UK-based property investment firm Helmsley Group has announced plans to build a carbon zero hotel in York, England.
The firm recently submitted a planning request to the City of York Council, seeking approval on a 99-room hotel to be built on the site of a former car park.
“Helmsley Group is excited about the opportunity to enhance an underutilised space and create a building of architectural and environmental high standards that will make a positive contribution to the surrounding area and wider city economy,” says Max Reeves, development director at Helmsley Group.
The eco-hotel will reportedly have an array of sustainable features, including rooftop solar panels, air-source heat pumps, and a biodiverse green wall. No on-site food, beverage, or parking facilities will be offered, in a dual effort to drive guests to support local eateries and to reduce carbon emissions. Helmsley Group also wishes to support the City of York’s goal of becoming the country’s first car-free city centre.
“As an organisation we are passionate about doing what we can to help the environment and the positive sustainable impact of this development is of the most upmost importance to us,” adds Reeves. “This scheme has been a long time in the design process, resulting in a building we feel suits its setting while remaining visually unobtrusive on this tucked away piece of derelict land.”
If approved, Helmsley Group’s endeavour will be the first hotel in the UK to generate zero carbon emissions.
Documents of the proposal include Helmsley Group’s central goal of the hotel achieving a BREEAM “Excellent” or “Outstanding” rating. In order to earn this, the project will have to utilize the most environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional methods of construction possible, ensuring that low carbon materials are used and that all building features reduce energy consumption and increase water efficiency. Overall carbon output will need to be minimized every step of the way.
According to Fiona Lomas, the senior consultant of sustainability at planning consultant firm Turley (the company helping Helmsley Group with their application to the City of York Council), the project plans to follow the UK Green Building Council Net Zero Carbon Framework, which means that they will offset their construction carbon and reduce operational emissions by 50%.
Helmsley Group has said that if the hotel becomes a reality, the estimated carbon emissions saved will be 226 tonnes (the equivalent of the annual emissions of 170 households in the UK).
