Comment
Southend Central Area Action Plan
Representation ID: 710
Received: 09/08/2010
Respondent: Renaissance Southend Ltd
Summarises need for wider policy background but raises issue of viability impacting on deliverability in short to medium term.
No. Carbon emissions need to be tackled on a wide front including new construction, retrofitting existing areas, CO2 from transport, Borough-wide scale energy strategies and facilitation of community and micro-scale infrastructure. Planning policies should reflect the proper assessment of the potential for CO2 reductions and the Core Strategy, D&TG and Building Regs. are presently only looking at limited aspects of the wider picture.
The Government has confirmed that it is to retain the target of Zero Carbon housing by 2016 and Zero Carbon commercial development possibly by 2020. Many LA's have taken the opportunity to make a carbon reduction contribution through planning policy that exceeds the Building Regs, ahead of the stepped increase in carbon saving requirements that leads to zero carbon.
A higher, borough-wide, on-site, renewable energy generation requirement is therefore justifiable.
However, balanced against this is the need to attract quality development. There is little prospect of developers being able to pass on the higher cost of construction and technologies to the consumer and this will make it harder to attract good quality projects within the Borough. If forced through something else would have to give, such as affordable housing or school contributions.