Sustainable
construction
Policy
Version 1
Resources Directorate
Sustainable construction
Policy
Compliance
3
Scope of policy
3
Definition of sustainable construction
3
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Scope of policy
1.
This policy applies to the planning, design, procurement, construction,
use, maintenance, refurbishment and decommissioning of Cornwall
Council’s buildings.
Definition of sustainable construction
2.
The Council defines sustainable construction as “the design,
construction, maintenance, refurbishment and decommissioning of
buildings and associated infrastructure that is fit for purpose, resource
efficient and will not compromise the health of the environment or the
health of building occupants, builders, the general public or future
generations.”
Compliance
3.
The Council will comply with the following:
• Assessment of need
– Before any construction development is provided, refurbished
or extended, an assessment of the need will be carried out to
address whether the desired outcome(s) can be achieved by
alternative, sustainable means
– It is a requirement set down in the Council’s capital strategy
that all projects costing over £0.5m require an option appraisal
that considers the optimum solutions to achieve desired
outcomes (including sustainability)
• Design of construction development
– Design quality forms one of the key aims of the Council’s
building standards and will form an integral part of the project
design brief
• Location of buildings
– Buildings will preferably be sited on previously developed sites
(subject to planning or environmental constraints). Transport
assessments and travel planning (including congestion, energy
use and emissions) will be taken into account for users of
services as well as staff.
– As significant areas of Cornwall’s previously developed land is
related to the mining industry (and some of this is of
importance for historic or biodiversity reasons), option
appraisals will be essential to establish the balance between
developing brown and green field development. History,
biodiversity, the market place and land contamination issues
will all play an important role in site identification.
– Travel to use council services will be minimised if developments
and services are located as close as possible to those who need
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to use them. Wherever possible proximity of the services to
and access by rail, bus, walking or cycling should be
considered.
• Energy and water
– Construction management and development will be efficient in
use of energy and water and will make use of energy from
renewable sources where practicable
– Energy issues to be taken into account include the energy
associated with the manufacture, transport, use, maintenance
and decommissioning of the building or infrastructure as a
whole, as well as the embodied energy of component materials
and products
– Buildings will be designed to be energy efficient and renewable
energy will be utilised where the targets for reductions in
carbon dioxide emissions from the project are beyond those
gained by improvements in energy efficiency for similar
expenditure. Unless used for demonstration or promotional
purposes, renewable energy systems will be subject to suitable
appropriate payback periods.
• Materials and resource efficiency
– Specifications will be expected to use suppliers who provide
materials which are more environmentally acceptable (in
accordance with the following procurement hierarchy), whilst
also taking into account local availability:
–
Buy re-used or reusable
–
Buy recycled or recyclable
–
Buy renewable from sustainably managed sources
–
Buy raw, finite materials
• Environmental impact of materials
– The environmental impact of materials used in construction will
be taken into account and minimised as far as practicable in
the selection process
• Halving waste to landfill
– The Council is committed to the waste and resources action
programme, which has set a target of halving the amount of
construction waste going to landfill by 2012. A critical vehicle
for implementing this is the construction framework agreement
which will be responsible for delivering major capital projects
over this period.
• Procurement practice
– Tenders will be designed to encourage suppliers to adopt good
environmental practices. The use of local labour, training,
design and creativity will be maximised within practical
constraints to help support the local economy.
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– Cornwall is committed to sustainable procurement practice
through its corporate procurement strategy for 2005-08.
Prepared by:
Chris Jackson
Policy and Training Manager
Property Services
12 February 2016
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If you would like this information
in another format please contact:
Cornwall Council
County Hall
Treyew Road
Truro TR1 3AY
Telephone: 0300 1234 100
Email: enquiries@cornwall.gov.uk
www.cornwall.gov.uk
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