Policy information sourced from the The Dartford Plan

Policy S3: Climate Change Strategy

Development will be well located, and innovatively designed and constructed, to mitigate and adapt to the efects of climate change. Development in the Borough should contribute to minimising carbon emissions from properties and processes, and reducing the need for unsustainable travel, avoiding vulnerability and increasing resilience to the efects of climate change by a package of bespoke measures integrated within development at an early stage of design and planning, including the measures set out in criteria 2-7.

The use of sustainable and active travel modes will be embedded into developments; designing for walking/ cycling (particularly at locations which beneft the Green Grid), public transport and low carbon motorised personal transport (including for future electric vehicle charging points/ cabling needs). This should be designed to be adaptable to allow for future changes to technology and transport methods.

Green and Blue Infrastructure

Existing green spaces, habitats, and tree coverage will be protected and enhanced, and new provision will be made, to absorb carbon dioxide, support biodiversity and reduce surface water runof. The biodiversity mitigation hierarchy (avoid, reduce, mitigate, compensate) will apply, with the priority being to protect, enhance and integrate existing features of biodiversity interest. Achieving biodiversity net gain will play an important part in delivering this strategy.

Flood Risk Management

Development will be sequentially located in areas at lower risk of fooding, from any source unless the development demonstrably provides specifc wider sustainability benefts and will be safe for its lifetime. Planned development in food risk areas will fully mitigate food risk impacts.

Development will be planned to deliver/ maintain existing and future local and strategic food defences, and major development will provide sustainable drainage systems which reduce surface water food risk and beneft the green infrastructure network.

Sustainable Design and Technology

Development will efciently manage and re-use natural resources and waste, including through the use of water efciency measures.

The design, location and construction of development will: minimise energy consumption; regulate internal temperatures; provide appropriate natural shading on buildings, at street level and in open spaces; incorporate renewable or low/ zero carbon energy sources; and allow for other new sustainable technologies to be provided or readily incorporated in the future.

For more information please see the The Dartford Plan