launched by the government in 2007, replacing EcoHomes as the national standard to be used in the design and construction of new homes in England.

However, after March 2015 CSH was no longer a legal requirement, but now many local authority officers still work to CSH standards.

There are 6 different CSH rating levels from 1-6, with level 6 being the highest. Each represent a decrease in carbon emissions and an increase in sustainability standards across 9 categories, which are:

Energy and CO2 emissions
Water
Materials
Surface water runoff
Waste
Pollution
Health and wellbeing
Management
Ecology

Credits need to be achieved within the 9 different code categories and the number of credits will depend on the level required. Below is a table showing the amount of points required for each level.

Level 4 is a equal to a 19% reduction in carbon footprint, Level 5 a 100% reduction and Level 6 resulting in a zero carbon dwelling.

Assessments are normally carried out in two stages:
1) Design stage, leading to an interim certificate
2) Post construction stage. Leading to a final certificate

Renewable Heat Incentive

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a government financial incentive to promote the use of renewable heat. Switching to heating systems that use eligible energy sources can help the UK reduce its carbon emissions and meet its renewable energy targets. The scheme pays each quarter for every kwh of heat generated and used over the past 3 months, commercial schemes lasting 20 years and domestic 7 years. The scheme applies to solar panels/ground source heat pump/ air source heat pump and biomass boilers. The RHI provides households with financial support between £2,000 and £3,500 a year, which can give a total rebate from £14,000 to £24,000.

The scheme is open to anyone who can meet the joining requirements. It is for households both off and on the gas grid.

To apply you will need:

Your microgeneration certification scheme certificate number (a certificate which shows both products and the installation by companies are installed to a high standard)
Your energy performance certificate EPC number
Bank details
Metering questions, if you need to be metered

Below is a table showing roughly how much payback a Biomass Boiler could get you.

What is SAP 10?

SAP calculations are used to demonstrate the energy performance of dwellings. The new SAP10 is not for use until Part L of the building regulations has been revised. There are some significant changes, but some will have the potential to affect the way we design new buildings.

Here is a summary of the major changes;

Electric heating will be seeing as more favourable compared to other traditional methods.
On site electricity generation will have less impact, currently scores high on the SAP test, however this does not mean that it’s not desired.
Buildings will need to have a lower heat demand, as we spend less hours at home that previously estimated, changing heating patterns and perhaps promoting smart homes, Wi-Fi connectivity to M&E appliances etc.
Improving thermal bridging details, promoting bespoke solutions instead of Accredited Construction Details to encourage developers finding better solutions. This does not mean that ACD will be forgotten.
Water consumption/ flow rates and the number of showers, baths will be now taken into account and also if these are electrics or mains fed will be important.
Overheating risks/ proportion of glazing will become more important to prevent overheating, thermal modelling might be required.
PV storage/ the use of onsite generated electricity used to cover water heating demand instead of feeding the grid now will be an option.
LED/ Compact fluorescent lighting will be necessary.
U values req. being more stringent, making the Passivhaus approach a more attractive guideline perhaps.

Sap 10 will be used:

On new planning strategies.
To asses EPC (Fuel cost)
Dwelling emission rates.
Vital for Part L compliance and section 6 (Openings).
As part of planning submissions for energy and sustainability statements.

Below are some examples of wall construction types and thicknesses which meet the Passivhaus standards or better.

Whilst recognising that ultimately it is up to the client what they want to do and what their budget allows for, we can advise them on the different levels of sustainability, which are:

An upgrade of the energy performance of an existing building with more sustainable systems/ introduction of insulation/ solar panels etc.
The Code for Sustainable Homes, either level 1-6
Passivhaus

We can then provide clients with the latest research and full knowledge that we have on each of these options, the various elements of renewable technologies and how much these cost.

Please feel free to contact us if you require any additional information or to discuss any specific projects.

Over half of the UK’s principal local authorities have declared a climate emergency

4th September 2019 by Gary Stringer

More than half of the UK’s principal local authorities have now declared a climate emergency, making it one of the fastest growing environmental movements in recent history, according to data compiled by Climate Emergency UK. In the past eight months, 205 of the UK’s 408 Principal Authorities (County, Unitary, Metropolitan, London Boroughs, District), with widespread support across political groups, have declared a climate emergency, committing them to take urgent action to reduce their carbon emissions at a local level. Many have set 2030 as a target date for going carbon zero, 20 years ahead of central government’s 2050 target.

The declarations are spread geographically across the UK. England leads the declarations with 54% percentage declaring. Wales comes next with 41%, then Scotland with 31% and Northern Ireland with 18%.

Cllr. Kevin Frea, co-chair of the Climate Emergency Network and deputy leader of Lancaster City Council, said: “This movement is being led by every political group and is involving local people in planning the actions needed to cut carbon through working groups and citizens assemblies. It has re-engaged people in their local councils: public galleries have been packed when motions to declare are discussed, with many residents – including experts and young people – speaking in the debates.

“Councils have already started delivering on their declarations, switching to renewable energy suppliers on their estate, insulating existing homes and building more energy efficient new ones, planting trees and decarbonising transport.

