October 2009
Other speakers at the event were Russell Smith of Parity Eco-solutions and the Federation of Master Builders on the opportunities offered by refurbishment for builders and Simon Astill of Roland Hill who provided background on the Government’s “Retrofit for the Future” Programme.
As one of the largest construction companies and house builders in Cumbria we are proud to be leading the way in green build projects and Fred Story was happy to talk about some of the things we are doing to reduce carbon emissions as a company and our aspirations to provide sustainable homes for the communities we create.
Fred outlined initiatives in place to improve fuel efficiency such as our ‘Find me a lift’ Car Share Scheme, tracker systems and recent reduction of van usage by 22 vans. Initiatives are also in place to reduce waste and increase recycling such as the office paper recycling scheme, timber recycling in conjunction with Cumbria Waste Management and the implementation of site waste management plans.
Kingmoor Stone Recycling WAMITAB Approved Facility operated by Story Rail is another exemplary example of how the Story Group are fighting climate change. Ballast from the rail network is cleaned ready for use in the construction industry. Benefits to the environment include reduction in waste going to landfill, cleaning of pollutants from rail ballast, reduction in transportation of raw materials and reduction in the quantity of natural raw materials being quarried.
The efforts being made to reduce carbon emissions are also evident in our housing developments including the employment of the first Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor in Cumbria. Summerpark in Dumfries boasts our first eco show home which includes Photovoltaic roof panels, a Smart Metering system, composting facilities, improved water efficiency and energy efficient lighting.
Story are also developing plans for an eco-village development at Crindledyke in Carlisle.
The site is within the ‘Carlisle Urban Area’ and the location provides the opportunity to develop a new sustainable community. All homes on the site will be a minimum Code for Sustainable Homes Level Four, which requires carbon emissions to be 44% lower than current build standard. In order to achieve this Story will employ a range of technologies and an alternative energy supply. Other green build characteristics of this development include improved water efficiency, SUDs system, community facilities, open space, allotments and playgrounds, architectural design and sustainable transport with links to the National Cycle Network and a contribution being made to Element 6 (northern leg) of the Connect 2 Cycle route. All building materials will achieve a Green Guide rating of A-C, and where possible sourced locally.
In the North West Sustainable Checklist for Developments the Crindledyke development scored Best for Place Making, Community, Transport, Ecology and Buildings and scored Good for Climate Change.
Story Group recognises the significance of climate change. We must ensure that we manage the risks in a sensible and robust manner. We also acknowledge that we have a role to play in minimising our contribution to climate change. As a house builder we believe we should be building communities and homes that are sustainable, energy efficient and encourage our customers to minimise their own contribution to climate change.
