City Science worked in partnership with LDA Design to provide net zero consultancy advice supporting the delivery of a potential large mixed use community development site (3,500 homes) at Wealdcross in Horsham District Council, including site representation in the emerging Local Plan.
Scope
Thakeham Group have a corporate target to ensure that every home constructed by 2025 will be net zero carbon across its lifetime operation and during its construction. Working in partnership with LDA Design, Thakeham Group commissioned City Science to provide net zero advisory services to support a proposed mixed-use development site at Wealdcross. This included supporting its representation within the emerging Horsham Local Plan and, if allocated, as part of a future planning application.
City Science Response
Drawing upon a comprehensive literature review and best practice (such as our own RTPI Net Zero and Nature Recovery Design Codes), we provided advice in relation to the definition of achieving ‘net zero’ status for the site. This considered the relative merits of whether the site would conform to BS EN:19578:2011 standards (through a Whole Life Carbon Assessment) or more stringent standards (such as an Activity Based Carbon Assessment, including emissions from transport use during site operation).
We provided input into the site concept masterplan, including the on-site energy strategy (such as PV solar panel feasibility), building locations (including consideration of overshadowing) and measures to reduce embodied carbon (such as material selection and rationalisation). We provided input to the wider conceptual transport and spatial land use planning of the site, drawing on the principles of avoid, shift and improve identified in our RTPI Net Zero Transport Report.
We also provided wider advice in relation to the potential for carbon offsetting, such as whether this could be provided on-site as part of the proposed 20% biodiversity net gain.