“Combined with a recent poll showing that climate change has overtaken Brexit as the public’s top concern, it gives me hope that the Government will have to take notice soon and provide the legislation and resources that we need to put our climate emergency declarations fully into practice. We have written to the new BEIS Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsom, and the new Local Government SoS, Robert Jenrick, asking for an urgent meeting to address our concerns.”

It will be very interesting to see what impact this has at a local level where a number of local authorities including Amber Valley Borough Council, Cheshire East Council, Derby City Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Sheffield City Council are all amongst those to join the movement. According to the Town and Country Planning Association, the revised National Planning Policy Framework published in 2018 contains four headline implications for planning for climate change, which are as follows:

The revised NPPF retains the key link between planning policy and the provisions of the Climate Change Act 2008. This means all local plans must set a carbon dioxide emissions reduction target and lay out clear ways of measuring progress on carbon dioxide emissions reduction
Guidance for viability testing has been rebalanced, creating more opportunity for policy that might address climate change
There is still real confusion about the scope of planning authorities to set ambitious targets beyond the Building Regulations on energy efficiency
There is nothing to stop local plans adopting requirements for on-site renewable energy generation

Will there be a return to widespread support for onshore wind? Will it be commonplace that the conversion of traditional or listed buildings includes an element of renewable energy? Or will more modern and more energy efficient materials be allowed in ‘sensitive’ locations? These are just some of the questions which spring to mind at a local level. Watch this space.

Richard Pigott, Director, Planning & Design

Matlock looks at Climate Change

28th August 2019 by Gary Stringer

At the Town Council meeting in June Matlock Town Council declared a climate and ecological emergency. There was unanimous support for the motion proposed by Councillor Matt Buckler. The motion is seeking to put in place local actions that can make a difference.

Cllr Buckler said,

“We’ve heard some fantastic examples of things that people have done, but we need everyone to be doing it. To help this we need all of our tiers of government to take action where they can and help those within our communities to do the same. We will work with the District and County Councils, and learn from other good examples from around the country to ensure Matlock is an environmental beacon, as we work towards being a zero carbon town by 2030.”

Are you concerned about Climate Change? Do you want to find out more about what is being done locally? Have you got ideas to share or questions to ask?

On Saturday 14th September the Council are holding a special event, an opportunity to understand the environmental challenges ahead, what you can do to help resolve them day to day and share ideas on the most pressing and important issue of our time.

10am – 2pm
Imperial Rooms, Imperial Road, Matlock, DE4 3NL
FREE ENTRY

Get tickets on the door or book via Eventbrite or Facebook

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director at Planning & Design who are exhibiting at the event

“Climate change is going to affect everyone and as architects and planners we are in a good position to use our professional skills and experience to design buildings in locations which will be more robust in facing the challenges of climate change. This means building in locations where there is good public transport where workers or residents can walk to services and facilities without using a car, in buildings which can better cope with climate change because they are highly insulated and are warm in winter and cool in summer, generate energy through solar power, having heating systems which do not use gas, oil or burn coal or wood and use very little energy. It is also important that the building of the future looks good and stay looking good with the minimum of maintenance. Future buildings also will have high levels of natural daylight and can enhance biodiversity by accommodating protected species within the building fabric and providing opportunities for a wide variety of plants and animals to thrive”.

For more information on the event please contact Matlock Town Council on 01629 583042 or via email at enquiries@matlock.gov.uk Facebook: @AllThingsMatlock

RIBA declares environment and climate emergency

19th August 20191st July 2019 by Gary Stringer

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have formally agreed to join the global declaration of an environmental and climate emergency at the triannual meeting of RIBA Council members.

At the meeting, which brings together elected trustees to debate and discuss the biggest issues facing the profession, the Institute also committed to developing the RIBA Ethics and Sustainable Development Commission’s action plan and a pledge to support the government’s 2050 net zero emissions target.

RIBA President, Ben Derbyshire, said:

“The climate emergency is the biggest challenge facing our planet and our profession. But to have a significant impact we need to do more than make symbolic statements – we need to turn warm words into impactful actions.

The implementation of a five-year action plan we have committed to today will ensure we are able to benchmark change and evaluate the actions that make most impact.”

RIBA Chief Executive, Alan Vallance said:

“With a background in the meteorological sector I have a deep insight into the impact of climate change and the vast and urgent task ahead of us. RIBA Council’s commitment to the climate emergency declaration is an important moment for the institute and the profession – a catalyst for the further action and change that is needed to ensure that architects and the built environment sector are at the forefront of a zero-carbon future.”

Next steps will include the implementation of a five-year detailed action plan to embed sustainable industry standards and practice and use the RIBA’s influence to improve government and inter-government policy and regulation.

The Ethics and Sustainable Development Action Plan will include measurable actions to support a net zero carbon built environment. It will drive change at a national and international level in industry standards and practice; in government and inter-governmental policy and regulation; and in the RIBA’s own carbon footprint.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd welcome the RIBA initiative, and fully support their efforts to identify the steps needed to build all new buildings to a net zero carbon standard and to identify the steps necessary to retrofit existing buildings. However the implementation of all this work while limiting carbon emissions itself will be a significant challenge.