Click on any of the statements or questions below to see how the North West Cambridge team responded.
"Are you really aiming for the very highest environmental standards? Can’t you push even further?"
Consultees from within and outside the University have made it very clear that they expect the University to meet high sustainability standards with this development. We share that view and are constantly enhancing our plans to reflect this.
We are very confident that the North West Cambridge project, even as currently planned, will be one of the most sustainable developments in the United Kingdom. But we are still working to push it further, particularly by building in the flexibility to use new technologies as standards emerge during the lifetime of the development.
With the residential elements, for example, all dwellings will be aiming for Level 5 (out of 6) of the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes from the start of development in 2012. Level 5 of the Code represents a major leap forward in sustainability standards and will mean that the dwellings we build have some of the lowest energy and water use in the country and in the Cambridge area (even compared to the other expansion sites). From 2016 homes will be built to Code Level 6.
Some have asked why we are not building to Code Level 6 from the start. Both levels 5 and 6 of the Code require developers to design dwellings to the same extremely high level of energy efficiency and install the maximum amount of on-site renewable energy technologies. This means that adopting Code 6 from the start would not result in any greater on-site carbon savings or substantially alter the energy strategy we have adopted. The difference between Code 5 and Code 6 lies in the level of payment into carbon offset schemes to mitigate any residual carbon emissions.
"You should use the commercial receipts to subsidise the cost of high environmental standards."
We are. The cost of delivering these high environmental standards is substantial and the University will be financing these without any public subsidy.
"What will the energy centre look like? Will you be employing the latest sustainable technologies?"
Many people have been asking for more information about the form of energy provision on site because this is an important element in creating a sustainable development. This is likely to develop over time as the site grows and new technological advances are made.
At the early stage the proposed energy centre will be located within the Local Centre and also be used as an education resource to teach residents and visitors about sustainable living. One option under consideration is to make the building a key architectural feature, with sustainable technologies on show, as a signpost of the sustainable aspirations of the development.
The centre will house a small, highly efficient, gas power station to produce electricity for the site. This reduces carbon emissions since the surrounding buildings can make use of the vast amounts of waste heat produced from the production of electricity – unlike large power stations located in the countryside.
An advantage of such an energy centre is that it can be provided incrementally, which means that heat and power can be provided for efficiently as the scheme grows through phased development.
Under the Area Action Plan (the adopted planning policy for the area) and by its own desire, the University is required to maximize sustainability and examine other methods of energy and heat production over time, which is why a site is also being reserved for a possible alternative energy source in the future.
"Graduates are very concerned to keep costs low. Will residents be able to control individual energy consumption in student residences, for example through being able to control heating and lighting in their own room, separate billing to encourage more economic use."
In the focus groups we held with under-graduates and post-graduates this was a big issue. It is clear that individuals want to have responsibility over their own energy use. We also propose to install separate metering in all key worker homes so that those who save energy will be able to benefit from the energy cost reductions.
The student accommodation will have thermostatic heating controls and lighting controls in each room so that occupants can control their energy use. We will investigate separate metering of student bedrooms, but is not proposed at the moment because of the costs and complexities of metering and billing so many rooms. However, this could change over time as technologies improve.
"How will you ensure that you don't increase the flood risk for existing and future properties?"
Some people living around the site sought assurances that the development would not increase the flood risk to their neighbourhoods. We are therefore working hard to ensure that we will have no negative impact in this area.
Because we are addressing this at an early stage we can use design to manage effectively the water that will collect on site. We will use the natural slope from the centre of the site to the west as a way of channeling water into carefully designed ponds on the open space adjacent to the M11. We can then release this water over time into the Washpit Brook so that existing flow rates will not be exceeded. This means that there will be no adverse impact from flooding on the surrounding area.
In addition, we are currently running a computer simulation model of the Washpit Brook for various storm intensities to ensure that development complies with the Environment Agency's regulations for building next to water courses.
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