News, Politics

Developers to be encouraged to use trees and open water to in bid to cool Nottingham down

By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter

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Developers of new buildings in Nottingham will now be encouraged to use more trees and open water to help cool the city down and reduce their impact  on the environment.

According to Nottingham City Council, studies have shown inner cities can be up to 7C higher compared to less dense, vegetated areas of the country, due to a process known as the ‘urban heat island effect’.

This is largely due to the darker surfaces and materials used in construction, which can absorb more heat.

A new council policy was adopted on Tuesday (June 17), under which developers will now be urged to use better materials and increase their use of trees, vegetation and open water.

It comes as temperatures in Nottingham and the wider country are due to reach highs of up to 33C this month, as the UK continues to experience rising temperatures.

According to the Government, the temperature between 2012 and 2021 has been on average 1C warmer than the 1961 to 1990 average, while 2022 was the UK’s hottest year on record.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting in which the policy was adopted, Cllr Jay Hayes, executive member for housing and planning, said the push for developers to use more “green and blue” infrastructure was his favourite element of the plan.

“What I do particularly like is the focus on green and blue infrastructure using natural surroundings to help us with those new developments,” he said.

“We look forwards to working with developers as they come forward at an early state to incorporate as much of this as they can in new developments.”

Under the plan developers must now demonstrate how they have used measures to combat the urban heating effect, including through increasing the abundance of foliage and vegetation which is native and climate resilient, increasing canopy cover and shading from trees, using more bodies of open water for enhanced evaporative cooling, and the use of more reflective materials.

The document also states green roofs could be used as one way to combat heating, with modelling simulations having shown indoor temperature reductions from green roofs of up to 3C.

The average air temperature under street trees can be up to 3.3C cooler than open pavement streets, the document adds.

While not legally-binding, it will further urge developers to reduce their carbon footprint through better use of natural resources, solar panels, and heat pumps.

It comes as the Labour-run council looks to become the first carbon-neutral city in the UK by 2028.

To become carbon neutral, the exact amount of harmful carbon dioxide (C02) released into the atmosphere must be balanced through absorption or removal.

According to the document, carbon emissions from buildings in Nottingham represent around 25 per cent of the total carbon emissions of the city.

Cllr Hayes said the document should help the authority in its bid to hit the target by 2028, while also benefiting residents by reducing their energy bills and improving the quality of future homes.

“It will improve the quality of buildings that are being built,” he added.

“If it is for housing, they will have higher energy proficiency ratings, which will then result in lower energy bills for tenants.

“It will help us with our wider council targets of reducing carbon across the city.

“It should improve the quality of new developments or buildings because they are using newer technology, and it will make the buildings more sustainable for the future, they should be long-lasting.”