Sustainability
Sustainability and wellbeing form a key part of our proposals. We will deliver a sustainable development using the 'One Planet Living®' principles, which cover all aspects of sustainable living. We will encourage wildlife – including the creation of a new, publicly accessible green space at the heart of the development – and will aim to improve health and wellbeing, as well as minimise carbon emissions and waste.
The development will be largely car-free, with the exception of 2 blue badge spaces, 2 car club bays (for EVs and with charge points) and 2 loading bays, minimising traffic impact on the surrounding area. We are planning to establish an electric vehicle car club to assist those who occasionally require the use of a car. Limited vehicle movements will make the site enjoyable and easy for cyclists and pedestrians to arrive at and use.
The future buildings will be all electric using a combination of on and off-site renewable sources. There will be no fossil fuel use on site and materials used for construction will be durable and responsibly sourced. The proposal will achieve a 58.3% reduction in homes’ carbon emissions compared to the national standard in Building Regulations.
Devonshire Gardens is located next to the Chisholm Trail, a new walking and cycling route that will connect the main Cambridge railway station to Cambridge North and to the Busway cycleway. We are creating an open green space that supports health and wellbeing, and supports secure and safe active travel, such as cycling and walking. High-quality signage will be in place to aid navigation on foot and bicycle.
We will provide generous, secure bicycle parking for residents, workers and visitors, including facilities for e-bikes and cargo bikes.
We want to maximise biodiversity to deliver a measurable net gain across the space, with wildlife friendly green space. We will plant new trees throughout the site and enhance contact with nature.
There will be solar panels or green roofs across buildings to help generate energy from zero carbon methods.
There will be various forms of edible planting on site available for the benefit of the local community. We will be creating opportunities for accessible food growing and promote access to healthy and sustainable food, whilst supporting local food networks.
Rainwater will be collected and stored to help irrigate the edible planting and other green areas. We want to minimise water demand on the mains water supply, and protect the quality of previous water resources.
We will be using a number of frameworks and sustainability standards as we work towards our commitment to champion environmental sustainability and align with international, national and local sustainability targets:
Working with cycling specialists, Five at Heart, we will provide exemplary cycling facilities and are targeting a Cycle Heart Rating.
Embedding specific sustainability standards such as BREEAM certification, an internationally recognised sustainability tool.
Measuring the project’s contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Committing to using the One Planet Living principles, which cover all aspects of sustainability including health and happiness and helping nature flourish; using natural building materials, and minimising carbon emissions and waste. We are using the One Planet Living framework created by Bioregional – find out more at www.bioregional.com/one-planet-living
