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Iain Cram
Director, Architect – Perth Office
Recent changes in legislation and policy, coming
from Westminster and the Scottish Executive are
set to radically change the pace of
implementation of microgeneration and small
scale renewable energy installations. Even on
relatively small projects, developers will soon
have to incorporate on-site zero and low-carbon
equipment, to generate a significant proportion
of a building’s energy needs.
These changes date back to the publication in
2004 of PP522 ‘Planning Guidance on Renewable
Energy’ by the government in England and Wales.
This guidance was embraced by the London Borough
of Merton in its development plan, which
required the use of on-site renewable energy to
reduce annual CO2 emissions for all new major
developments by 10%. Now known as the Merton
Rule, this approach is slowly spreading
throughout England, but is set to receive a
boost with the introduction of the “Planning and
Energy Bill” which is currently making its
progress through the Commons.
In March 2007 a variation on the Merton Rule
came to Scotland with the introduction of SPP6,
the ‘Scottish Planning Policy for Renewable
Energy’.
Within this document was a call to all Scottish
Local Authorities to set out local policies on
the provision of low carbon and renewable
sources of energy in new developments. Typically
however, Local Authorities were slow to
consider, far less, adopt such policies.
This will inevitably have consequences for house
prices, development land values, the demand for
grant assistance and the availability of
suitably experienced suppliers.
By the end of 2007 the Sullivan Report had been
published, or “A Low Carbon Building Standards
Strategy for Scotland” to give it its full
title. Commissioned and funded by the Scottish
Executive, it places all its emphasis on making
buildings more efficient in their use of energy
and recommends that “the requirement for on-site
low and zero carbon equipment should be reviewed
and probably removed from SPP6 as the very low
carbon standards are introduced in 2013.
Undeterred by its own advice, the Scottish
Government produced Planning Advice Note PAN84
‘Reducing Carbon Emissions in New Development”
in March 2008. This will effectively give SPP6
the status of a material consideration in any
forthcoming planning application, regardless of
the content of the relevant Local Plan for the
area. One paragraph from SPP6 is repeatedly
quoted in the new PAN, as follows:
“all future applications proposing development
with a cumulative floor space of |
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500m² or more
should incorporate on-site zero and low carbon
equipment contributing at least an extra 15%
reduction in CO2 emissions beyond the 2007
Building Regulations carbon dioxide emissions
standard.”
The Sullivan report points out some of the
weaknesses in this strategy, preferring to
achieve the same reduction or greater by
reducing the CO2 generated in buildings. On-site
energy generation will have significant impact
on the cost of development with a significant
consequential effect on development land values,
with a lesser effect on house prices.
Implementation of this policy across the whole
country, at one time will place huge strains
upon an emerging industry, already struggling
with a lack of suitably trained or experienced
labour.
Our predictions for the short and long term of
development projects in Scotland are therefore
as follows:
Short Term
Slight increase in new-build house prices,
constrained and masked by the downward pressure
of the ‘credit crunch’.
Downward pressure on development land values,
especially where microgeneration solutions are
limited.
Developers will concentrate attention on sites
with existing consents in the hope that the 2010
Building Standards will offer alternative means
of compliance.
Rural development sites may become more
attractive where solutions such as biomass
heating are less contravcial.
The various micro-renewable industries will
struggle to expand to meet demand from
commercial developers.
Long Term
Micro-renewables will become part of
mainstream development practice.
Community and district heating systems will
become more common in publicly funded
development and eventually spread into private
development.
Increased investment in renewable technology
will eventually produce reductions in the
capital cost.
As new building stock improves, greater
emphasis will be placed on tackling the energy
use of existing and historic buildings.
The construction industry like any other,
constantly has to react to changes in the
regulatory framework that surrounds it.
Occasionally though changes come along which
challenge normal working practices and force the
adoption of new or unfamiliar technology. These
changes, particularly when combined with the
changes in the 2010 Building Regulations, could
impact upon everything from housing densities
and the location of development to the
appearance of the architecture that surrounds
us.
You can read more on PAN 84 in Joe Fergusson’s
article on page 6 |
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