Summary
This Planning Statement introduces Dial Corner in a non-technical narrative, explaining the advanced technical solution of this fossil-fuel-free dwelling to be located within the hamlet of Suton. Dial Corner is a building designed to achieve an off- grid existence in preparation for the emerging post-hydrocarbon era, a time in which finite resources such as fossil fuels will no longer be the primary source of energy. It is proffered in this Planning Statement that Dial Corner is an ‘exceptional form of development’.
Evidencing the claim that Dial Corner is an ‘exception’, PART III describes how the proposal fulfills the three main criteria of the NPPF Paragraph 134; that it is innovative, promotes high levels of ‘sustainability’ and aligns with the recently introduced good practice guidance of the National Design Guide.
Once built, the building will set a new performance benchmark in the UK for residential dwellings with an unprecedented as-built SAP Rating of 167A and Environmental Rating of 152A. Third Party certification by Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd provides independent verification of the exceptional energy efficiency and carbon emission mitigation standards. Of the 12million registered EPC’s in the UK, Dial Corner’s EPC will be in the top 0.01% highest rated, making its performance better than ‘one in a million’.
To secure this performance with the benefit of a potential Planning Consent, the construction specification delivering this SAP Rating is included in PART V. It is this detail it is proposed to be included as a Planning Condition and the subject of a Section 106 Agreement.
Dial Corner’s exceptional building performance credentials improve on a unique portfolio of UK earth-sheltered buildings spanning 25years. One such development of four dwellings was awarded the RICS International Sustainable Building of the Year in 2006 and is located in the village of Honingham 11miles from Suton. A substantive body of independent evidence-based research and a legacy portfolio of earth-sheltered buildings underpins Dial Corner’s design solution and its construction specification is described in detail in PART IV. Dial Corner is proffered as representing the state-of-the-artxvi of UK earth-sheltered buildings while advancing the science of high thermal mass.
