Tuesday 19 May 2020

Net zero garden village to help Shropshire tackle climate emergency

A £40 million investment in a garden-style village development which would comprise 3,000 sustainably developed homes and 1.8 million square feet of commercial space could help Shropshire country tackle its climate emergency.

Bradford Estates has rolled out plans to build a project, named J3, which is expected to create up to 8,000 jobs, boost the local economy by an additional £390 million a year and generate about £100 million of new revenue for Shropshire Council.

WSP, a global consultancy in sustainable development, has made recommendations that could help the new village achieve net zero carbon status.

A £23 million investment by Bradford Estates would see 45% of the electricity needed to power the homes and commercial properties provided using ‘roof tile-looking’ solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.

The new buildings could also incorporate inbuilt solutions like insulation or air source heat pumps to reduce energy consumption.

The community will also be self-sufficient in a bid to reduce its residents' need to travel outside of the project, while several battery charging points will facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and green buses.

Alexander Newport, Bradford Estates’ Managing Director, said: “During the current Covid lockdown, we have seen a staggering reduction in carbon levels across the country and indeed across the UK.

“As we look to the future, we need to ensure that we don’t revert to old habits which will return emissions to pre-pandemic levels. This means a new approach to considering the environmental impact of everything we do, including future developments like J3."