I’ve copied below my brief response to the public consultation on the redevelopment of the Sir John Moore Barracks in Winchester. A “concept masterplan” for building “up to 900 Highly quality energy efficient homes” has been published by the Ministry of Defence for comment.
In essence I’m grumbling that developers continue to approach energy as an afterthought rather than a guiding principle. “Energy efficient” is insufficient guidance. The masterplan offers more detail about the nature-friendly surrounds of the new homes than the cost of living in them.
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Your masterplan so far makes no reference to the intended energy performance of the development, either in relation to its consumption of electricity or to onsite generation. Energy issues do of course influence design, layout and orientation of the buildings – and ultimately their density and the prospective cost of living in them. Council planners should perhaps have drawn attention to such a fundamental topic in your preliminary discussions with them.
As you know, a development on this scale will require a detailed energy statement to accompany the planning application. Those of us who monitor applications from the perspective of local net zero policies would welcome an early commitment that the overall site will generate electricity equivalent to its consumption.
This goal requires a very smart heating solution, for which a grid approach such as a geothermal shared ground loop might be an obvious candidate. Buildings should optimise solar capacity by design rather than in hindsight, and parking spaces organised to enable canopy panels. If this onsite generation is insufficient to match consumption, we would expect a developer to seek out a nearby site suitable for a direct wire solution to bridge the gap. The rising ground across fields to the north of the barracks may offer potential for wind turbines. It’s possible that just one or two medium-sized turbines would be adequate.
Such thoughts may sound far-fetched but the new government has already set in motion significant measures towards its ambition for grid decarbonisation by 2030. Major developments are likely to come under more scrutiny for their demands for electricity.
Other large housing developments in Winchester District, notably the nearby Kings Barton estate, have made a terrible hash of energy efficiency, even now starting hundreds of new homes to a 20th century specification. You have an opportunity to deliver a development which will stand out for prospective buyers seeking genuine homes for the future.
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Sir John Moore Barracks concept masterplan – details for public consultation (now closed) from Defence Infrastructure Organisation