One planet living in The Thames Gateway

About the report

Investigating the environmental and economic impacts of developing 200,000 homes in the Thames Gateway area to four different environmental scenarios. 

Published June 2003
Pages 67

Written by BioRegional for WWF UK
Download report PDF

Executive summary

If everyone on the planet were to consume natural resources and pollute the environment as we currently do in the UK, we would need three planets to support us. Reducing the environmental impact of homes in the UK is crucial in pursuing sustainable development on a broader scale.

In February 2003, the UK government released its Sustainable Communities Plan, highlighting the need for development in four ‘growth areas’, including the Thames Gateway region. WWFaccepts that there is a need for new and refurbished housing in some parts of the UK. However, decisions about where and how housing is developed must be taken in the context of sustainability – minimising negative environmental impacts while maximising social and economic benefits. Major developments in the Thames Gateway will be seen as a blueprint for the government’s approach to housing over the next 15-20 years. This is especially true given that key decisions will have to be taken before forthcoming revisions to planning guidance and building regulations have come into effect.

For this reason, the report focuses on the Thames Gateway region as a case study and investigates the implications of building 200,000 new homes to different environmental standards:

Scenario 1 Current Building Regulations with ‘average’ UK residents;
Scenario 2 Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) EcoHomes ‘Very Good’ standard with ‘average’ UK residents;
Scenario 3 BRE’s EcoHomes ‘Very Good’ standard with environmentally aware residents;
Scenario 4 ‘Z-squared’ standard (Zero fossil Energy, Zero Waste) with environmentally aware residents.

The environmental impacts of the various scenarios have been measured in terms of specific issues such as carbon dioxide emissions, water use and waste as well as in terms of overall ecological footprint. The study has also assessed the contributions to the government’s sustainable development targets, as well as the impacts on the costs of house building and associated infrastructure and household expenditure of the four different scenarios.

Sustainable homes offer the opportunity for the government to anchor the idea of sustainability in people’s everyday lives. Global threats, such as climate change, often appear to be intangible concepts about which individuals feel they can do little. Addressing sustainability effectively therefore requires not only education and explanation, but the provision of relevant, inspiring and practical solutions with which people can engage in a meaningful and positive way.

Key findings
The study demonstrates that by developing 200,000 new homes in the Thames Gateway to a minimum of EcoHomes ‘Very Good’ standard, the following significant environmental savings could be made per home/per year when compared with homes built to current Building Regulations:

• 32 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from energy use in the home, (this saving of 0.993 tonnes of CO2/home/year equates to 198,840 tonnes of CO2 or 54,220 tonnes of carbon for the 200,000 homes each year);
• 39 per cent reduction in water use;
• 4 per cent reduction in the amount of household waste sent to landfill for an ‘average’ UK resident living in Scenario 2; and
• 25 per cent reduction in the amount of household waste sent to landfill for an environmentally aware resident living in Scenario 3.

The study shows that even greater savings could be made per home per year by developing all homes in the Thames Gateway to Z-squared standards:

• 99 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions from energy use in the home (this saving of 3.052 tonnes of CO2/home/year, equates to 610,640 tonnes of CO2 or 166,540 tonnes of carbon for the 200,000 homes each year);
• 65 per cent reduction in water use; and
• 76 per cent reduction in the amount of household waste sent to landfill.

If the government is to meet its own sustainable development targets and realise the aspirations set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan, it must set minimum sustainable construction standards and create the necessary infrastructure and services to enable people to live within their fair share of the Earth’s resources.

Written by BioRegional for WWF UK
Download report PDF