KEY TAKEAWAYS REPORT – Roundtable: Delivering Net Zero Carbon in Kent & Medway
Roundtable: Delivering Net Zero Carbon in Kent & Medway – Progress & Barriers
Thursday 20 April 2023
Synopsis
Most local councils in Kent and Medway, alongside Kent County Council, have declared a Climate Emergency and are working on strategies to achieve net zero carbon. As the climate crisis intensifies, this Roundtable discussion explored what progress on climate action has been made and what barriers need to be overcome. It was an opportunity for the public and private sectors to come together and share learnings.
Key Takeaways
In Kent and Medway, the energy used in buildings and for transport collectively account for over 90% of greenhouse gas emissions (source). The county is also growing, with a projected population growth of 300,000 people by 2050, meaning that new development could significantly help or hinder decarbonisation efforts. This means that the planning and design sectors have a central role to play in decarbonisation over the coming decades.
Over the last few years, climate action in the public and private sectors has been ramping up. Local authorities have increased the number of staff and invested resources into net zero carbon while forward-thinking developers and architects are pushing for, and delivering, higher sustainability standards. However, meeting the fast pace of change is challenging. There is a need for upskilling across the planning and design sectors. Local authority planners, who now need to understand technical energy strategies to assess applications, don’t always have the knowledge to push developers further on sustainability. A seemingly blurred boundary between planning and building control considerations is also causing confusion. One architect in attendance explained that they are using pre-app discussions as an opportunity to upskill planning officers in the latest sustainable design approaches. This collaborative and open approach is seen to deliver better planning outcomes.
Changes in the policy landscape in recent years has not helped progress. Planning reform and new building regulations have not yet provided the tools needed to effectively drive forward sustainable development. The proposal for national design management policies and mandatory design codes could be helpful, though the latter risk being either too vague or too prescriptive. Ultimately, there is a need for a shared set of standards around net zero carbon with enough flexibility on design to reflect local circumstances and character.
Attendees acknowledged that new developments alone can only deliver so much change. To achieve net zero carbon across the region, there is a need for behaviour change and new infrastructure to facilitate sustainable lifestyles. Investing in infrastructure like sustainable transport modes, local energy grids and water harvesting, would go further towards decarbonisation than focusing solely on energy efficient buildings.
Local authorities, and particularly elected members, have an important role to play in this but currently struggle to manage contentious issues. Although climate change is rising up the agenda, local politics tends to be dominated by local concerns such as parking. This means that seriously reducing transport emissions through behaviour change is seen as too politically difficult to pursue. Strong local leadership coupled with the right communication approach is needed to overcome these barriers.
Despite the challenges, attendees were generally optimistic about the changes that are happening in the county. A positive next step would be to develop a means of celebrating best practice examples of sustainable projects in Kent and Medway to share learnings and inspire further action.
Participants
Alex Richards, Hollaway Studio / Chris Hughes, Esquire Developments / Chris Lamb, Design South East / Dave Harris, Medway Council / Eleanor Trenfield, EDLA / Hardeep Hunjan, Barton Willmore now Stantec / Mark Pullin, Ebbsfleet Development Corporation / Onur Osman, BPTW / Peter Lacey, Duchy of Cornwall / Ross O’Ceallaigh, Design South East / Simon Harrison, Ebbsfleet Development Corporation / Simon Ryan, Locate in Kent / Sophie Stiles, Ashford Borough Council / Wendy Lane, Gravesham Borough Council.
The Roundtable was chaired by Design South East Director, Chris Lamb, using the Chatham House rule.