SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENTS

Increasingly the planning process requires that a formal statement is included on how a proposed development will contribute towards local sustainability. Many local authorities now set minimum standards for performance against BREEAM and Ecohomes and may require that developer give due consideration to a wide range of measures to encourage local sustainability at an early stage of the proposed design.

We are experienced in the production of sustainability statements to accompany planning submissions for mixed use and other developments and will work with you to produce documentation which shows a clear and robust analysis of options. Our services include: -

• Analysis of targets set by planning and implications for development;
• Consideration of applicability of low and zero carbon technologies;
• Pre-assessment advice on Ecohomes and BREEAM;
• Validation of targets set by planners and commercial or other justification for adopting a lower target.

Our guidance will enable you to understand at the earliest stages what the implications of the planning requirements are on your proposed designs and provide answers which will show a robust approach to planning officers.

PFI & BID ADVICE

Demonstrating the sustainability standards have been met is increasingly an integral part of the bidding process for large public sector projects including Private Finance Initiative and Building Schools for the Future programmes.

Our input into the consortia’s bid response will enable you to differentiate your bid at every stage of the process and ensure that the sustainability aspects of the brief have been fully met. We will advise on appropriate cost effective measures and technologies to include and will assist you to address all aspects of sustainability.

CLIENT SIDE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISOR

As well as advising designers and undertaking assessments at the design stage, we can also assist clients to shape a project or procurement brief at the earliest stage.

Our practical experience of assessing and advising designers means we can also take an impartial role in shaping the clients approach to sustainability from the earliest stage of a projects inception. We can help to deliver sustainability at the core of a new project by embedding clear well informed targets and requirements within the particular procurement methodology being utilised.

As part of our client side advisor consultancy we can undertake the following tasks:

• Settings the overall priorities and brief for sustainability;
• Validating detailed targets and setting the minimum standards to be achieved by all bidders;
• Recommending suitable design standards to be complied with;
• Defining the outputs required from consortia throughout the bid and construction programme.
• Setting a framework for monitoring and reporting performance;
• Assessing technical quality of bidder’s responses to the brief.