Agenda item

The Director of Estates and Building Services will give a presentation outlining the environmental impacts of construction projects and the standards achieved by recent council projects.

The Director of Estates and Building Services gave a presentation outlining

the environmental impacts of construction projects and the standards achieved

by recent council projects.

In addition to the information on the slides as attached with the agenda, other key points to note were as follows:

·       The solar panels at St Margaet’s Bus Station were expected to generate more electricity than the building needed.  It was also a good example of making use of an existing building to cut down on emissions.

·       Dock 3-5 were built to high environmental specifications.  They were well insulated, had Photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof, had heat pumps and were also expected to generate more electricity than they used.  This was measured through the Energy Performance Certificate.

·       Having ‘Green Features’ could help in the marketing of units.  For example, one company moving into Dock had chosen it partly due to having criteria for their accommodation to meet high environmental specifications.

·       New Council housing had high environmental specifications, including air source heat pumps, and additional benefits, including cheaper bills for tenants, were emphasised.

·       In terms of the carbon impact of construction materials, buildings were re-used where possible.  Canopy was an example of this, prior to the upgrade, the Energy Performance Rating had been D, following the upgrade it was now expected to reach B, which was close to that of a new-build.

·       Stocking Farm had incorporated all energy efficiency and low carbon measures.  Calculations were being trialled on how to keep carbon emissions low.

·       Existing buildings were being retrofitted, including with solar panels.

The Chair invited the committee to raise questions and comments. Key points to note were as follows:

·       There was a system in place for monitoring operational buildings.  Figures were gathered each year, and a carbon footprint was calculated.  Buildings were looked at in terms of how well they were performing or otherwise, and detail was looked at with regards to how new buildings were performing against what was expected of them.  In these cases, minor adjustments were often needed following the initial build, such as with heating, and this could optimise efficiency.

·       Buildings were not checked at set dates, checks were ongoing through the annual process of collecting figures.  If the building was found not to be performing as expected, then a review would be undertaken at that point to consider how the building could be further improved or the systems optimised.  An example of this were tweaks made on the way systems worked in Dock.  A company had been consulted that fitted the systems and had provided extra training, ensuring staff in buildings knew how to operate systems.

·       Ratings were always being looked to be increased, for example in the Sports Estate, the ‘Clean and Green’ initiative had been launched with a view to upgrade.  Additionally, more energy efficiency was sought for key buildings such as City Hall, and schools were being worked on too.

·       More was being done in terms of trying to reduce the ‘embodied carbon’ of construction materials, however, as with other local authorities and the wider construction sector, this had been slower to take off than reducing the ‘operational’ emissions.  The focus had been primarily on the operation of buildings; therefore, more was now being done to try and reduce the carbon footprint of the materials.  Stocking Farm was an example due to the way that calculations had been done on the embodied carbon from materials, however, there were limitations in terms of low-carbon products available, for example, low-carbon concrete was available, but in limited quantities.

·       Timber frame could be a good solution and had been used for structures such as the Food Hall at Leicester Market, however, it was not always a preferred material due to technical issues.

·       The Planning system has a role in ensuring that all developments meet certain standards for energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions. Currently the Local Planning Authority applied the Core Strategy Policy CS02 on Climate Change when assessing Planning Applications, however, the Council’s exemplar standard also went above current policy and legal requirements.  For Planning Applications for major development an energy statement was needed, setting out how the proposed development will save energy and cut carbon emissions.  Building regulations were now more stringent and would become more stringent still in the Future Homes Standard and Future Buildings Standard.

·       In terms of controlling environmental damage from construction, on site there were environmental protection rules in place such as the prevention of dust escaping and ensuring that no liquid pollution entered rivers.

·       In terms of changes in technology and futureproofing, solar panels were now permitted in development unless there were specific circumstances.  More use of heat pumps was being considered, and as such it was ensured that radiators and pipework were installed in such a way that gas boilers could be swapped out for heat pumps in the future, without having to replace all the radiators and pipework.  Changes in technology were difficult to predict.

·       Issues surrounding district heating would be looked into.

AGREED:

1)       That the report be noted.

2)       That comments made by members of this commission be taken into account by the lead officers.