Major developments that are predominantly residential use must demonstrate how they have been designed to reduce overheating following Approved Document Part O and TM59 methodology.

Water resources should be carefully managed to reduce water stress and scarcity and to improve resilience to climate change.

Developers should consider the use of rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, and water-efficient fixtures and fittings. Water efficiency measures should be integrated into the design from the outset and contribute to wider sustainability and climate adaptation objectives.

All new residential developments must achieve, as a minimum, the optional requirements set through Building Regulations Requirement G2: Water Efficiency (and any subsequent updates) of 110 litres per person per day.

All major non-residential development must incorporate water efficiency measures so that predicted per capita consumption does not exceed the levels set out in the applicable BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standard. Where the ‘Excellent’ standard cannot be achieved, evidence must be submitted with the application to satisfactorily justify the approach.

Stockport has the fourth largest population of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs and is the sixth largest emitter in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings account for around 26% of UK carbon emissions77. Meeting our 2038 carbon neutrality target (which includes all greenhouse gas emissions in Stockport) will require new development to achieve net zero carbon in advance of then. To help achieve carbon neutrality by 2038, a local target has been set where new development should be net zero carbon by 2028, as we should not be building homes and workplaces that will require retrofitting in the near future.

The council has established ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets in line with evidence and the ambitions set out in Stockport's Climate and Nature (CAN) Plan and achieving Greater Manchester's net zero target by 2038. Emissions from buildings have been decreasing gradually over recent years largely due to increases in energy efficiency and decarbonisation of electricity production, however, more needs to be done to enable us to meet our carbon reduction targets and stay within our boroughwide carbon budget. Energy use intensity (EUI) thresholds have been specified in the policy as a clear way to design developments in a way that will meet net zero targets. The EUI relates to energy consumed at the meter and reflects the maximum energy budget for different building types, to enable a decarbonised grid to meet the remaining demand.