Creating a greener, resilient and healthy (GHR) city

This chapter contains 11 policy areas. These are listed below with a high level summary of what each policy sets out. Before completing our questionnaire ion this chapter, please read it in full.

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GHR1: Energy efficiency

This policy requires new buildings and development to minimise energy use and reduce carbon emissions. This helps London to move towards net zero carbon but also minimises costs for occupants and helps manage demand on energy networks (that are facing increasing demands). It also encourages schemes to make use of on site renewable energy, like solar power.

GHR2: Low cost, low carbon heat

This policy promotes low carbon heating for new development. The key elements are:

• Major developments must assess the best option for their site, taking account of factors like long term costs for occupiers alongside carbon impacts
  
  
• Developments generating waste heat should identify opportunities to reuse it.
  
  

GHR3 Whole life-cycle carbon

This policy focuses on reducing carbon emissions from the construction, use and demolition of buildings i.e. their carbon footprint over their full lifespan. Developers must minimise demolition, use low carbon materials, and meet targets that have been set to reduce embodied carbon.

GHR4: Heat risk

This policy is about reducing overheating and heat risk in new buildings. London, as a city, gets hotter through an ‘urban heat island effect’ and with climate change it is due to become hotter. Buildings should be designed to stay cool using passive measures such as shading, ventilation and green infrastructure as far as possible. Using air conditioning is both expensive for users and for the environment as it uses more energy and worsens the urban heat island effect.

GHR5: Flood risk and drainage

This policy focuses on the role of new development in helping reduce the risk of flooding from heavy rainfall. With climate change, it is important to increase London’s resilience to this flash flooding. Boroughs need to plan co-ordinated drainage solutions and new developments should use sustainable drainage (which slows down, soaks, stores and cleans water as well as creating green spaces) wherever possible.

GHR6: Trees, biodiversity and geodiversity

This policy aims to protect and enhance trees, biodiversity and important natural sites across London. Development should retain valuable trees and provide new planting, help create new habitats, and deliver improvements in biodiversity.

GHR7: Green infrastructure and Urban Greening Factor

This policy promotes greener buildings and places through adding plants, trees and more natural landscape elements. It takes an integrated approach requiring major developments to look at how to incorporate nature into the urban fabric from streets to rooftops. Development should also protect and enhance existing green infrastructure and support wider green networks.

GHR8 Accessible green space

This policy is focused on improving people’s access to green space across London. Boroughs should identify and protect accessible green spaces, set local standards, and plan for new provision as part of growth. Meanwhile, development proposals should protect existing public open space and where they are creating extra demands, they should help deliver new or improved green space.

GHR9: Clean and healthy waterways

This policy aims to improve the health and cleanliness of London’s rivers and canals and people’s access to them.

GHR10: Air quality

This policy is about ensuring that new development does not adversely impact on air quality and - wherever possible - improves it. Boroughs should identify areas of poor air quality and plan improvements, especially in areas of significant change.

GHR11: Cycle and car parking

This policy is about parking provision in new developments for cars and bikes. If London is to grow sustainably it’s important that more people use space efficient ways to travel like public transport, walking and cycling. Therefore, the policy limits the amount of car parking in new developments (while ensuring parking for disabled people). It sets standards for cycle parking for different types of development to enable people who wish to own and use bikes.

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