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Application of tools
Name of the case study
Angelina Street housing regeneration scheme.
Name of tool
Cardiff County Council (CCC) Sustainability Appraisal Matrix
Description of tool - character
The matrix has been developed by CCC as a method of assessment of projects, plans and strategies for their impacts, whether positive or negative, on sustainable development. The matrix is intended to help integrate sustainable decision making practice into the council, and is arranged around the three key themes of sustainable development:
• Effective protection of the environment and prudent use of natural resources,
• Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone,
• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth.
CCC has adopted the matrix and it is now council policy that all funding bids must submit a complete matrix.
The matrix is a checklist of 24 main items with sub-items within them relating to the above key themes such as
• Reducing natural resource consumption – limit use of non-renewable resources (gas, minerals),
• identify opportunities to use recycled or reused materials, commit to using sustainable local timber sources
• Health of individuals – promote walking and cycling, encourage healthy eating, promote allotment use and provision of recreational facilities.
• Reducing unemployment – job creation, back to work training, utilise local workforce, provision of voluntary work, work placements.
Completion involves scoring each item relating to the expected effect of plan/proposal as definite negative, possible negative, neutral, possible positive, definite positive and there is also the opportunity to add comments.
The matrix is designed to help with:
• Report writing;
• Contract development and assessment;
• Project appraisal;
• Grant application assessment;
• Service statement preparation;
• Policy and programme development and review.
Description of tool - availability
The tool is paper based and includes accompanying guidance notes.
Description of tool - existing
The matrix is a relatively newly created tool, created specifically by and for CCC by the Sustainable Development Unit of Strategic Planning and Neighbourhood Renewal.
Description of tool - adaptation
As a result of the tool being specifically designed for the project the tool did not require adaption for local context.
Name of tool
Cardiff Partnering Scheme
Description of tool - character
This is a guideline/management concept to assist partners to work together to share information in a more open form of working practice. The Partnering Scheme is a general concept supported by Constructing Excellence (a UK government supported organisation) that outlines the construction partnership as
(i) commitment to the concept
(ii) self-assessment of the project prior to the partnership
(iii) selection of partners
(iv) the mutual objective of all the partners
(v) agreement on a project resolution mechanism
(vi) agreement of key performance indicators (KPI) for assessment of continuous improvement
(vii) contractual agreements for the partnership and procurement procedures
(viii) an agreement of risks and rewards related to the projects development e.g. targets may relate to KPIs, cost, time etc.
The principles of Agenda 21 and sustainability in construction have come to the fore through the scheme.
Description of tool - availability
This is not a web based tool, but a concept. Further information from http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/
Description of tool - existing
It is an existing process supported by Constructing Excellence, a government supported organisation working to achieve a step change in construction productivity through focus in innovation, best practice knowledge, productivity and enlargement.
Description of tool - adaptation
The concept applies to all development programme management and has been applied to many projects across the UK that can be seen on the Constructing Excellence website.
Name of tool
Contract evaluation
Description of tool - character
A Contractor Selection Matrix was used as an assessment method for potential contractors for the Cardiff Partnership Scheme designed by CCC. The matrix focuses on the following issues: Sustainability/Low Energy Housing; Costs; Mixed Tenure; Agenda 21; Training Initiatives; Lifetime Homes; A commitment to partnering; and an assessment of previous experience in public and private sector housing regeneration and development.
Angelina Street is the first development by CCC to be driven by a sustainability and social agenda rather than purely cost. Managers directly involved in the project were not involved in the selection process of the tenders in order to prevent prior knowledge influencing the decision. Assessors were unaware of the financial cost of the tender until a decision was made using the sustainability scoring system.
Description of tool - availability
The tool is paper based.
Description of tool - existing
The tool was created for use in the project, and therefore required no further adaption.
Description of tool - adaptation
The tool was created for use in the project, and therefore required no further adaption.
Name of tool
Housing sight checklist
Description of tool - character
This checklist provides a set of standards to help build an accessible home for people with serious sight loss. It is aimed at all involved in house design, development and management. The guide sets the standards of good practice that are capable of being copied across the housing sector. The Royal National Institute for the Blind funded the development of the tool in collaboration with JMU Access Partnership and Wales and West Housing Association.
