A consultation on the draft Environmental Building Standards Supplementary Planning Document (EBS SPD) is now open and will run to 13 April.
In 2019 the government set a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The Department for Levelling Up Homes and Communities have stated all homes and businesses must meet rigorous new energy efficiency standards to lower energy consumption and help protect the environment.
Herefordshire Council are producing a Supplementary Planning Document to promote higher building standards through setting out best practice guidance for improving building performance, reducing energy use in buildings, enhancing the external environment, improving accessibility, and reducing energy and waste in the construction stage.
The document details recommendations to drive up environmental standards of buildings in Herefordshire, consistent with the council’s recognition of the climate and ecological emergency and our vision for a zero-carbon, nature-rich Herefordshire.
The SPD will set out new guidance, best-practice-level minimum standards in key areas including energy efficiency, embodied carbon, waste, water, transport, and nature protection, and will encourage the adoption of even higher standards by developers and householders.
Cllr Liz Harvey, Cabinet member for finance, corporate services and planning, said: “The Government targets for housing growth here in Herefordshire mean that on average we are required to plan for 850 new homes per year over the next 20 years - around 17,000 dwellings. Fortunately, Herefordshire already has 5,000 existing planning permissions for housing, which will count towards achieving that target, but the fact remains that we need to build a lot of new houses.”
The document does not introduce a new policy but is designed to provide supplementary guidance on the adopted Core Strategy environmental quality policies. It will be a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.
The Local Plan 2021-2041 is currently being prepared and will incorporate this document as part of the evidence base.
Cllr Ellie Chowns, Cabinet member for environment and economy, added: “Herefordshire Council is a local authority leader in tackling the Climate and Ecological Emergency. We are committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and building design standards are essential to this. Good design and high levels of energy efficiency from the council will set the standard and provide a blueprint to other developers, helping to spread the best possible practice.”
Cllr Harvey concluded: “Three of our major concerns both locally and nationally are housing, climate change and increasing fuel bills. By making sure that all new homes are located and designed in a way which both requires less energy, and produces more of that energy from renewable sources, we can help to address all three.
“To do that successfully we need these policies to be the best that they can be. So I encourage everybody with an interest in the future of the county to take part and share their ideas and suggestions for further improvements.”
To take part in the consultation and for more information, please visit the website.