Net-zero emission buildings: council releases bold post-COVID development plan

Every new commercial and residential development in a swath of inner-Melbourne suburbs would need to have zero net carbon emissions to win planning approval under an ambitious Yarra Council plan.

If the move is signed off by the Andrews government, it would radically cut emissions generated within the council area, with more than 80 per cent of Yarra's emissions coming from gas and electricity use in commercial, industrial and residential buildings.

It's part of a bold vision outlined in the council's Climate Emergency Plan, which it has worked on for months and is expected to formally adopt next week.

New developments in suburbs like Richmond will need to have zero net carbon emissions under the council's proposed climate policy.

Mayor Misha Coleman said the plan had been redrafted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a new focus on stimulating industries and creating jobs on the other side of the crisis.

She said the swift action taken by governments and individuals during the pandemic had shown Australians could make meaningful changes in a short period of time, and said the council hoped its detailed plan would drive investment in renewables.

"If you have that level of demand in the system it drives those new industries and new businesses to spring up," Cr Coleman said.

"Where there's a government contract or, you know, sector-wide demand, then it means that the supply chain can swing in. We've got a unique opportunity to build back better."

Yarra mayor Misha Coleman (left) with Collingwood Children's Farm manager Conor Hickey.

Yarra's insistence that all new developments in Richmond, Fitzroy, Clifton Hill and surrounding suburbs within its borders achieve zero net carbon emissions will require the council's planning scheme to be amended.

That will require Richmond MP and Planning Minister Richard Wynne – who has come under pressure from the Greens in recent state elections – to sign off on the plan.

Yarra is working with other councils wanting to introduce requirements for all new developments to achieve zero net emissions.

It has written to Mr Wynne outlining its plan, and the minister has sought briefings from his department on the proposal.

Yarra's municipal buildings already rely on 100 per cent renewable electricity, but as part of its climate emergency plan, the council will also transition from supplementing energy needs with gas use, to using solely renewable electricity, over the next 10 years.

It will also commit to doubling the number of properties that have solar panels from 9 per cent, to 18 per cent, by 2024. The council will aim to increase commercial solar installations by 50 per cent by 2024.

If the plan is adopted at Tuesday's council meeting, Yarra will commit to:

• Have all council vehicles powered by 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025;
• Increase tree canopy cover by 25 per cent over the next 20 years, by embarking on a concerted tree-planting campaign; and
• Reduce the volume of organic material going to landfill over the next 10 years by half.

A string of councils including Yarra, Darebin and the City of Melbourne have declared climate emergencies.