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23 November 2011
Making Sustainable Attainable
“Making Sustainable Attainable”
An EU-funded project led by Hampshire-based consultancy, The Environment Centre, is unveiling three years of international research at a conference on ‘Solutions for Implementing Sustainable Construction’ (SISCo) at the University of Southampton tomorrow.
The Environment Centre won the bid for the project three years ago, and since that time has brought in €1.9m into the Hampshire area. The SISCo project has provided training to Hampshire Planning officers on issues of sustainable development, planning and construction. It has also facilitated an exchange of knowledge across Europe through sustainable construction study tours and partner exchanges. The conference offers those involved in planning, from policy officers to landscape architects, an excellent opportunity to learn about the outcomes of the project.
“Keeping up with changing definitions, policy and legal frameworks is vital to the implementation of sustainable buildings and the continuation of economic growth,” says Laura Savillewood from The Environment Centre. “But to achieve this, planners must increasingly understand their role as facilitators of green economic development.”
The keynote speakers, who include Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the south east of England and Alan Stevens, Chair of Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Partnership, will address the impact of the forthcoming National Policy Planning Framework, and shed light on the outcomes of how planners and developers can overcome the increasing challenges of balancing economic concerns with sustainable construction methods.
“I’d like to see a National Planning Policy Framework which sets a strategic direction that empowers local authorities to pursue genuinely sustainable development,” says Keith Taylor, MEP. “Planners must be given the support and the resources for ambitious projects which prioritise sustainability and favour green construction methods. The government’s current proposals are nothing more than a developer’s charter which aims for growth at all costs. This represents a retrograde step for sustainability.”
The conference will highlight the most recent changes in planning policy and will demonstrate examples from England and Europe on how to work together with the business community to reach the common goal of sustainable development.The results of SISCo include the creation of a one-stop-shop of information and resources for the sustainable construction industry where any local authority, supplier or developer can ‘swap’ knowledge and skills.
Available For Interview
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Keith Taylor MEP
Alan Stevens
ENVIRONMENT CENTRE:
Chairman Peter Kelly
Laura Savillewood