New Forest District Council applies to drop sustainability planning condition at its Platinum Jubilee Business Park in Ringwood
A DISTRICT-council owned business park has been unable to achieve a sustainability rating which was a requirement for planning permission being granted.
The £9.5m Platinum Jubilee Business Park was officially opened by New Forest District Council last year, as part of its investment in the local economy.
Named in memory of the late Queen to acknowledge her lengthy reign, the site in Crow Lane contains 16 light industrial units and two office buildings.
When permission was granted by NFDC’s planning department, one of the conditions was that it would meet the ‘very good’ standard set by the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).
The world-leading certication which grades the sustainability of buildings was launched in 1990 by the Building Research Establishment to set standards for the environmental performance of commercial and multi-residential buildings.
A report to members of the council’s planning committee, which will discuss the application to drop the condition on Wednesday, states: “It is unfortunate that the BREEAM standard was not followed through at development stage.
“However, at this stage, it is not considered feasible or possible to retrofit the buildings to comply with the relevant BREEAM standard, and it has been identified that the measures which can be reasonably implemented have been undertaken.
It added: “While sustainability is a vital aspect of bringing forward development within the district, it is considered that it would not be in the public interest to continue to pursue the BREEAM requirement in this case.”
This was because, the report continued, the current standard of the site and its economic benefits had to be balanced against the “difficulties and potential adverse impacts” of trying to achieve compliance.
It added the existing buildings provide a “positive benefit in terms of provision of employment uses with the area”, which any attempt to try and comply with the original condition would “almost certainly disrupt”.
Ringwood Town Council said was “very disappointed” the developer and NFDC did not actively seek to meet the requirements from the outset, given that it was flagged in a pre-assessment in 2018.
The report recommends the council approves the removal of the condition, adding that while formal certification has not been achieved, the development has been constructed with sustainable standards in mind.
This includes electric metering which enables live monitoring for building managers, water metering for assessment of water rates and identification of emergency leaks, the installation of PV roof panels, provision of suitable staff shower and changing areas, along with cycle storage and external spaces, and the use of certified contractors.