Bristol – Leading The Way On Embodied Carbon

In 2019, Bristol became the first UK local council to declare a climate emergency. They are now one of the first Local Authorities (outside London) to implement embodied carbon targets with an offset contribution in their Local Plan.

Once the Local Plan is fully adopted, major developments in Bristol will be required to undertake an embodied carbon assessment using a nationally recognised assessment methodology to meet the following benchmarks:

Upfront Embodied Carbon (Modules A1-A5)

• Residential (4 storeys or fewer) – <400 kgCO₂e/m²
• Residential (5 storeys or greater) – <500 kgCO₂e/m²
• Major non-residential schemes – <600 kgCO₂e/m²

Whole Life Cycle Embodied Carbon (Modules A-C):

• Residential (4 storeys or fewer) – <625 kgCO₂e/m²
• Residential (5 storeys or greater) – <800 kgCO₂e/m²
• Major non-residential schemes – <970 kgCO₂e/m²

The above targets include Modules A1-A5 (materials, site impacts & transport) and B-C (in-use and end of life emissions) which make these targets more challenging than those imposed on developments in London.

Any shortfall against the embodied carbon targets will likely be offset through a financial contribution, which is currently set at £373. This places an increased importance on getting the assumptions of the assessment as accurate as possible during the early stages as the results of the assessment can change anywhere between 10-20% between design and construction and this will impact the financial contribution.

The publication version of the new Local Plan for Bristol was agreed by Full Council in October 2023, it is expected to be adopted mid-2024.