Policy information sourced from Redbridge Local Plan

LP20: Low Carbon and Renewable Energy

The Council will ensure that major developments (including new and retroft) demonstrate accordance with the following energy hierarchy:

  • Be lean (use less energy – energy efciency)
  • Be clean (supply energy efciently – low carbon energy)
  • Be green (use renewable energy)

This should be presented within a detailed energy assessment, in line with the GLA guidance on preparing energy assessments;

The Council will seek to support and promote sustainable forms of energy in the borough by:

  • Protecting existing decentralised energy (DE) networks and supporting expansion of these networks, having regard to opportunities identifed through the London Heat Map and area specifc energy plans;
  • Supporting district heating / DE schemes where the environmental, heritage assets and local amenity impacts of the proposals (individually and cumulatively) are acceptable and consistent with other Local Plan policies; and
  • Supporting the use of on-site renewable energy as a means of meeting energy reduction targets in line with the energy hierarchy in 1 above, provided it does not signifcantly harm local amenity.

All new major development (10 dwellings or more for residential) and 1,000sqm for non-residential) should:

  • Evaluate the feasibility and viability of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems and, where appropriate, examine the feasibility of extending the system beyond the site boundary, where developments cannot immediately connect to an existing heating or cooling network;
  • Where appropriate make a fnancial contribution to an agreed boroughwide programme for carbon reductions where required reductions cannot be achieved on-site;
  • Where connection to an existing or future DEN is deemed possible developers will be required to provide an Energy Statement; and
  • Within a proposed DE network opportunity area where a feasibility study has demonstrated that a DE network is feasible (the development proposals should ensure the design of the development is ‘connection ready’ in the future, and must connect to the network when it is available), the developers of the development shall provide a reasonable fnancial contribution for the future cost of connection and a commitment to connect via a legal agreement or contract, unless proven non-viable.

Implementation

The Council will ensure that major developments (including new and retroft) demonstrate accordance with the energy hierarchy in planning applications by means of submitting detailed energy assessment;

The Council will continue to participate in regional initiatives to promote district heating/ decentralised energy, including the Mayor’s Decentralised Energy Master Planning Project (DEMaP);

The Council will proactively identify and promote low carbon and renewable energy opportunities within the borough, including the preparation of technical and fnancial feasibility assessments;

In promoting low carbon and renewable energy, the Council will consider the use of pro-active planning powers (such as Local Development Orders) to assist in the implementation of schemes as they come forward; and

The Council will produce a Planning Obligations SPD that will include details on how a carbon ofset fund could work in the borough.

For more information please see the Local Plan