Description of tool - availability
The tool costs £19.95 (plus £2.50 handling charge) and is available in print, braille, tape and disk. From http://onlineshop.rnib.org.uk
Description of tool - existing
The guide is based on the principles of lifetime homes and has been informed by those with sight loss and professionals in the field.
Description of tool - adaptation
The principles of the tool have been followed as provided.
Name of tool
Joseph Rowntree Lifetime Homes
Description of tool - character
The Lifetime Homes criteria are guidance consisting of sixteen design including:
• The living room should be at entrance level,
• Living room window glazing should begin at 800mm or lower and windows should be easy to open/ operate,
• Walls in bathrooms and toilets should be capable of taking adaptations such as handrails.
These features help to ensure a new house or flat will meet the needs of most households. This tool contains external and internal features of new housing and includes items such as sockets at a convenient height, parking space capable of widening to 3300mm and walls able to take adaptations.
The incorporation of the features listed ensures accessibility and design features that make the home flexible enough to meet whatever comes along in life are considered e.g. a teenager with a broken leg, a family member with a serious illness. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggest that "If all homes over the next 30 years were built to these standards, the quantifiable benefits to the country would average around £250 per dwelling, and there would also be significant additional non-quantifiable benefits" this would be achieved through reduced expenditure on adaptions and reduced need for the moving of people to residential homes.
Description of tool - availability
The tool consists of a paper based guide available from http://www.jrf.org.uk/housingandcare/lifetimehomes/
Description of tool - existing
The tool is an existing tool, developed in 1991 by a group of housing experts who formed the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Lifetime Homes Group. 16 criteria were created as a result of concern over the quality of British housing and inaccessibility for all people.
Description of tool - adaptation
The tool was used as a check to ensure that modifications were made at a design/construction stage. The tool was not adapted to the local context.
Name of tool
Secured by design
Description of tool - character
This is a UK police initiative to encourage the building industry to adopt crime prevention measures in design of developments to assist in reducing the opportunity for crime and the fear of crime, creating a safer and more secure environment. It is intended to achieve a better quality of life by addressing crime prevention at the earliest opportunity in the design, layout and construction of homes and commercial premises.
The scheme functions on two levels (i) An award to developers who build developments to Secured by Design standards and (ii) A licensing scheme for products which meet police preferred specifications. In order to achieve the award the following safety issues must be considered: Roads and footpaths, landscaping, street lighting, communal areas, dwelling identification, dwelling boundaries, utilities, car parking, front door, side and back door, French windows, garages, communal entrance doors, flat entrance doors served off a shared corridor or stairway, security lighting and conservatories.
Description of tool - availability
Information on Secured by design specifications and standards are available free from http://www.securedbydesign.com/
Description of tool - existing
The information is currently identified by ACPO CPI for Secured by Design "Police Preferred Specification" licences. Further standards will be added as considered appropriate by ACPO CPI.
Description of tool - adaptation
The tool has been developed using UK standards and covers the entire country.
Name of tool
Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP)
Description of tool - character
SAP is a calculations tool for producing an energy rating (SAP rating) and a carbon index (CI) for a dwelling, based on calculated energy required for space and water heating. The calculation assumes a standard occupancy pattern, derived from measured floor area of the dwelling, and a standard heating pattern. Both the energy rating and the CI are adjusted for floor area so that the size of the dwelling does not affect the results, which are expressed on a scale of SAP rating 1 to 120 and CI 0.0 to 10.00 – the higher the number, the better the standard. A full SAP rating requires data entry of over 108 items however a basic SAP rating can be calculated using much fewer data. Although accuracy is lost when summarising information, SAP values calculated are useful.
Description of tool - availability
The computer program or paper based guidance can be downloaded free from http://projects.bre.co.uk/sap2001/
Description of tool - existing
The first published ´Standards Assessment Procedure´ by the UK Department of the Environment and the Building Research Establishment was released in 1993. A number of updates have been released since. The current version was updated in December 2002. A new edition is currently under review and is due to be released in 2005.
Description of tool - adaptation
Adaption to the local context is not necessary as the tool is designed to cover all housing in the UK.
What tools were used to assess sustainability?
Cardiff County Council (CCC) Sustainability Appraisal Matrix
Joseph Rowntree Lifetime Homes
Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP)
More information