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We've heard of carbon-neutral, but now the Government has revealed plans to make the Thames Gateway redevelopment water neutral, too. The £9 billion project includes carbon-zero buildings and proposals for what would be two of the largest offshore wind generation dams in the world, plus a biomass energy generation plant.
The Thames Gateway "eco-region" spans 40 miles along the river -- from Canary Wharf to Southend and Sittingbourne in Kent. The project would use new environmental technology and high environmental standards to implement green features, for example making energy-saving modifications to reduce the carbon emissions of existing homes in the region by 60 per cent, and making newly built homes completely carbon neutral.
The water-neutral scheme, however, is the really interesting part. Basically it means that the region will not need additional water -- despite all the new homes being built and people moving in to the area. In order to do this, says the Environment Agency, they will need to save about 42 mega litres (that's half a million baths) every day.
A year-long study, commisioned by the Environment Agency, Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Defra, concluded that the Thames Gateway region could keep its water consumption at current levels if an intensive water management system is put into place as new homes are built. This would include the use of water-saving appliances, variable-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, and low-flow faucets in both new and existing homes.
If approved by Parliament, the Thames Gateway development could be "Europe's largest regeneration project," according to the proposed Delivery Plan from the Ministry of Housing and Planning. The ministry has said it wants the project to be an example of responsible environmental development to the rest of the world.
The Thames Gateway website claims that the project will "pioneer new approaches to maximizing efficient use/re-use of land, water and waste."
The project fits into government goals to make all new construction homes carbon zero by 2016, Yvette Cooper, minister for housing and planning, said in a statement. It also takes into account Gordon Brown's promise to build 3 million new homes by 2020, many of which would be affordable housing for renters and first-time buyers.
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