Railpen is committed to becoming net zero by 2050 – and in 2021 we published a detailed roadmap that’s going to help us achieve this. You can find out more about this by reading our Net Zero Plan.
Sustainability is a priority consideration from the earliest stages of development design for Railpen, which supports us in our mission to have a positive environmental impact on the city. We’ve adhered to numerous frameworks and sustainability standards for each development, including One Planet Living Principles, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Five at Heart, and we’re targeting BREEAM certification across new developments.
Railpen is bringing more green spaces to Cambridge through new curated gardens and a public park. These green spaces are designed to bring the community together and enable people to enjoy nature.
We’ll plant over 200 new trees and local plants and there’ll be improved habitats for small mammals, birds, pollinators, and insects which, in the round, will add to the local biodiversity benefits of our developments.
Across each of our developments, we will focus on creating new pedestrian thoroughfares and bicycle facilities that integrate with local cycle routes and have worked closely with Cam Cycle on our plans. We've designed our Devonshire Gardens development on active travel principles, meaning it will be largely car free, with the exception of blue badge spaces, Electric Car Club spaces and loading bays, to minimise traffic impact on the surrounding area.
The buildings in each of our Cambridge developments will be leading examples of sustainability, both how they are built and how they operate.
The materials used will be responsibly sourced, including repurposed materials from local demolition and there will be no fossil fuels used on site. Ongoing operation will be powered by a range of renewable sources, like built-in solar panels. Our intelligent buildings are programmed to optimise energy efficiency.
The architecture at Botanic Place will actively respond to the sun’s position, deflecting heat to minimise the need for cooling in warmer months, and intelligent ventilation that circulates fresh air through the building, without the need for air conditioning.
Just outside of Cambridge, you’ll find Bracks Solar Farm – an asset also owned by Railpen. Through this renewable energy investment, we’re powering the equivalent of 8,000 homes with clean, renewable, and domestically-generated energy. This not only helps us to reach our net-zero targets, but also the wider UK targets.
