Issue - items at meetings - Sustainable Building Design Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

Report of the Director of Environment (copy attached).

RESOLVED – That having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Cabinet Member accepted the following recommendations:

(1)  That the results of the public consultation exercise, as detailed in Appendix 1, be noted and the changes made to the draft Sustainable Building Design SPD be endorsed.

(2)  That the Sustainable Building Design SPD be adopted as part of the Local Development Framework, subject to any minor grammatical and non-material text and illustration alterations agreed by the Director of Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment.

(3)  That this SPD would be implemented on 1 July 2008 and would then supersede existing Supplementary Guidance Notes 16 (Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy) and 21 (Sustainability Checklist).

(4)  That the new Brighton & Hove Sustainability Checklist be adopted as part of the Sustainable Building Design SPD, subject to any minor non-material alterations agreed by the Director of Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment.

15.1       The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Environment concerning changes made to the Sustainable Building Design SPD as a result of consultation undertaken and in response to new Government guidance (for copy see minute book).

15.2       The Cabinet Member stated that he was pleased to introduce this report which represented the final stages for the Council in providing a supplementary planning document that set out standards for sustainable building design across the city. The document had now been through a statutory period of consultation and changes had been made to the earlier draft version as a result of the many comments received from groups, organisations and individuals. The document would be an essential means of ensuring that future development in the city helped to reduce carbon emissions and make better use of resources.

15.3       Councillor Mitchell stated that the Sustainable Building Design SPD was an excellent document that Members had commented on and added to, and that consultation had also been undertaken. Councillor Mitchell commented on the fact that most respondents had felt that the recommendation for at least 20% of carbon savings from onsite low and zero carbon technologies would be unworkable, and that this recommendation had now been removed. Councillor Mitchell added that she felt that the report seemed to place a lot of hope in the Sustainability Checklist and she hoped the document could become more prescriptive in the future.

15.4       Councillor Steedman welcomed the report, but was disappointed to note that requirements had now been reduced to recommendations and asked whether they would become requirements under the Core Strategy?

15.5       The Cabinet Member responded that this was an issue for a future debate on the Core Strategy.

15.6       RESOLVED – That having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Cabinet Member accepted the following recommendations:

(1)       That the results of the public consultation exercise, as detailed in Appendix 1, be noted and the changes made to the draft Sustainable Building Design SPD be endorsed.

(2)       That the Sustainable Building Design SPD be adopted as part of the Local Development Framework, subject to any minor grammatical and non-material text and illustration alterations agreed by the Director of Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment.

(3)       That this SPD would be implemented on 1 July 2008 and would then supersede existing Supplementary Guidance Notes 16 (Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy) and 21 (Sustainability Checklist).

(4)       That the new Brighton & Hove Sustainability Checklist be adopted as part of the Sustainable Building Design SPD, subject to any minor non-material alterations agreed by the Director of Environment in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment.