http://www.communities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1505173

also Sponge event to discuss 1 March 2007

Building a Greener Future:
Towards Zero Carbon Development

A Sponge Consultation Event on the Government's Proposals for the Future of Building Regulations….

Thursday 1st March,

The Blue Post (Upstairs), Piccadilly, 28 Rupert St, London, W1D 6DJ, ( map)

6.30 (for 6.45pm start) to 8.30pm,

Cost: £5 (paid on the door)

As I'm sure you are all aware, in December last year the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published a consultation document on the future of building regulations.

Clearly they're desperate for a Sponge response, so we'd better give it to them, golddarnit!

For this we need you, good, good people, to tell us what you think of it all, so that we can develop a Sponge Member's response.

This means that we want all of those who are interested in contributing to form an orderly queue and cut messages with their bare fingers into the winter ice.

Alternatively we can all get together and talk about it over tea or coffee or possibly even a beverage of the alcoholic variety.

Specifically: At the centre of the Governments Consultation Document ' Building a Greener Future: Towards Zero Carbon Development' ( available here) is a proposal that from 2016 all new development should be zero carbon. Yes indeed! All! Zero!

Questions include:

Do you believe that our timetable for delivering zero carbon development through more stringent Building Regulations is sensible and achievable?

Do you agree that our definition of zero carbon?
Are we right in our assessment of what we should seek to achieve through the planning system and through Building Regulations?
Are there other policy instruments we should consider?
Where there are circumstances in which the additionality of offsetting measures outside the development can be demonstrated and are more cost-effective ( e.g. on small infill developments), is there a case for carbon neutrality (i.e. taking account of offsetting measures)?
Our proposed format for the event is:

An overview of the content and questions set out in the document
Bioregional - lessons learned delivering low and zero carbon buildings

Splitting into small groups to discuss the issues and develop responses
Groups feeding back their conclusions
Further discussion over drinks J
Following the event we, the Sponge heroes and heroines, will write-up the response for you, and submit it to DCLG using all the proper channels.

If you are interested in coming along and contributing (and hello!?! Who wouldn't be!??) Please email us at info@spongenet.org

See you there!