Issue - meetings

Telford & Wrekin Council Route to Carbon Neutral Action Plan

Meeting: 20/02/2020 - Cabinet (Item 45)

45 Telford & Wrekin Council Becoming Carbon Neutral Action Plan pdf icon PDF 599 KB

Cllr H Rhodes

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Key Decision identified as Telford & Wrekin Council Becoming Carbon Neutral Action Plan in the Notice of Key Decisions published on 22nd January 2020.

Councillor H Rhodes, Cabinet Member: Parks, Green Spaces & the Natural Environment, presented the report of the Programme Executive Lead.

 

In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report which advised that global warming must be limited to 1.5oC. Their review of over 6,000 sources of evidence found that, with a rise of 1.5oC, there would be risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth.  It warned that there were have only twelve years left within which to take serious action to avert this crisis and avoid the worst impacts.

 

Telford and its communities had been at the forefront of technological innovation from the first industrial revolution through to the fourth which was seeing rapid changes in clean technology, sustainable materials, transport, and energy storage and generation pioneered in the Borough. 

 

For decades Telford had carried the title Forest City – reflecting the wealth of greenspaces, landscape, forest and woodland which characterised the area and had been afforded protection and enhancement through Council policy and land management.  The commitment to this was re-emphasised in January 2020 with the review of the Local Plan to be focussed on establishing a ‘forest community’ with climate change action central to the review.

 

The Council recognised the adverse impact that Climate Change was having, both globally and locally, and the important role that local authorities could play in addressing this issue.  On 25 July 2019, the Council had approved a motion to declare a Climate Emergency making the following key commitments: 

o   Council operations and activities to be carbon neutral by 2030;

o   Collaborate and engage with residents, partners and businesses in Telford & Wrekin and at a regional and national level to achieve aspirations for the borough to be carbon neutral by 2030.

 

Over the next 12 months the Council would seek to drive further carbon reductions through major development opportunities and strategy - including:

 

-       Promoting Station Quarter – the next phase of the regeneration of the Town Centre – as a Smart Quarter.  Scoping the provision of a 100% renewable fast charging Electric Vehicle Forecourt

-       Exploring  proposals for delivering carbon reductions within the next phase of Nuplace developments – the Council’s wholly owned housing company

-       Exploring  proposals to deliver  carbon reductions in the development and operation of  Ni Park – the new flagship Agri Tech Innovation Park

-       Explore options to further enhance sustainable transport provision in the borough, working with partners to extend e-charging provision and considering options such as improving bus services,  rail connectivity (including the potential for passenger rail services to the Ironbridge Gorge) and expanding walking/cycling provision

-       Placing tackling climate change including the need for mitigation and adaptation at the heart of policy development in the Local Plan review

-       Publishing a Local Nature Recovery Strategy which would set out  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45