Currents

An Energy Newsletter for Local Governments

Sustainable Construction – Building A Better Bristol

By Martin Fodor, Bristol’s Sustainable City Team

All building and construction work has an impact on the community, the economy, and the environment. There is now a detailed local Guide for construction published by Bristol City Council to assist builders and developers to reduce the undesirable impacts of development and construction, and to maximize the contribution that each new development can make to more sustainable development in the City.

The 'Bristol Sustainable Development Guide for Construction' is an innovative guide to all aspects of building and construction designed to assist developers to take better account of their impacts on the quality of life in the City. The Guide is linked to a new land use planning policy that asks large-scale builders and developers to submit a voluntary 'Sustainable Development Profile' with their planning application. Small builders (e.g, a house) are offered basic advice. The Profile asks developers to answer a set of questions linked to various themes and objectives that can help them explain how they will tackle issues that are best not left to a late stage of the planning or construction process, and anticipate how to deal with them. These include:

1. how their project will affect the neighborhood and social issues, like promoting better consultation before development with users and neighbors;
2. how to promote better economic benefits and employment and training opportunities locally from the construction project, and encourage use of the local supply chain to share the benefits of the development locally; and
3. how to deal with the environmental impacts of the development and promote healthier, more comfortable buildings without unnecessary energy waste or air conditioning, and encourage the use of responsible timber and fewer toxic materials.

More complex issues are highlighted - climate change, transport options and promoting mixed types of development in one area.

The Guide also promotes better management of the building site to reduce nuisance and good management of what is built so that the building is kept in good repair as well. It has background on policies from Europe, national, regional and local issues, as well as detailed case studies of local buildings that set a good example in various ways.

The Guide is freely available and downloadable from the council web site (in the sustainable development section of http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/ ).

The Guide will be distributed with planning application forms, including the Sustainable Development Profile, for large developments, or available with the basic advice offered to small builders. It has been developed by the Sustainable City Team with input from many stakeholders inside and outside the council and is part of a much wider approach to promoting sustainable construction with major new city developments and with council construction projects.

Further information is available from Martin Fodor and Celia Beeson in the Sustainable City Team, CREATE Centre, Smeaton Road, Bristol, England BS1 6XN.