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Representation ID: 7420

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Thakeham

These representations are made on behalf of Thakeham Homes in relation to the Regulation 18 Local Plan 2040 consultation.
About Thakeham
Thakeham is an infrastructure-led sustainable placemaker and is committed to creating new, extraordinary places, where the highest attention to detail makes a positive difference.
Thakeham build for the future, for communities and for individuals. Our approach sets us apart from our competitors. We deliver our schemes with a focus on sustainable development, looking ahead of current housing standards. From 2025, all Thakeham Homes will be carbon neutral in construction and zero carbon in lifetime use.
Each development is different and tailored to its locality, with careful consideration of the area’s character, as well as the environment. As a sustainable placemaker first and foremost, Thakeham’s commitment to improving existing communities means its schemes are design and infrastructure-led; engaging with education, highways, healthcare, utilities and other stakeholders from the start of a project. The delivery of homes facilitates the delivery of physical, social and green/blue infrastructure which benefits the wider surrounding area, as well as the new residents, and ensures that Thakeham create sustainable places to live and work.
The emerging Environment Bill sets out Government’s target of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain across development sites. However, through our landscaping approach, we will seek to achieve 20% Biodiversity Net Gain, including hedgehog highways, year-round variation for wildlife, as well as green and blue infrastructure, open space and play space.
We will engage local primary schools with our ‘Eddie & Ellie’s Wild Adventures’ initiative to promote the importance of ecology and biodiversity, delivering National Curriculum linked activities and early career-based learning.
At every stage, our approach is one that ensures we leave a legacy behind that everyone can be proud of.
Thakeham design all homes to be beautiful and reflect the character of the area. The materials used across all developments are of the highest quality. Thakeham builds all developments tenure blind to ensure no drop off in quality.
As one of 12 members of the NHS Healthy New Towns network, Thakeham is a committed advocate of developing healthy places in line with the Healthy New Town principles. But over time, we have realised that these principles are just the starting blocks, and at Thakeham we are committed to delivering sustainable, zero carbon communities.
Our level of commitment to sustainability means that we are streets ahead of our competitors and aiming for a far higher level of impact. Thakeham has become the first housebuilder in the UK, and one of only five in the construction sector globally to have made commitments on the SME Climate Hub, and be part of the United Nations’ Race To Zero campaign. As part of this, we have committed to the SME Climate Commitment. Recognising that climate change poses
a threat to the economy, nature and society-at-large, our company has pledged to take action immediately in order to halve our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, achieve net zero emissions before 2050, and to disclose our progress on a yearly basis. Our sites will include the following sustainability improvements:
• All Thakeham homes will be carbon neutral in production and zero carbon in lifetime operation by 2025. This puts us well ahead of the pledges we have made as referred to above.
• On all Thakeham developments we follow industry best-practice by taking a ‘fabric first approach’, which looks at how design and materials can contribute to the energy performance of the completed building.
• We will also consider the potential for incorporating sustainable energy features, such as air-source or ground-source heat pumps, communal rainwater recycling, solar panels, battery storage, renewable energy tariffs, and highly efficient heating and hot water systems.
• Thakeham uses a UK-based factory which manufactures panels using timber from sustainable sources. The off-site panelised system improves efficiency, speed of construction, quality, and reduces carbon emissions.
• Our Sustainable Procurement Policy encourages the use of recycled materials, such as otherwise nonrecyclable waste plastics (One tonne of MacRebur mix contains the equivalent of 80,000 plastic bottles), as well as utilise products part of a circular economy.
• We ensure that our whole supply chain is a local as possible. We have gold membership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School.
• On site, we monitor and aim to minimise construction travel emissions, construction waste and energy consumption and are registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
Our approach sets us apart from our competitors. We deliver our schemes with a focus on sustainable development, looking ahead of current housing standards.