Sustainable building design and construction

This page provides links to council advice and guidance about building sustainably. Building more sustainably will help us to reduce our carbon emissions, bring down energy bills and promote improved health and wellbeing.

Planning guidance for sustainable building

If you are applying for planning permission there are new policies in the Bristol Development Framework, adopted June 2011 which aims to:

• reduce carbon emissions
• promote adaptation to climate change
• integrate sustainable energy into new development
• promote sustainable building
• reduce flood risk and promote sustainable drainage

You will need to submit a sustainability statement and energy strategy with your application and if yours is a major development, you will also need to carry out a BREEAM and/or Code for Sustainable Homes assessment. More detail in these policies and advice on how to work with them is contained within the Climate Change and Sustainability Practice Note (pdf, 410 KB).

Sustainable energy

If you are considering a renewable energy project either as a stand-alone project or as part of a new development, useful information can be found in the Bristol Citywide Sustainable Energy Survey (pdf, 7.9 MB).  This research was carried out by the Centre for Sustainable Energy and assesses the viability of different sustainable energy technologies, identifying  areas where density and demand are likely to make district heat networks viable.

Solar photovoltaic panels

In most cases, unless your house is listed or in a conservation area, planning permission is not needed to put photovoltaic (PV) panels on your roof.

Listed building consent will be necessary if your house is listed. For more detailed guidance see the Planning Portal solar panel page.

If planning permission or listed building consent is necessary, advice on submitting these and the supporting information required can be obtained from planning services – see submitting a planning application.

Building regulations consent will be needed to ensure that the installation is safe. Your installer can arrange this. Contact our Building Control team for more information.

An online solar map for Bristol is now available, which can show you whether your home is likely to be suitable for solar panels.

Paving your front garden?

If you are paving over your front garden you will need planning permission as well as a highways licence unless the design allows the water to soak away. This is  because paving over front gardens for parking can lead to increased risk of flooding in built up areas, especially during the heavy downpours we have experienced recently. In older areas rainwater may go into the foul water sewer, and in heavy rainfall these can overflow and contaminate streams and rivers.

There are various ways of doing this and they can improve the appearance of your garden and the street as well as reducing water runoff.  In general it’s often possible to avoid paving the entire frontage, and it’s worth  retaining some planted areas either side of the car space.

Guidance

• Paving your front garden leaflet (pdf, 130 KB) - more advice on designs to consider
• Guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens (pdf) from the DCLG / Environment Agency
• Paving your front garden - Planning Portal website

Historic buildings and eco-refurbishment

It is possible to improve the energy efficiency of buildings which are listed or in conservation areas, and respect the building's integrity. This leaflet offers suggestions of how this can be done, and sources of further information. Eco-refurbishment and the historic environment leaflet (pdf, 0.6 MB)

Lots of useful advice on how to improve the energy efficiency of your home are available on the Bristol Green Doors website, together with some case studies. Bristol Green Doors also organises events showcasing eco-refurbishment projects in and around Bristol.