Whole-building, low-carbon office modelling and options appraisal for West Oxfordshire District Council offices - AWARD

In June 2019, West Oxfordshire District Council declared a climate and ecological emergency. A climate action work programme has since been underway to deliver the Council's commitment to its declaration.

A key target for the Council is to become carbon neutral by 2030. In order to meet this objective, a Carbon Action Plan has been published (agreed by Council on 28th October 2020) which defines a set of priorities for action and work packages as part of its trajectory towards carbon neutrality.

The Carbon Action Plan is separated into three sections in order to focus on the source of CO2e across all Council buildings, estate and services:

• oCouncil offices, property and sites
• oLeisure centres and facilities
• oCouncil vehicle fleet, machinery and transport

This project brief now focuses on the first section of the Carbon Action Plan: Council offices, property and sites (referred to in Section 5.1.) A full copy of the Plan can be downloaded from the WODC website here: https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/environment/climate-action/our-route-to-carbon-neutral/

Covid-19 has had a large impact on where both Councillors and Council staff have been working this year. Where it has been possible for Councillors and staff to work from home, this has become common practice. Demand for office space has changed as a recent consequence of this.

Work to now assess the Council's existing office space provision alongside future potential for energy-efficient and low- / zero-carbon design has been prioritised as part of the Council's plans for a Covid-19 recovery.

The purpose of this piece of work is to therefore, not only deliver the ambitions of the Carbon Action Plan but to also, inform more immediate Council decisions on future office space design so that impact on climate change is minimised and Councillor and staff well-being is enhanced as part of the Council's recovery plans.