The Merton Rule
Key Principles
- Influencing national policy
Details
Each section has precise targets to be met, details of how these can be measured and case study examples of successful precedents.
Applicants provide details of how standards are met within a table, which clearly identifies the specific items that makes up each of the six principles, along with the scores associated with their achievement. This must be accompanied by a Sustainability Statement detailing the factors considered.
All schemes must meet the overall score for each principle. In achieving this, buildings will qualify for the councils proposed Sustainable Building Award Scheme.
The London Borough of Merton was the first local authority in the UK to include a policy in its Unitary Development Plan requiring ‘all new non-residential development above a threshold of 1,000m2…to incorporate renewable energy production equipment to provide at least 10% of predicted energy requirements’.
There was initial opposition to the policy from Government Office London and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) over concerns about its legalities under the Town and Country Planning Act and enforcement of renewables through Building Regulations. Merton formed an alliance with environmental and other organisations to explain the benefits of the policy and was instrumental in persuading the Government to confirm in Planning Policy Statement 22, both the legality of such policies, and its desire to see other boroughs emulate them.
This radical policy has ensured that similar renewable energy policies have become embedded into the mainstream and demonstrated the power of local governments.
Other Information
- Location: London Borough of Merton
- Project Team: London Borough of Merton
- Contact: www.themertonrule.org
