Sustainability
Society and environment has never had such an important role to play on our lives and work as it does today and this is on a truly global scale. Climate change, energy efficiency, corporate responsibility, eco-friendly developments, and housing are just some of the key issues all linking to sustainability.
The planning, design, construction and operation cycle of our built environment is changing rapidly with an increasing demand to ensure developments take into account sustainable development principals:
- Living within environment limits
- Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society
- Achieving a sustainable economy
- Promoting good governance
- Using sound science responsibly
These issues are affecting the way we approach the development process and fundamentally changing how we operate in the built environment from project inception to operational management. The ability to influence and maximise sustainability performance is best achieved through early engagement. Planning Policy Statement 1 states 'Sustainable development is the core principle underpinning planning' and provides the framework for the planning system to drive sustainability into proposals.
The drivers for a sustainable built environment are constantly increasing, raising the standards that must be met and articulating the benefits effectively. New primary and secondary legislation, such as the Climate Change Bill, and policy advice together with greater stakeholder and community expectations are placing more pressure to get sustainability issues identified and embedded within the development. For many organisations it also represents a significant risk to asset values, profitability and corporate perception.
DPP has a specialist Sustainability team with an enviable track record of providing sustainability and energy planning advice, environmental management, legislative and policy support to a range of private and public sector clients.
Our firmwide corporate responsibility policy can be viewed here.
For more information, please contact Sunil Shah