The advice in the Sustainable Design and Construction SPD still stands in that all schemes should use the energy hierarchy. Passive, fabric based measures such as enhanced insulation and airtightness should always be investigated first as these are the easiest for new residents to use and enhance the longevity of the sustainability measures. After this, energy efficiency measures such as mechanical ventilation with heat recovery should be used.
Finally, on-site LZC energy should be used to further reduce the DER to the required level. Further advice on how to approach sustainable design is in sections 3.24-3.41 of the Sustainable Design and Construction SPD and guidance on the kinds of LZC technologies that are most suitable for Portsmouth is in appendix 2 of the SDP.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government published a Ministerial Statement on 25th March 2015. This formed the culmination of the Housing Standards Review (Gov.uk), which sought to rationalise the locally derived standards which are applied to new housing developments. Whilst the statement does not change any policy in the adopted development plan, it will constitute a material consideration when assessing proposed developments against the adopted policies. This note sets out how the city council will consider the Ministerial Statement in applying certain policies of the Portsmouth Plan.