Hilson Moran is proud to be supporting the City of London Corporation on a major new piece of carbon planning guidance. Designed to provide clarity of purpose to applicants and a framework to define reduced carbon footprints, the Planning Advice Note, once adopted, will be a key guide for both the City Corporation’s planners and the wider construction industry.
Hilson Moran were selected to help develop the guidance following our successful experience working with clients – including RLAM and British Land – on major London developments targeting planning approval. Our sustainability leadership and experience in the planning process, particularly comparing refurbishment and new build proposals, presented a unique opportunity to define future best-practice and support the City Corporation’s wider Climate Action Strategy.
The ‘Whole Lifecycle Carbon Optioneering’ guidance will assist with pre-application procedures and discussions.
Andrew Moore, Associate Director at Hilson Moran and co-author for the Planning Advice Note, said: “We hope the document will bring much needed clarity and consistency to this complex problem and enable planners, designers and developers to make informed decisions on these major developments.
“As designers and constructors of buildings we have a responsibility to meet challenging climate goals and use our knowledge to improve and educate the industry. To do this, we need to be more open and transparent in our reporting.
“We hope the Planning Advice Note will enable greater consistency in the reporting and delivery of information. It is structured to provide design teams with the flexibility to be innovative, make the right choices and, crucially, can be developed in the future to respond to this fast-evolving sector.”
Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Shravan Joshi, added: “This new guidance comes at a key moment for the development industry as the global debate surrounding the carbon impact of refurbishment versus redevelopment continues to heat up. It is in response to a sector wide need for clarity and leadership in this evolving area of work around sustainability.
“When it is adopted, this Planning Advice Note will provide clarity on what we, as a planning authority, expect from developers behind major Square Mile development.”
The draft Planning Advice Note supports the City of London Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy which sets out bold goals including a net-zero Square Mile by 2040.
Planning Advice Note co-author and Design Director at Hilson Moran Marie-Louise Schembri, said:
“We invite stakeholders to engage with the proposed Planning Advisory Note, and to get in touch with us and the City of London Corporation with constructive feedback. Industry collaboration during the past three years has led to some of the most advanced and accelerated positive disruption we have witnessed in a long time. We need to keep this momentum going.”
The note is available to read in full on the City Corporation website and will be consulted on for six weeks from mid-June.
