The Challenge
Around 30% of the energy currently consumed in Totnes and District is accounted for by the domestic sector. Apart from a handful of buildings in the town that are exemplars of sustainable construction and retrofit (see below), most of the housing in Totnes is of a low standard of energy efficiency. As our survey reveals, 58% of households don’t even know how much insulation they have in their loft. To put it simply, the challenge in terms of building and housing in Totnes and District is threefold.
Firstly, how do we ensure that all new building meets the very highest standards in terms of energy efficiency, as well as using the healthiest materials with the lowest environmental impact and carbon emissions? Secondly, how do we retrofit the existing 9,481 residential properties, so as to maximise their energy performance? Although the first is more attractive, it is the second where the greater challenge lies, but also where the greatest impact can be had. Then thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, how do we do the previous two within the very short period of time available to us, whilst also ensuring social equity and access to affordable housing?
Although Totnes and District is in a rural area, it has a fairly high density of housing and this will have serious implications if we need to accommodate more needs, such as food and fuel production for local people. Future planning is subject to the Local Development Framework (LDF) which, while very restrictive in terms of individuals who may wish to live in the rural hinterland, does anticipate a considerable programme of new building to accommodate those on current housing lists in response to a predicted housing shortage over the next decade. The new planning system is intended to speed up planning decisions, having opened up community consultation at the earlier local strategic planning stages to outline Core Strategies and agree local Development Plan Documents (DPD).
In the 21 years up to 2030, we also need to plan for less familiar structures and designs in a rapidly changing landscape. We need to plan for more renewable power systems, some very close to home, and some indeed mounted on our roofs. We need to plan for more people growing their own food, more agricultural workers, more affordable homes and developments, which cater for an ageing community. Our landscape is likely to be more pressured by a growing need to provide local food, wood-fuel and building supplies, while maintaining the natural biodiversity within local habitats and without exceeding the natural environmental limits.
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