Forward Planning and development management (Focus Area 5)
In order to achieve net-zero emissions and halt climate change collectively we must ensure that all future projects are developed in a way that is helpful to reducing carbon emissions. This can be achieved by supporting projects that are low emissions in nature, generate power or have a positive impact on biodiversity and the wider community.
What the Council needs to do
- Achieve local and national planning policy with climate change at the forefront
- Include new and existing small and large scale developments
- Include both residential and non-residential
- Focus on both mitigation and adaptation measure
What we are doing
The Council’s local plan contains several elements relating to the climate emergency and our response.
LP 34 Electric Vehicle Charging points
Electric charging points will be provided as part of all relevant developments to an agreed specification and location dependent on the scheme proposed and applicable technical guidance. Rapid charging points will be provided on sites when located in the public realm. On housing sites homes with on- site parking will provide an electric charging point in an accessible location close to the parking space(s). On commercial sites there will be employee and visitor rapid charging points
Need met - Include both residential and non-residential
LP35 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Renewable energy projects will be supported where they respect the capacity and sensitivity of the landscape and communities to accommodate them. In particular, they will be assessed on their individual and cumulative impact on landscape quality, sites or features of natural importance, sites or buildings of historic or cultural importance, residential amenity and the local economy.
New development will be expected to be energy efficient in terms of its fabric and use including, where viable, the production of 10% of operational energy from on-site renewables, in support of the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy
Need met - Focus on both mitigation and adaptation measures
Supporting Low Carbon energy
The Council has supported numerous low carbon energy projects within the Borough, ensuring fossil fuel free energy is produced locally and aiding in the creation of a net-zero electricity network across the UK.
Details of the applications can be found below
Need met - Include new and existing small and large scale developments
Reducing risks
The Council has worked across teams and departments to understand the risks climate change will pose to the services the Council provides. This includes many aspects including examples such as; extreme temperatures making outside work unsafe, more intense rainfall leading to increased flooding, climatic instability leading to increased costs for resources and materials plus many other impacts.
The risk register aims to identify the risks we can expect to face over the next few years as the climate continues to change, and identify how we will respond to these risks, reducing the impact on the council, the services we provide and the community. The risk register also considers how the Council can reduce its impact upon the environment through reducing harmful emissions across its facilities and services.
Need met - Focus on both mitigation and adaptation measures.