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The Green Charter, introduced in collaboration with Creative Environmental Networks (CEN), looks at a host of environmental issues with regard to SEEDA's development at Queenborough and Rushenden on the Isle of Sheppey, North Kent, where around 2,000 homes, leisure and community facilities, employment, office and retail space, are set to be built over the next five to ten years.

The Green Charter is part of a series of documents that form a comprehensive masterplan for the Queenborough and Rushenden area, which has been produced by SEEDA and has now been issued for pubic consultation by the local authority, Swale Borough Council.

It sets targets for the environmental performance of all new buildings, with energy and water sustainability targets at the heart of the agenda. Current plans include the potential for the installation of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system serving the whole site, using biomass in the form of woodchip as the main fuel. This type of system simultaneously generates usable heat and electricity in a single process.

Furthermore, because trees absorb the same amount of carbon during their lifetimes as they release when burned, they are almost carbon neutral when used as a fuel and therefore lead to significant carbon savings in comparison to fossil fuels. All homes connected to this system would need to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 and non-residential buildings would have a requirement to meet BREEAM "Excellent" rating.

Additional measures include smart meters which would allow home owners to monitor their energy use at all times. The development would also seek to minimise resource use through a number of measures including only using timber which is reclaimed, recycled or sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Rob Lewis, Sustainability Projects Manager for SEEDA and CEN said:
"These measures will not only minimise the schemes impact on the environment but will help residents reduce their energy use and therefore, save money. With 25 percent of the housing set to be affordable, this will be an important step towards alleviating fuel poverty. This illustrates how such schemes can address environmental, social and economic problems simultaneously."

Existing residents in the area could also benefit. SEEDA, CEN and Swale Borough Council are delivering an initiative that aims to ensure everybody is able to conserve more energy – in keeping with the aims of SEEDA's Regional Economic Strategy, which highlights the need to reduce CO2 emissions in the South East by 20 percent by the year 2016.

The scheme will provide homeowners with access to both low cost and grant aided sustainable energy measures that will help improve the quality of their homes. Loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, draught proofing, efficient boilers and better heating controls are all part of long list of measures that often pay themselves back within a couple of years.

Many of these measures, including whole heating systems, may also be free to install. Anyone who owns a home or rents from a private landlord, and are in receipt of income related benefits, may be able to claim a grant for all or part of the full cost of the installation. The Kent Energy Centre, run by CEN, should be able to help and can be reached free of charge on 0800 358 6669.