In the drive to improve the sustainability of our built environment, there is now a strong focus on communities - especially communities in which people can work, shop, learn and play near their homes, and not have to drive miles from residential areas to distant business districts, shopping centres, schools and other facilities.

Sustainable Communities are of significant importance and are recognised by Government, planning authorities and developers alike, but planning development projects that can deliver true sustainability can be difficult. To help local authorities take account of the full range of issues that must be considered from the earliest planning stages, The BRE havedeveloped the Regional Sustainability Checklists. These include questions and criteria organised under eight, easy to understand categories - for example, climate change and energy, transport and movement which are tailored to suit the characteristics of the region and local priorities.

BREEAM Communities targets the planning stage of developments. BREEAM Communities uses the eight catorgries that are listed  in the Regional Sustainabilty Checklists which are already familiar to many local authorities and developers.

These are:

• Climate change and energy - flooding, heat island, water effciency, sustainable energy, site infrastructure
• Community - promoting community networks and interaction, involvement in decision making, supporting public services, social economy and community structure, and community management of the development
• Place making - efficient use of land, design process, form of development, open space, adaptability, inclusive communities, crime, street lighting/light pollution security lighting
• Buildings - EcoHomes / BREEAM or Code for Sustainable Homes
• Transport and movement - general policy, public transport, parking, pedestrians and cyclists, proximity of local amenities, traffic management, car club
• Ecology - conservation, enhancement of ecology, planting
• Resources - appropriate use of land resources, environmental impact, locally reclaimed materials. water resource planning, refuse composting, noise pollution, construction waste
• Business - competitive business, business opportunities, employment, business types

The scheme provides both developers and planners with a dialog tool will assist them to independently measure and certify the overall potential sustainability of a developer's sustainbility proposals during the planning stage of the development control process.