Climate & energy

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the vision for Three Rivers as a desirable, prosperous district with sustainable settlements, a resilient economy and a high quality environment moving towards zero carbon. It lists the strategic objectives needed to deliver this, including a range of new homes with priority for rented affordable and family-sized housing, matching new jobs to new homes at a 1:1 ratio, making best use of previously developed land, and integrating infrastructure and sustainable transport. Other objectives cover heritage, climate change, biodiversity, open space, the district's rivers, good design, an ageing population, health and safeguarding the Green Belt.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the climate change and net zero chapter. It explains that renewable and low carbon energy developments are essential for tackling climate change, improving energy security and supporting sustainable economic growth. Replacing fossil fuels with cleaner energy cuts greenhouse gas emissions, reduces reliance on imported fuels, and supports innovation and jobs in emerging green industries.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy allows renewable and low carbon energy schemes, including micro-renewables such as small wind turbines, micro-hydro and solar panels, and decentralised energy like combined heat and power. Support depends on an assessment of impacts on residential and workplace amenity, visual and landscape character, air and water quality, the natural, built and historic environment, biodiversity, public access to the countryside, and the openness of the Green Belt. The council will consider both individual and cumulative impacts of such applications.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all new homes to be net zero in operation. Dwellings must achieve at least a 63% improvement on the 2021 Building Regulations target emissions rate through energy efficiency, with fabric improvements from 12% for end terraces to 24% for flats. Meeting absolute targets of 35 kWh per square metre a year total energy, and 15 for space heating, earns positive weight. Fossil fuels and gas connections are ruled out except in exceptional cases, and on-site renewables must match predicted energy use, with offset payments a last resort. Larger schemes report energy data for five years.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new non-residential buildings to be net zero for regulated energy, the energy used by fixed systems such as heating and lighting. Buildings must beat the 2021 Building Regulations emissions target by set margins: 25% for offices, 35% for schools, 45% for industrial buildings, 10% for hotels and residential institutions, and 35% for others. Absolute targets of 65 kWh per square metre a year, and 15 for space heating, are an alternative route. Fossil fuels are ruled out except in exceptional cases, on-site renewables must match energy use with offsetting a last resort, and larger buildings report energy data for five years.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all development to be designed and built to cope with a changing climate. Non-residential schemes over 1,000 square metres should achieve BREEAM Excellent certification, an independent sustainability standard, including full water efficiency credits. Buildings must follow a cooling hierarchy that favours passive measures such as orientation, shading and natural ventilation before mechanical cooling. Major residential schemes must complete a CIBSE TM59 overheating assessment and major non-residential schemes a TM52 assessment. Development must also build in resilience to extreme weather, use sustainable drainage and reduce the urban heat island effect.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy tackles embodied carbon, the emissions from making, transporting and assembling building materials. Major schemes of 10 or more homes or 1,000 square metres or more of non-residential floorspace must complete a whole-life carbon assessment using RICS guidance. Large-scale schemes of 50 or more homes or 5,000 square metres or more must limit embodied carbon to 600 kgCO2e per square metre of internal area. Buildings should be designed for easy disassembly and material reuse, major schemes involving existing buildings need pre-demolition audits, and smaller schemes must explain how they have minimised embodied carbon.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy promotes cutting carbon in existing buildings, which produce a third of the district's emissions. Development must take a retrofit-first approach, considering upgrades to an existing building before demolition, following a hierarchy of fabric improvements, then low carbon heating and renewables, then connection to a heat network. Substantial or total demolition needs a feasibility assessment showing a new building would have similar or lower whole-life carbon, deliver public benefits retrofit could not, or that retrofit is not feasible. Sensitive energy efficiency retrofits of heritage buildings are supported where their significance is preserved.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets parking rules for new development. Parking must follow the standards in Appendix 3, including zone-based reductions in areas well served by public transport. In major schemes of 10 or more homes, 20% of spaces should be unallocated, supported by a parking management plan. Parking areas must not harm road safety, a building's setting or the character of an area, and need soft landscaping and surfaces that manage rainwater. Electric vehicle charging points are required, and car clubs are supported in suitable locations.