SusPurPol

Introduction

The SusPurPol (Sustainable Purchasing and Planning Policy Blueprint) Project is a cross-European region initiative funded under the GROW Programme of the European Union. It has three primary partners:

• the Partnership of Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) led by the Environment Centre (tEC);
• Kracow University of Technology (Kracow);
• The Andalusian Institute of Technology (Seville).

In addition, non formal partners include Solent Centre for Architecture + Design and the Environment Agency.

All partners in this project are fully committed to devising and testing a set of common standards for purchasing and planning policies in relation to sustainable built developments. In addition, the project and its results will be of interest and benefit for all European regions looking at facilitating the use of sustainable construction techniques in their built developments.

Looking towards the future, the continuation of the network proposed in this application will provide practical examples of sustainable developments allowing for the feasibility of using a certain process to be assessed and enhanced – and acting as a basis for continued research and development into purchasing, planning and possibly wider issues involving sustainable development and growth.

Project Goals and Objectives

The project will follow the partnerships’ agreed plan of actions with the aim to achieve the resulting ‘Blue Print’ of sustainable planning and purchasing policies and strategies to be initially implemented in South Hampshire and then promoted, discriminated and implemented across the European partners’ regions. It is envisioned that each partner will implement their agreed actions in the most appropriate region(s) to achieve the findings/solutions.

The planned actions proposed are:

• Understand the barriers
• Find solutions
• Joint cross-district commitment
• Create a ‘Blue Print’ for sustainability
• Promoting the ‘Blue Print’ for the benefit of other proposed developments

Results and Outcomes

The Blueprint for Sustainable Purchasing and Policy Development for Construction. (Adobe Acrobat)

The policy initiative of the UK partners has been adopted into the South East Regional Assembly's draft 20 year South East Plan for development as SH14.

South Hampshire Policy number 14, found in Section E of the South East Plan, focuses on environmental and sustainable development with statements concerning, among others, the requirement for sustainable construction, and the generation of renewable energy.