Bristol City Council Local Plan: New Standards

The updated Bristol Local Plan introduces new requirements for addressing overheating, embodied carbon targets, and energy efficiency. As these standards become mandatory, our team at Energist UK is here to help guide you through the process with our extensive experience and expertise.

Key Requirements Under the New Plan:

1. Policy NZC1:
   • Energy and Carbon: Minimise energy demand and embodied carbon.
   • BREEAM Standards: Achieve BREEAM Excellent for major non-residential developments and BREEAM Communities Excellent for mixed-use developments with more than 200 dwellings.
   • Water Use: Limit to 110 litres per person per day.
   • Sustainability Statement: Demonstrate compliance through a comprehensive statement. Major developments are defined as those with 10 or more dwellings or exceeding 1,000 sqm floorspace.
2. Policy NZC2:
   • Energy Use and Efficiency: Calculate and report predicted energy use intensity; strive for net-zero carbon by maximising on-site renewable energy and offsetting emissions.
   • Energy Strategy: Include a detailed energy strategy in submissions.
   • Performance Standards:
     • Space heating demand: Max 15-20 kWh/m²/yr.
     • New homes: Max energy use intensity of 35 kWh/m²/yr.
     • Non-residential: Meet operational energy/carbon requirements for BREEAM Excellent.
     • On-site renewable energy generation must cover annual energy consumption.
   • Alternative Standards: Consider Passivhaus Classic or higher.
3. Policy NZC3:
   • Renovation and Retrofit: Prioritise these over new builds and select low embodied carbon materials.
   • Embodied Carbon Assessment: Required for major developments, with specific targets for different building types and heights.
   • Circular Economy Principles: Integrate these into designs to maximise material reuse.
   • Offsetting: Any shortfall in meeting targets must be offset.
4. Policy NZC4:
   • Overheating Assessment: Evaluate risk under current and future climate scenarios using TM52 for non-residential and TM59/AD O for residential buildings.

Our Expertise:

We have been successfully implementing these standards in London for the past three to four years. Our experienced team is well-equipped to assist you in meeting Bristol’s new requirements through services like dynamic thermal modelling, Whole Lifecycle Carbon assessments, and more. We can provide you with the necessary insights and solutions to ensure your projects comply with these new policies while optimising for sustainability and efficiency.

For further details on the Bristol Local Plan, you can access the full document here.