Jenny Ellender, Planning Director, gives her views on sustainability being the foundation of good development:
At planning committee recently, I heard a comment that left me scratching my head. A committee member suggested that the sustainability credentials of a scheme were no longer important, because national targets are likely to change soon.
I appreciate it is a view that is reflective of a growing misconception within the industry and that outside of it too; that sustainability is simply a box to tick, a policy requirement, or a target to meet until the next (or indeed, the current) government decides otherwise. However, that target-driven approach entirely misses the point.
Sustainability was never supposed to be about numbers on a spreadsheet. It was never just about carbon calculations, solar panels or renewable energy generation. Air source heat pumps really do make a house more sustainable but while these measures undoubtedly have an important part to play, they are only one part of a much bigger picture.
At its heart, sustainability is about creating a good development. It is about ensuring that the places we build today remain desirable, practical and resilient for future generations. It’s about understanding how new development fits within its surroundings and how it can positively contribute to the communities and environments that already exist.
This principle sits at the centre of every project we promote at Colecar Strategic Land. When we assess land and prepare planning applications, our objective is not simply to secure a consent, it’s to secure the very best consent possible. That means we create proposals that work with the landscape, respect the environment, respond to local needs and leave a lasting positive legacy.
This extends well beyond environmental measures. One of the greatest challenges facing many communities today is affordability. Across the country, young people are increasingly finding themselves unable to remain in the towns and villages where they grew up because suitable housing is simply beyond their reach. We hear it when we consult, regularly.
If we are serious about creating sustainable communities, then affordable housing must be part of the conversation. Allowing local families to remain close to their support networks, enabling younger generations to stay within their communities, maintaining balanced and thriving populations, and supporting dwindling infrastructure such as schools, are all fundamental elements of sustainability.
These outcomes benefit not only future residents but existing communities too.
Of course, environmental performance remains important. Reducing energy consumption, lowering future household bills and embracing renewable technologies all contribute to better places. But sustainability cannot be reduced to a discussion about energy alone, it requires a wider more holistic approach.
The most successful developments are those that recognise the relationship between people, place, environment and community. They are developments that feel like a natural extension of an area rather than an imposition upon it.
Planning policies and government targets will continue to evolve, as they always have. What should not change is our ambition to create developments that stand the test of time.
For landowners considering the future of their land, that distinction matters. A planning consent is not simply an end goal. The quality of that consent, and the legacy it creates, is what ultimately defines success.
Landowners, many of whom are farmers, have always been the long-term stewards of the countryside, caring for and shaping their land over generations. With that stewardship comes a responsibility to consider not only the value of the land today, but the legacy it leaves for tomorrow. When land is brought forward for development, the objective should not simply be to maximise housing numbers or secure a planning consent; it should be to create places that enhance the environment, support local communities and remain appealing and functional for decades to come.
At Colecar Strategic Land, we remain committed to promoting sites that deliver environmental value, support communities and create places where people genuinely want to live. Sustainability is not a passing target; it is the foundation upon which good development is built.
