Policy CR6
Supporting the circular economy and reduction of waste
- In order to help promote a more resource efficient approach and reduce the generation of waste by new developments, all major development proposals – including extensions, refurbishments and changes of use - are required to promote circular economy principles during their design and construction.
- Circular Economy Statements should be submitted with all major applications to provide details of the measures that will be implemented to ensure efficient use of resources, minimisation of waste, maximisation of recycling and re-use of materials such as construction and demolition waste and help enable buildings to be adaptable in the future to extend their use. All major developments should submit Circular Economy Statements to demonstrate:
a) how all materials arising from demolition and remediation works will be re-used and/or recycled
b) how the proposal's design and construction will reduce material demands and enable building materials, components and products to be disassembled and re-used at the end of their useful life
c) opportunities for managing as much waste as possible on site
d) adequate and easily accessible storage space and collection systems to support recycling and re-use
e) how much waste the proposal is expected to generate, and how and where the waste will be managed in accordance with the waste hierarchy
f) how performance will be monitored and reported
- Circular Economy Statements should be prepared in line with the GLA's Circular Economy Statement guidance and the GLA's reporting template spreadsheet completed and submitted alongside a detailed Statement.
- Minor development proposals are also encouraged to consider how they can support the circular economy and submit a Circular Economy Statement.
5.43 The Green Building Council[1] believes that the built environment needs to move away from the" take-make-waste" economy. For a sustainable future, a regenerative, circular economy that rewards the reuse of finite materials and resources must take its place.
5.44 In its simplest form, the circular economy prioritises the reuse of materials, preventing over extraction of natural resources and minimising the amount of usable materials that are wasted and disposed of in landfill or incinerated. Major developments in particular can through good planning, design and specification practices help use resources efficiently and minimise waste, contributing to the borough's aim of achieving net zero carbon by 2030.
5.45 The following circular economy principles should be followed:
- building in layers – ensuring that different parts of the building are accessible and can be maintained and replaced where necessary
- designing out waste – ensuring that waste reduction is planned in from project inception to completion, including consideration of standardised components, modular build and re-use of secondary products and materials
- designing for longevity
- designing for adaptability or flexibility
- designing for disassembly
- using systems, elements or materials that can be re-used and recycled.
5.46 The GLA guidance sets out a hierarchy on building approaches. As outlined in PolicyCR8 on Minimising Whole Lifecycle Carbon Emissions, there is a preference for retention of buildings and their refurbishment where this is feasible as this approach can often provide the best opportunities for reduced carbon emissions as well as waste minimisation and efficient use of resources. It is also important to note that circular economy principles and design approaches should be applied to the whole development, including external spaces, not just to the buildings themselves.
5.47 The aim should be for developments to meet the GLA targets, full details of which are set out in the GLA guidance.
Developers are also required to submit a post-construction report to demonstrate that the circular economy commitments have been implemented and targets met. The GLA's reporting template should be used to submit this information. Minor schemes are also encouraged to provide supporting information on circular economy principles.