Memorandum by Heather Ackroyd and Dan
Harvey (AH 97)
We would like to draw your attention to a recent
local council development in Mole Valley, Overlord Court, recently
nominated for Sustainable Development of the Year Award. Mole
Valley District Council Head of Housing Operations, Glynis Gatenby
said: "The properties are designed to fulfil the aspirations
that Mole Valley District Council has to work in partnership with
the private sector; to provide affordable housing for our tenants;
to make the most of energy efficiencies and to set our standards
for future home build." Overlord Court has 17 one-bedroomed
flats and one two-bedroomed detached bungalow, complemented by
five family houses, and provides sustainable features that benefit
the residents, such as economy lighting, recycling the rainwater,
capturing the sun's heat and using environmentally friendly materials
in the construction. Material arising from demolition was recycled
and permeable pavements and roads were incorporated allowing surface
drain water to drain directly through the ground into the subsoil.
http://www.mole-valley.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2598
South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA)
is proposing that 2,360 new dwellings a year will be built in
Surrey. The Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG
9) is committed to meet 10% of UK's electricity generation from
renewable sources by 2010. By 2026 at least 16% of the South East's
electricity generation will be provided through renewable sources.
We think that it is wholly possible to achieve
a far greater positive impact on the environment in a shorter
time, as the inspiring example of Overlord Court shows. Affordable
housing can be built in a relatively short time-scale that is
truly sustainable and we urge the Select Committee to review their
commitment to affordable housing and sustainable communities and
introduce tougher legislation for new build that promotes far
greater use of renewable energy sources. It is an extraordinary
opportunity to introduce measures that truly have an effect, mitigate
the adverse climate change resulting from our dependence on fossil
fuel and set an example, locally, nationally and internationally,
of what may be achieved through new technology and vision.
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