Planning for Homes, Nature, and Climate
On the 11th of September OnePlanet and Urbanist on a Mission came together with a range of stakeholders across the built environment to discuss the planning system. Although planning is currently emphasised in the news as a tool to “build, build, build”, our session dived into the other interconnected issues that the system must address.
This included a case study, sharing an example of a self-build Passivhaus in Haringey that aimed to promote healthy living, good design, reduced environmental impact and efficient use of land. In a refreshingly collaborative discussion, we had both the applicant and the planning officer discussing the issues around delivering small scale sustainable projects.
The Haringey planning officer, Matt, noted that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), London Plan and the Local Plan all highlight the benefit of small site developments. However, the reality of delivery can be quite difficult, expressing a lack of flexibility and practical information to make case-specific or commercially-sensitive allowances; as well as a common need to prioritise other matters, such as conservation.
Andrew, the applicant, who was aiming to build a low-carbon home, outlined how although he could show how the proposal complied with the local development framework, aligned with wider ambitions to reach net zero and met a local need for down-sizing housing choice, he was required to make three changes with major adverse carbon impacts in order to ultimately obtain planning permission. This included:
- Re-designing the house from a two-storey building, to a single-storey with a basement.
- Replacing timber cladding with ‘brick-slips’.
- Reducing PV panels to include a green roof.
Taking the first issue and comparing this to some key NPPF, London and local requirements via OnePlanet we can immediately see that:
- Although this has a positive impact on protecting historic heritage (solid line), it has a negative or very negative (dashed lines) on both the carbon impact and deliverability (as it increased the cost significantly).
- Conversely, while the two-storey solution may have a neutral or negative impact, depending on your view, it has an overall positive impact on carbon, adaptation and deliverability.
Planning is a highly challenging and emotive process, with the majority of groups during the session noting that opposition to new development was a key perceived barrier to delivery. OnePlanet can help bridge this challenge in a number of ways:
- Alignment – providing clarity and guidance on national, regional and local planning requirements.
- Collaboration – providing a forum for applicants and officers to optimise the solution for conflicting goals.
- Transparency – allowing the community to see why decisions were taken, the compromises that need to be made and the local benefits the project will bring.
MRTPI MSc, Mahsa Ige
If you’d like to see more, catch up with the session below!