Policy

Planning and regional policy
Home > Our work > Policy > Planning and regional policy > Planning and building for sustainability

Planning and building for sustainability

Solar panels, Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales
Installing solar panels and other renewable energy sources is often cheaper during initial construction

The RSPB wants new construction and development to be sustainable. This means all new developments, such as housing, should avoid negative impacts on the environment, wherever possible.

This should be achieved through careful choice of location and design, consideration of where the raw materials for construction come from and how sustainably they were produced, and minimising the resources for building and running it. 

If possible, developments should also enhance the environment. Where environmental damage is unavoidable, compensation, such as allocation of alternative areas for wildlife, should be put in place.

Renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic or solar hot water panels can also be installed more cheaply during initial construction

Resource efficiency should be key to new construction. Examples include use of water conservation measures, such as fitted water meters and water-efficient toilets, along with similar energy-efficient technologies, such as passive solar design, cavity wall insulation, low-energy glass, A-rated appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs. 

Renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic or solar hot water panels can also be installed more cheaply during initial construction.

Developers should also make better use of permeable paving to allow rainwater to filter into the water table and reedbed creation should be considered to clean run-off water and deliver wildlife benefits. 

To minimise negative environmental and social impacts both in the UK and abroad, for example from unsustainable forestry, building and construction materials should come from environmentally managed and – where applicable – certified sources.

The RSPB believes the next UK government should:

  • Maintain the target of building 60% of new housing on previously developed sites and plan for increases in the density of development and housing.
  • Prioritise the re-use of previously developed land in the first instance, and if greenfield development must take place, it should be at sites with good access to public transport.
  • Focus on resource efficiency within new developments with a stronger role for planning, more comprehensive guidance and stricter standards. 
  • Encourage developers to provide a proportion of the energy needs of new developments from on-site renewable energy sources.
  • Set an example through its own purchasing; the public sector purchases about 40% of the construction industry’s total output by value.
  • Encourage developers to take steps to benefit the environment and wildlife, whether by developing sites with little environmental value, or by providing wildlife features such as hedgerows, trees and ponds.   

Last modified: 13 September 2004