Decision details

(1)  To adopt the amended Sustainable Construction Checklist Supplementary Planning Document (Appendix 1 of the report).

(2)  To adopt the updated version of Energy Summary Tool 1 (Appendix 2 of the report).

(3)  To delegate authority to the Head of Planning to make any necessary editorial changes, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Built Environment, Housing and Sustainable Development, prior to publication of the adoption of the Sustainable Construction Checklist Supplementary Planning Document.

The current Sustainable Construction SPD contains the key assessment criteria and information which should be submitted with applications for new build residential properties, major new non- residential buildings and medium scale development on existing buildings. One of the Local Plan sustainable construction policies the SPD supports is policy SCR6 which sets requirements for Space Heating, Energy Use Intensity and Renewable Energy generation for all residential development.

To show compliance with the requirements of Policy SCR6 applicants must complete and submit the Energy Summary Tool. An updated version of Energy Summary Tool 1 was developed to post- process SAP calculation results to produce more realistic and accurate figures and to indicate compliance with Policy SCR6. The updated version has a more sophisticated method for adjusting SAP values, so the outputs are closely aligned with the more realistic values produced by PHPP. This updated version of Energy Summary Tool 1 offers improvements including: it can be applied to more proposals; it is quicker and easier to use, and a secondary heating source can be factored in.

The wording of the SPD has been amended to reflect the changes discussed above, allowing applicants to use SAP and the updated version of Energy Summary Tool 1 for schemes of up to 25 dwellings (including a maximum of 9 apartments). This will reduce the times and costs for applicants, will provide more realistic indications of the energy performance of buildings modelled using SAP and will help to achieve more consistent energy efficient dwellings across all sizes of development.

The amendments do not alter the requirements set out in Policy SCR6.

None.