Policy information sourced from Runnymede Local Plan
SD8: Renewable & Low Carbon Energy
The local planning authority will support proposals for stand-alone and community led renewable, low carbon and decentralised sources of energy, unless any adverse impacts to local amenity or to the built, natural and historic environments cannot be overcome. Major development proposals will be required to submit an energy statement demonstrating how the following energy hierarchy has been applied and how it will be implemented in the proposal:
- Be lean; use less energy
- Be clean; supply energy efficiently
- Be green; use renewable energy
For step 3 in the hierarchy, development proposals of 1,000sqm or more of net additional floorspace will be expected to incorporate measures to supply a minimum of 10% of the development’s energy needs from renewable and/or low carbon technologies unless it can be demonstrated with evidence that this is not feasible or viable. In addition:
- Development proposing 10,000sqm-50,000sqm of net additional floorspace should consider whether connection to existing renewable, low-carbon or decentralised energy networks is possible. Unless it can be demonstrated with evidence that connection to existing networks is not practical, feasible or viable, the development scheme will be expected to connect to existing renewable, low carbon or decentralised energy sources; or
- Applications for any development proposing more than 50,000sqm of net additional floorspace will be expected to provide onsite, new decentralised networks of renewable or low carbon energy sources within the development proposal, to exceed the 10% requirement of their own needs, and allow future third party connection, unless it can be demonstrated with evidence that doing so is not practical, feasible or viable.
For more information please see the Local Plan