Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2004)
Reporting Period: 2004
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Sustainable Communities
Climate Goals & Targets
Long-term Goals:
- Developments meeting carbon emissions and waste minimisation standards consistent with a sustainable one planet level within eight years.
Short-term Goals:
- Develop a sustainable community development code or benchmarks within twelve months.
Environmental Challenges
- Failing housing markets in some parts of England and excess demand in other areas.
- Poor quality places resulting from past planning failures.
- Resistance from existing communities to further development.
- Inefficient and adversarial planning processes leading to uncertainty and delays.
- Shortages of skilled people in core occupations (planners, engineers, surveyors etc.).
- Shortage of generic skills amongst built environment professionals.
Mitigation Strategies
- Develop a common goal and understanding of 'sustainable community'.
- Establish clear responsibilities for delivery (local authorities taking the lead).
- Improve planning processes (pre-application discussions, process re-engineering).
- Develop a sustainable community development code/benchmarking.
- Encourage entrants into core occupations and address skills gaps through training and development.
- Establish a National Centre for Sustainable Community Skills.