Commercial property in Edinburgh ''must follow green code'' - commercial mortgages

07 February 2007

Those taking out commercial mortgages in Edinburgh will now have to comply with new "green" guidelines, it has been reported.

City planning leaders have unveiled the Standards for Sustainable Buildings Code, which will force all major new developments in Edinburgh to cut carbon emissions and provide renewable energy sources onsite.

Under the code, the developers have to ensure that CO2 emissions from each scheme''s construction are at least five per cent lower than the total predicted emissions from the lighting, heating and ventilation in the new development.

Trevor Davies, city planning chief, told the Green Building Press the code is in line with Edinburgh''s vision of becoming northern Europe''s most successful and sustainable city by 2015.

He said: "The built environment has an important role to play in supporting this aspiration and this [code] will be a key tool to help encourage sustainable design in major new development and conversions and will set a high standard for future developments in the city."

A study conducted by the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers found that Edinburgh currently ranks 12th in Europe for commercial property investment.