London scoping - ukcip

Final Report
273
• In Central London positive feedback loop from air conditioning plant increasing air
temperatures outside in the heat island.
• More Grass, heath and scrub fires in summer.
ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES
• Climate change as a driver to greater environmental awareness.
• Need to study the role of trees to demonstrate their benefits to the population.
• Role of tree planting to create shade, filtering of pollution etc.
• Reduced development on green field sites. Stem tide of decline in green spaces.
• Planning policies could help create new habitats leading to increased biodiversity.
• New habitat creation.
• Opportunity to ‘internationalise’ nature conservation agenda - shared objectives to
accommodate shifting species (for e.g.).
• Encourage pedestrianisation of certain areas where transport links are good.
• More cycling and walking - hopefully less road congestion and raise health, less
Public Transport congestion.
• Consideration of microclimates in design of development.
• Promoting use of water saving devices at the home especially hippos for toilets.
• SUDS (grey water retention/filtering) and better urban landscape.
• More use of rainwater storage for housing (make use of winter rain).
• Green roofs for: heat island mitigation (local cooling etc).
• Encouraging natural lighting and ventilation. Encourage sustainable building
design through development plans. Encourage use of groundwater resources and
recycling of ‘grey water’. Encourage renewable energies and efficient use of
resources.
• Managed realignment - Combined with imaginative design and construction of
associated buildings - lifetime gains for developments, quality of life gains for
occupants. Flood mitigation.
• Imperative for quality environment as housing density increases.
• SPG on sustainable construction and design (part of Mayor’s draft London Plan).
• Sustainable building can also lead to an increase in quality building.
• Local protection/retreat of flood defences/imaginative construction and design.
• More sustainable design and integration of this information into planning
mechanisms.