Policy DM6: Sustainable Design and Construction

Higher standards for building codes were proposed years ago, but then dumped, as governments do.
Surely, if you accept we have a climate emergency then houses should be built to the highest environmental standard.
Properly built houses need little or no heating, have solar panels, heat pumps and grey water systems, but do not cost that much more to build.
The retail price of a house has only a little connection with the cost of construction.

Support.

There is a need to seriously consider people’s representations and they need to genuinely influence any decisions by Medway Council and not just pay lip service. All of my previous comments contribute to this section. Clearly any new development must consider its impact on roads, health infrastructure, transport, air quality, water services, refuse collection etc. Sustainability is the key and protection of and creation of new outdoor green spaces. Also new developments need to have a community hall or place where the local community can meet for social events especially outlying areas with poor transport connections

Cycle and walking routes ideally need to be away from traffic, not adjacent too. Footpaths need to be accessible to all footpath users and not blocked by inconsiderate parking. Routes should be litter free as this is a negative for the benefits of well being if walking and cycling.
Water resources/efficiency measures should not just be on new builds but encouraged across all homes, and measures to reduce hardstanding run off through capture or alternative permeable coverage encouraged.

Can developers be forced to construct buildings that have heat pumps and/or solar panels by default? We all know about the climate emergency, yet to build properties that don't take efficiency and green self-generated energy into account seems short-sighted.

We support the inclusion of the Building Regulations optional standard for water efficiency in policy DM6 of the plan. However, targeting a more efficient standard makes sense at design stage in order to ensure that actual use remains efficient throughout the lifetime of the development. We therefore suggest the following changes for your consideration, explaining our reasoning below:
Requested DM6 changes:
All new dwellings must be designed to achieve the Optional Technical Housing Standard for water efficiency described in Building Regulation G2. Design must also consider potential for future tightening of this standard by targeting use at no more than 100 litres per person per day.
Further explanation and justification:
We support the inclusion of the Building Regulations optional standard for water efficiency in this policy. However, although current Building Regulations indicate this is appropriate to the ‘serious water stress’1 status of the South East, the Government plans to tighten2 this Building Regulations standard. High standards of water efficiency in new developments also equate to greater long-term sustainability, future-proofing our communities to the impacts of climate change. We would therefore ideally like to see tighter water efficiency targets in the design of new homes. This is in line with Southern Water’s ‘Save a Little Water’ programme to consume no more than 100 litres per person per day across our region.
1 Water_stressed_areas___final_classification_2021.odt (live.com)
2 https://database.waterwise.org.uk/knowledge-base/building-regulations-water-efficiency-review/
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ambitious-roadmap-for-a-cleaner-greener-country
The South East region incorporates many environmentally sensitive areas and is classified as an area of ‘serious water stress’. Significant challenges and environmental improvements need to be addressed, while at the same time enabling some of the highest rates of growth in the country. This together with the increasing impacts of climate change expected over time mean we need to significantly reduce our water use.
Tackling water scarcity requires a multi-faceted approach and there is an opportunity for the planning system to play a part by ensuring policy requires new development meet the highest standards of water efficiency possible at the time.

As per previous answer.

Students at Medway welcome embedding sustainability guidance into construction of new developments.
We would encourage further and more stringent guidelines here to ensure all design submissions must be carbon neutral and provide basic criteria for the reduction of energy i.e. solar power and insultation.

There's nothing sustainable about any of this development, it will cause pollution no matter what way you slice it

Agree

See the Grenfell Report.

agree

The proposed development in Allhallows does not adequately address the climate emergency and could exacerbate existing environmental issues, contradicting Medway’s Climate Action Plan and Corporate Strategy. The plan fails to consider the whole life cycle of buildings and their impact on the climate. Additionally, the proposal overlooks the need for facilitating working from home, as Allhallows already suffers from poor broadband and internet services. Increasing the population will only strain these resources further, worsening connectivity and impacting residents’ ability to work remotely effectively. The development should address these concerns to align with climate and connectivity goals.

Offsite construction can work but it must be assembled on site by those who designed and assembled it in the factory. Gas fuel should be gradually phased out. Oil should only be used in designated rural areas.

Most new builds do not allow the drying of washing outside on a clothes line, opting instead for a tumble dryer. How can this be more energy efficient? How many people are so offended by drying washing on a line that they would jeopardise sustainability, climate and carbon footprint for it?
How often with new builds do councils make sure all building materials are locally sourced, what checks are in place?
Houses should facilitate working from home by providing a separate office space not just broadband otherwise there is no life-work balance affecting mental health.

Fully agree

There is no climate emergency and I do not think it practical to inflict net zero carbon hypotheses onto developers, it just makes dwellings more expensive to the end client and housing is already very expensive in the UK.