a) Zina Zelter asks the following question on behalf of Climate Friendly Homes for All, Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire's working group on Housing:
“We are aware that work will be starting quite soon on the Waterside development and that a lot of new homes will be built as a part of this development.
As the Goldsmith passivehaus development in Norwich shows, highly energy efficient housing which will be resilient to climate change in the coming decades does not have to be very expensive (the Goldsmith development as verified by Norwich council has come in at only 5 to10% more expensive than standard build), nor does it need to take up any more space than normal build (the Goldsmith development has been developed in the style of terraced housing and is very space efficient while also giving residents high levels of both privacy and easier opportunities to connect with their neighbours). They will also be far more affordable for residents with bills between 70 to 90% lower.
Could you please tell us what plans the council has around requiring energy efficiency by design and locally based renewable energy generation (eg on-building solar; heat pumps driven by renewable electricity) for the new buildings in the Waterside development? Specifically what energy efficiency standards and levels of local renewable energy generation is Leicester council working towards on this development, and how possible will it be for people to live in these homes in 30 years times when much higher temperatures and more extreme weather events are far more common without expensive remedial work on the buildings, given that according to the Prometheus study by Exeter University, almost all buildings built and being built at today's standards will be subject to overheating by 2035?”
b) Zina Zelter asks the following question on behalf of Climate Friendly Homes for All, Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire's working group on Housing:
“Please could you tell us what it is about passivehaus design
which reduces the numbers of homes you can build, given that it
doesn't require special orientation and has pretty much the same
spacial footprint as standard build houses, as shown by the recent
award winning Goldsmith development in Norwich?”
c) The Monitoring Officer to report on any further Questions, Representations and Statements of Case received in accordance with Council procedures.
Minutes:
a) Question on behalf of Climate Friendly Homes for All, Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire's working group on Housing
Zina Zelter asked the following question:
“We are aware that work will be starting quite soon on the Waterside development and that a lot of new homes will be built as a part of this development.
As the Goldsmith passivehaus development in Norwich shows, highly energy efficient housing which will be resilient to climate change in the coming decades does not have to be very expensive (the Goldsmith development as verified by Norwich council has come in at only 5 to10% more expensive than standard build), nor does it need to take up any more space than normal build (the Goldsmith development has been developed in the style of terraced housing and is very space efficient while also giving residents high levels of both privacy and easier opportunities to connect with their neighbours). They will also be far more affordable for residents with bills between 70 to 90% lower.
Could you please tell us what plans the council has around requiring energy efficiency by design and locally based renewable energy generation (eg on-building solar; heat pumps driven by renewable electricity) for the new buildings in the Waterside development? Specifically what energy efficiency standards and levels of local renewable energy generation is Leicester council working towards on this development, and how possible will it be for people to live in these homes in 30 years times when much higher temperatures and more extreme weather events are far more common without expensive remedial work on the buildings, given that according to the Prometheus study by Exeter University, almost all buildings built and being built at today's standards will be subject to overheating by 2035?”
The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation advised Ms Zelter that he had discussed this with colleagues from Housing and other services across the authority, as the debate about energy efficiency and low energy living was part of the Council’s Climate Emergency Conversation and also was an aspect of the developing Local Plan, (consultation on which would start in March 2020).
Waterside was a large and complex scheme, of which energy efficiency was one aspect. Its location near the city centre had created an opportunity to build-in opportunities to encourage sustainable ways of living, including walking and cycling links to the city, which would will impact positively on climate and air quality challenges.
In terms of energy efficiency and generation at Waterside, the aim was to require the highest standards practicable. Recent high-density developments at Vaughan Way/Highcross Street, (one being residential and one being hotel, office and leisure uses), incorporated high standards of insulation and air tightness, rooftop PV arrays, air source heat pumps and heat recovery systems, along with the ability to connect to the district heating system when available.
The phase 1 Keepmoat scheme was more complicated and involved significant additional costs to bring about its development. Consideration had to be given to the viability of the site and substantial grant funding needed to be secured. In terms of sustainability, Sustainable Urban Drainage systems would be included on the site, resulting in improved water quality in the river and Canal and reduced flood risk within and downstream of the site.
Discussion was ongoing on how policies from this Council’s new Climate Emergency Plan and Local Plan could support this agenda. A number of different standards had been applied nationally and a review of policy options was underway, including standards such as Passivhaus.
It was intended that the Local Plan would be as clear and prescriptive as possible within the limits of national planning policy guidance, and the Council would be pushing for the most challenging standards to be adopted. However, it was recognised that some flexibility needed to be retained. For example, “viability” for complex and expensive schemes could be different to that for other schemes. In addition, some systems, such as Passivhaus, were challenging to install correctly. For example, for Passivhaus it was often difficult to get a building airtight and it was understood that some developments had experienced issues. The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation stressed that the standards in the Local Plan would relate to all relevant development, including that undertaken by the Council.
It was recognised that currently there was a shortage of people with the skills required to build to Passivhaus standards, but it was hoped that those with the skills would share them with others in the construction industry, so that training schemes could emerge over time.
b) Question on behalf of Climate Friendly Homes for All, Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire's working group on Housing
Zina Zelter asked the following question:
“Please could you tell us what it is about passivehaus design at Saffron Acres which reduces the numbers of homes you can build, given that it doesn't require special orientation and has pretty much the same spacial footprint as standard build houses, as shown by the recent award winning Goldsmith development in Norwich?”
The Director of Planning, Development and Transportation explained that the scheme at Saffron Acres cost approximately £20-30,000 per unit more to build than conventional housing units would have cost, which raised questions about the viability of such schemes.
The orientation of properties to benefit from passive solar gain could have an impact on the numbers of properties that could be developed in a given area. For example, in a row of terraced houses at Saffron Acres, each one was stepped back to maximise passive solar gain, meaning that fewer properties could be built. The developers of the Saffron Acres site specifically wanted the development to be south-facing, as solar gain was an aim of the development.
The following issues were noted during discussion on this:
· How easy would it be to add properties to the district heating network?;
· The cost of properties built using Passivhaus principles could be a deterrent;
· Some people could be reluctant to move in to properties that did not have conventional heating systems. Low take-up could lead to the construction industry not seeing new alternatives as viable options;
· Consideration could be given to how the development of the new ideas and skills needed would impact on economic development; and
· The Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment advised that funding recently had been secured from the Construction Industry Training Board for the development of new skills needed as a result of the developments at Ashton Green and Glen Parva.
AGREED:
That the Director of Planning, Development and Transportation be asked to submit a report to this Commission at an appropriate time on how the issues raised during discussion on the questions recorded above will be addressed through the Climate Emergency Plan and Local Plan.