Policy information sourced from the Richmond Upon Thames Local Plan
Policy 6 Sustainable Construction Standards
A. Developments will be required to achieve the highest standards of sustainable design and construction. Applicants will be required to complete the following:
Residential development
- Development of 1 dwelling unit or more will be required to complete the Sustainable Construction Checklist SPD. A completed Checklist must be submitted as part of the planning application.
- All new-build residential developments must achieve a four-star rating (as a minimum) under the BRE Home Quality Mark scheme.
- Proposals for conversions or change of use to residential will be required to meet BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment ‘Outstanding’ standard or equivalent. If a developer can provide evidence from an accredited BREEAM assessor that achieving ‘Outstanding’ is not technically feasible than ‘Excellent’ would be acceptable.
- Development that results in a new residential dwelling, including conversions, change of use, and extensions that result in a new dwelling unit, must be designed to be water efficient and reduce water consumption. Refurbishments and other non-domestic development will be expected to meet BREEAM water-efficiency credits. Residential development must not exceed a maximum water use of 105 litres per head per day (excluding the allowance of up to 5 litres for external water consumption) using the ‘Fittings Approach’ in Table 2.2 of Part G of Building Regulations. Planning conditions will be applied to new residential development to ensure that the water efficiency standards are met.
Non-residential development - Development of 100sqm or more of non-residential floor space (including changes of use, conversions, and extensions) will be required to complete the Sustainable Construction Checklist SPD. A completed Checklist has to be submitted as part of the planning application.
- New non-residential buildings over 500sqm will be required to meet BREEAM Nondomestic New Construction ‘Outstanding’ standard or equivalent. A ‘verification stage’ certification at post occupancy stage must also be achieved, unless it can be demonstrated that this is not feasible. If a developer can provide evidence from an accredited BREEAM assessor that achieving ‘Outstanding’ is not technically feasible than ‘Excellent’ would be acceptable.
- All major non-residential refurbishment of existing buildings and conversions over 500sqm will be required to achieve a final (post-construction) certified rating of ‘Outstanding’ under BREEAM Non-domestic Refurbishment and Fit-out ‘Outstanding’ standard or equivalent. The scope of works of the development must include a full fit-out, unless it can be demonstrated that this is not feasible.
Fabric efficiency standards
B. New-build residential development of 1 or more dwellings, and major residential development of 10 or more dwellings (including changes of use, conversions and major refurbishments), and non-residential development of 100sqm or more (including changes of use, conversions and refurbishments) should demonstrate compliance with the following relevant fabric efficiency targets:
| Type of Development | Zero Carbon Hub Interim FEES until 31 December 2022 | Zero Carbon Hub Full FEES from 01 January 2023 to 31 December 2024 | Space Heating Demand Target from 01 January 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block of flats and mid-terraced houses | <43 kWh/m2/yr | <39 kWh/m2/yr | <15 kWh/m2/yr |
| Semi-detached, end of terrace and detached houses | <52 kWh/m2/yr | <46 kWh/m2/yr | <20 kWh/m2/yr |
| Non-residential development | <15 kWh/m2/yr |
For more information please see the Richmond Upon Thames Local Plan