Community trusts plan a sustainable future

August 26 2010

Two Yorkshire community-led trusts are pioneering a novel way of ensuring high standards of sustainability in building design and management by committing to the become Sustainable Transport Buildings.

Hebden Bridge Community Association, which is planning an enterprise centre on land in the town centre, and Newlands Community Association, which is developing an eco business park for small businesses in north Bradford, have devised the concept of the Sustainable Transport Building. Both plan to be the first organisations in the country to merit this status for their own developments. They define a sustainable transport building as one which actively encourages the use of public transport, cycling and walking, as an alternative to the unnecessary or excessive use of private cars.

Building location, design and operation are all taken into account.

Andrew Bibby, trustee of Hebden Bridge CA, said: “We’re working with our architects to design in facilities such as cycle storage and showers to encourage the future users of our building to leave their cars at home. We have a host of ideas for ways to encourage sustainable transport alternatives, from real-time train departure information in the foyer to access to professional cycle servicing whilst the bike owners are at work.”

Tony Holdich, business manager of Newlands Community Association, said: “Our planned Newlands Enterprise Park is going to be the largest straw-bale building in Europe, and we’re already making sure that it meets very high standards of sustainability in terms of energy use. Our commitment to becoming a Sustainable Transport Building is another way for us to demonstrate the importance we give to green issues.”