Policy CR5
Minimising whole lifecycle carbon emissions
a) As well as minimising operational carbon emissions as required by Policy CR2, other carbon emissions associated with development also need to be managed to help reduce the total carbon footprint of new buildings.
b) Therefore, all major development proposals are required to assess their whole lifecycle carbon emissions and provide details on the proposed carbon reduction measures and the performance of the development as measured against the GLA's whole lifecycle carbon emissions targets.
c) Whole life-cycle carbon emissions should be calculated in line with the GLA's Whole Lifecycle Carbon Assessment guidance and the GLA's reporting template spreadsheet completed and submitted alongside a detailed Whole Lifecycle Carbon statement.
d) Minor development proposals are also encouraged to consider their carbon footprints and submit a Whole Lifecycle Carbon Assessment.
5.36 Buildings are responsible for carbon emissions not just during their operational use, but also during their construction and eventual demolition and disposal at the end of their useful lifetime. Planning policies have been successful in ensuring that major developments are designed to reduce their carbon emissions during their operation such that they are now required to be net zero carbon. However, these requirements have only covered those emissions associated with energy use regulated by Building Regulations e.g. for providing heating, hot water, lighting etc, excluding unregulated emissions from energy used by electrical appliances and other "plug in" devices in sue in every building.
5.37 This means that a significant proportion of a building's carbon footprint has not normally been subject to assessment and a need to be minimised. In order to help achieve the borough's aim of achieving net zero carbon by 2030, major developments are required to calculate their whole lifecycle carbon emissions and fully assess their unregulated emissions, embodied emissions associated with building construction work including extraction of raw materials and the manufacture and transport of building materials to site and the construction phase itself, as well as carbon emissions associated with maintenance of the building and also its demolition / deconstruction and disposal at the end of its lifetime.
5.38 As set out in the GLA guidance, developers should identify priority areas for the Assessment, looking for opportunities and likely constraints in reducing carbon emissions.
5.39 Some of the principles that will need to be covered include considering the option of reusing and retrofitting existing buildings, using repurposed or recycled materials and other materials with low embodied carbon, designing for disassembly and re-use rather than demolition and disposal, minimising energy use through efficient building form and a "fabric first" design approach as well as designing buildings for adaptability and flexibility of use.
5.40 The aim should be for developments to meet the GLA benchmarks, including the more stringent aspirational benchmarks where this is possible. Full details of the benchmarks are provided in the GLA guidance.
5.41 Major developments will be required to submit a detailed Whole Lifecycle Carbon Assessment with their applications and there will also be a requirement to submit post-construction assessments to demonstrate that the carbon reduction commitments have been implemented and targets met. The GLA's reporting template should be used to submit this information.
5.42 Minor schemes are also encouraged to provide supporting information on whole lifecycle carbon assessments.