Requirement to provide 10% renewable energy

Hi,

I wonder if anyone could help me deal with a query with regard to planning policy.

The circumstance is that I am dealing with a 3 bed terraced house which is being separated into two separate dwellings. My local Borough Council planning department are insisting that the application demonstrates how the development will generate 10% of the energy used from renewables, yet it feels to me that this is excessive when related to the scope of the works required to complete the separation.

A lot of local development plans from other areas state that this requirement is only applicable to development of 5 or more dwellings and the South East Plan from 2009 states 10 or more developments. My Local boroughs (Epsom) Local Plan however, only, 'encourages larger housing and commercial schemes to provide at least 10% of the development’s energy from renewable sources'. I fail to see how the separation of a 3 bed terrace house into 2 flats can be appraised as a larger scheme. I wrote a long email to the planning department seeking clarification and have received a couple of lines in reply saying simply 'I reiterate that the conversion into two units would require you to submit evidence that 1o% of the energy requirements will be met from renewable sources', but provides no further information or substantiation.

I guess my question is could anyone clarify where these requirements come from and give me any guidance as to whether it is worth trying to mitigate this requirement or should we just accept the requirement.

Thanks in advance for any advice. It will be gratefully received.

Phil

Just ask them where it states in the Local Plan Guidance or similar that your proposed development fits within their criteria.

Tell them you're going to sign the properties up to a tariff from an electricity supplier which sources at least 10% of it's energy from renewables?