Southend Central Area Action Plan

No. Carbon emissions need to be tackled on a wide front including new construction, retrofitting existing areas, CO2 from transport, Borough-wide scale energy strategies and facilitation of community and micro-scale infrastructure. Planning policies should reflect the proper assessment of the potential for CO2 reductions and the Core Strategy, D&TG and Building Regs. are presently only looking at limited aspects of the wider picture.

The Government has confirmed that it is to retain the target of Zero Carbon housing by 2016 and Zero Carbon commercial development possibly by 2020. Many LA's have taken the opportunity to make a carbon reduction contribution through planning policy that exceeds the Building Regs, ahead of the stepped increase in carbon saving requirements that leads to zero carbon.

A higher, borough-wide, on-site, renewable energy generation requirement is therefore justifiable.

However, balanced against this is the need to attract quality development. There is little prospect of developers being able to pass on the higher cost of construction and technologies to the consumer and this will make it harder to attract good quality projects within the Borough. If forced through something else would have to give, such as affordable housing or school contributions.

Yes, as those within the Core Strategy will need refreshing.

RSL do not believe the Central Area should be singled out for 'extra policies'. SPD should be capable of taking account site context so that applicability of policies will be a product of context, scale and intensity.

Agree. Refurbishment in these cases is good recycling but only if other planning objectives are not compromised.

Given that much of Southend's architectural heritage has been lost since the 1960s, RSL supports this principle. Retaining quality and characterful existing buildings will support Southend's distinctiveness, referenced as important under 3.9. RSL are aware of the current Urban Characterisation work being undertaken by Urban Practitioners on behalf of the Council, and we assume that this work will guide the identification of buildings which make a 'positive contribution'.

No. The Building Regs will deliver zero carbon and the Code for Sustainable Homes is a more holistic measure of sustainable development than PassivHaus. Moreover, there is no logic in just concentrating on homes.

In reality, the construction industry is not geared up to deliver air-tight buildings and will concentrate (if it has to) on meeting the demands of the Building Regs.

As above, although justifiable it may be unnecessarily ambitious leading up to 2016 and beyond to make development conditions in Southend even harder than they are at present.

Being delivered by Building Regs. and Water Regs.

As above, but Borough-wide SPD would be useful and many councils have adopted this approach.

As above, and allocations of sites for RE infrastructure need to follow the assessment of the strategic opportunities. Energy from Waste, CHP from renewable and fossil fuels, private wire and local ESC0's would be part of the mix.

As above; need to know the potential before a policy can emerge. Most of the investment required for these systems is in the main distribution network rather than what happens on site.