Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy Generator website
Planning and building

Sustainable design and construction

The interim planning statement (IPS) on Sustainable Design and Construction is designed to help achieve our objectives for Sustainable Development, as set out in policy GP4a of the City of York Draft Local Plan, incorporating the 4th Set of Changes (April 2005). It provides guidance to applicants about what is expected from them and sets standards for sustainability in all types of residential and commercial development, including domestic extensions.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development can be defined as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs' (The Brundtland Commission, 1982).

Our objective is to achieve development that has a low or positive environmental impact whilst maximising social, economic and environmental gains. This means encouraging positive and long term thinking when making decisions and taking account of costs and benefits, including those which cannot easily be valued in monetary terms.

Useful links

BREEAM assessment methods and tools are designed to help construction professionals understand and mitigate the environmental impacts of the developments they design and build.

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) is a world leading research, consultancy, training, testing and certification organisation delivering sustainability and innovation across the built environment and beyond. They publish the BREEAM assessment methods, to which building design should adhere.

Also see: