Verbal update from Councllour Sally Longford
Minutes:
Councillor Sally Longford gave a verbal update to the Forum on the Council’s Carbon Neutral plan that was announced in 2019. The Council is working hard towards becoming carbon neutral by 2028, a challenging yet realistic target. She highlighted the following points:
(a) Prior to this commitment being made there were many positive steps already being taken by Nottingham City to work towards becoming carbon neutral. Nottingham City Council has a history of investing in biogas busses, solar PV panels, and the district heating system powered by the Eastcroft Incinerator;
(b) The draft action plan was initially launched in January 2020 for a period of consultation. Over 1000 responses from citizens, businesses, partners and stakeholders were received and resulted in a significant redraft of the plan to take into account the responses;
(c) The final plan consists of a number of chapters addressing different areas for action. The plan can be found here: https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/media/2619917/2028-carbon-neutral-action-plan-v2-160620.pdf
It will be reviewed annually to amend it as different technologies develop and different funding schemes become available;
(d) Within the first section of the plan there are various chapters with different focuses for action
· Transport – focus on increasing walking and cycling opportunities, cutting emissions, improving public transport options, ensuring Council fleet vehicles are low emission. Funding for these low emission vehicles is challenging as is having suitable vehicles available
· Built Environment – improving the energy efficiency of the built environment, using retrofitting schemes to increase energy efficiency
· Energy Consumption – increasing reliance on renewable energy, introducing pilots using cutting edge technologies. The two Universities in Nottingham have made similar pledges and are working with the Council on developing technologies.
· Waste and Water – improving waste and water management to reduce emissions.
· Consumption – Looking at changes of how and what we consume and how it is produced
(e) The second section of the plan focuses on Carbon removal and how the Council can promote schemes that uses the land and planted environment around us to remove carbon from the atmosphere, theses schemes need to be sustainable and the target it to plant 50,000 more trees in the City in three years.
(f) The third section addresses Resilience and Adaptation, looking at mitigating against climate change, and in particular in protecting homes against the increased threat of flooding, and building buildings less susceptible to over heating in heart waves;
(g) The final section was added following responses from the consultation period - Ecology and Biodiversity. This section addresses the ecological crisis that is faced and aims to tackle the issue of extinction and the plight of the pollinators. During the national lockdown the inability to mow grasses etc was beneficial and helped pollinators. Bee friendly planting will be introduced across the city;
(h) The plan is a living document and will be changed and assessed regularly. Its in depth nature reflects the support from a wide range of organisations, from the open spaces forum, the green partnership, this Local Access Forum and many more;
Following questions and comments further information as highlighted:
(i) Where possible for planting schemes there will be a focus on native species. The biodiversity officer is working hard to ensure that there is a mix of species to support pollinators;
(j) There has been an increase of rouge traders miss-selling green schemes to house holders. It is recommended that home owners wanting to invest in green projects for their own homes look to the Green Homes grant, launched recently, who have a list of registered and approved fitters/installers. However there are limited numbers of specialist fitters and installers as the specialist skills take time to learn;
(k) There are environmental conditions that dictate when works can take place, particularly around retrofitting where air temperature has to remain about 5?c for products to be used correctly;
(l) Further government support is needed for funding for private home owners to be able to access these technologies;
(m)As a result of Covid and the national lockdown air quality improved and emissions dropped significantly. These are now on the increase again and people are naturally anxious about using public transport again. This is a concerning trend and Public transport providers are working hard to ensure that their services are user friendly and Covid safe;
(n) The main challenge now is to spread the word and the work to organisations and citizens who have yet to engage with the plan. Engaging the public in conversations about small changes they can make, making them aware that the plan exists are all things the LAF can do within its business as usual;
(o) Following on from the national lockdown people are looking at their local environment differently, valuing it more. Next year the plan can come back to the LAF for input and update;
(p) The Big Conversation consultation around the Broadmarsh site is due to commence shortly and the aim is to ensure that Carbon Neutrality is a major factor in whatever development takes place. It would be good to restore the original footprint and street pattern of the area. The LAF are encouraged to participate in the consultation, both as forum and as individuals;
(q) The Planning White paper has been put together by the Government following consultation and about green and sustainable planning issues. However it also appears to reduce the areas where Local Authorities can intervene. The protected areas retain existing planning rights, but the creation of the growth zone and the area for regeneration gives local authorities less say in the planning process. What is needed from government is more funding for the construction of carbon neutral buildings and funding for retrofitting cold properties;
(r) Another thing the Planning White Paper does not do is allow Local Authorities to set their own locally sustainable planning guidelines. The Government have not set out clear and stringent guidelines for future buildings;
(s) The Council is planning to respond to the consultation on the White paper and once submitted will happily share that feedback with groups such as the LAF;
(t) Nottingham City has been chosen to be a pilot area for E-scooters. There has been bad press about them in other pilot areas. This subject will be addressed further in the next item, the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan;
(u) Nottingham City Council is working closely with the Borough Councils on reducing carbon emissions across the County. The Energy Team is a regional leader in innovation and has been providing advice to councils across the region;
(v) Nottingham City Council and LAF partners have approached Nottinghamshire County Council asking them to consider decarbonising their pension fund. Extinction Rebellion have also made similar requests to the County Council. This is a matter for ongoing discussion;
The members of the Local Access Forum thanks Councillor Sally Longford for her attendance and for the in depth information discussed at the meeting. They indicated that they looked forward to welcoming her back next year to discuss progress towards the 2028 target and updates in the Plan.