Local planning application requirement (draft, proposed)
An Embodied Carbon Assessment (ECA) measures how many greenhouse gases are released through the supply chain of a development, from construction to its life cycle of use.
This includes:
- material extraction
- transport
- refining
- processing
- projected use
- end-of-life
Rationale
In our Local Plan Partial Update (Jan 2023), we adopted Policy SCR8 (Embodied Carbon), which requires a fuller understanding of the carbon impact of new developments, from inception to end-of-life. The Embodied Carbon Assessment will be necessary to monitor the compliance of new developments with this policy. Introducing this new local planning application requirement should lead to more efficient assessment of applications, and better-informed decision making on development proposals.
This proposed new local planning application requirement will help us to understand and reduce the carbon footprint of developments in the longer term.
When this requirement will apply
We will require an Embodied Carbon Assessment for proposed large scale new-build developments (meaning those with a minimum of 50 dwellings or a minimum of 5000m2 of commercial floor space).
What this assessment should include
- Details of the materials, production, demolition and disposal involved in the construction of a building
- Details of materials used in the substructure, superstructure and finishes of the proposed development
- In accordance with the Sustainable Construction Checklist SPD (January 2023), the Embodied Carbon Assessment should demonstrate that a carbon emissions score of less than 900kgCO2e/m2 can be achieved within the development for the substructure, superstructure and finishes