Exeter & East Devon Growth Point
Room 88, East Devon District Council
Knowle, Sidmouth
Devon, EX10 8HL
Tel: 01395 571744
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"Sustainability" a buzz word used to describe any major development or green project which can be said to have green credentials. But at Exeter and East Devon Growth Point sustainability is at the very heart of everything we do and describes the essence of what makes our vision different.
Sustainable growth in Exeter and East Devon is about building a complete package for economic growth, creating places that will stand the test of time and shaping new communities where people will want to live and work for generations to come.
We are committed to building homes together with job opportunities, to providing community and social infrastructure such as, sports and leisure facilities that will help the formation of the new community from day one.
Built into this vision will be parks, open spaces, public transport links, and all our developments will aim to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Government's zero carbon targets.
In short our aim is to create a total package with all the necessary ingredients to develop growth in a way that is truly sustainable on every level.
Government Targets
The Government has set some tough targets for the reduction of carbon emissions from new buildings.
The Code for Sustainable Homes is the new national policy which sets out the requirements for the reduction in of CO2 emissions and measures the sustainability of a new homes against nine categories. The Code uses a one to six star rating system to communicate the overall sustainability performance of a new home; six is carbon neutral.
For non residential buildings it is equally as important to design the buildings to a high standard, creating buildings that are sustainable with a locally distinctive design, good layout, and with a range of high quality open spaces and street types.
BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) which is the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the de facto measure used to describe a building's environmental performance.
BREEAM assesses buildings against a set criteria and provides an overall score which will fall within a band providing either a; PASS, GOOD, VERY GOOD, EXCELLENT or OUTSTANDING rating.
To achieve these targets Exeter and East Devon Growth Point commissioned Element Energy to undertake an analysis of CO2 emissions in the Growth Point up to 2020.
The study concluded that each development would need to assess their energy provisions individually, but for larger sites a District Heating scheme would be the most cost effective way to achieve a higher code for sustainability: a district heating scheme is a locally situated combined heat and power plant providing lower energy bills and constant hot water, fuelled by locally sourced wood fuel.
These rating and codes for sustainable homes, have informed the Exeter and East Devon Growth Point Strategy.
Sustainability Strategy
The sustainability strategy for the Growth Point contains several key commitments:
These include designing and building all dwellings to the Government's "Code for Sustainable Homes" Level 4 and above and for non residential developments to the at least BREEAM rating "Very Good".
These ratings signify a commitment to the use of renewable energy, waste and recycling provisions and providing a hierarchy of travel options from walking, cycling and public transport before the private car.
Our targets include:
Producing 16.7% of the new community's energy from renewable sources
Producing 10% of non residential development's energy from renewable sources
Through pooled resources and partnership working we are able to offer a holistic approach to our sustainability strategy to ensure a coordinated approach to growth across the whole growth area.