Levitt Bernstein, Etude, Hawkins\Brown, Introba, and Currie & Brown were commissioned as a collaborative team to carry out an Embodied Carbon Policy Study for Essex. This study serves as a planning policy evidence base for the districts in Essex seeking to include embodied carbon policy in their Local Plan.

The study includes modelling of three low-rise house typologies in detail to determine the range of upfront embodied carbon and lifecycle embodied carbon that can be arrived at for different construction methods. Capital costing of the modelled options demonstrates the viability of using low carbon materials and construction techniques.

It also serves as an embodied carbon explainer and investigates likely variation in upfront embodied carbon between data sources and material types.

The Essex Authorities are collaboratively working on a consistent planning policy position which takes forward the recommendations of the Study and will update the interim ‘place-holder policy’ included in the Planning Policy Position for Net Zero Carbon Homes and Buildings in Greater Essex (November 2023).

Essex has made the study publicly available below:

https://www.essexdesignguide.co.uk/climate-change/essex-embodied-carbon-policy-study/