Climate Change Action Plan
Councillor Howard Doe, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, is going to invite the members of the board to comment on the Action Plan
Minutes:
5.1 The Chair invited the group to ask questions and comment.
5.2 It was noted that working with other Councils in Kent is very important as some of the work will overlap into other areas. As it is the first iteration, it was noted that there are many individuals and organisations that would want to be involved in the plan and to make an input, in particular residents in the community and Medway Champions. The group asked what the proposed timetable for wider public consultation will be.
5.3 It was confirmed that comments from Kent County Council and Kent districts will be invited via existing networks. Engagement with the wider community is the next stage and will take place this year. (00:12:00)
5.4 The group noted that as the Government have and my continue to revise their net-zero carbon targets, the plan will need to be flexible and exceed the 2050 target if possible. It was queried whether this work is being linked in with the Local Plan, in particular is the Council liaising with the developers who invest in Medway? The group also queried the ambition of reporting on emissions quarterly and how achievable this would be. (00:14:50)
5.5 Planning officers confirmed that the action plan links in with the Local Plan and policies are now coming through which will specifically address climate change and will link into new development. Some changes have already been implemented, validation requirements have now changed, and a statement submitted on climate change has to be included on all reports. Planning also advised that they have annual meetings with developers to ensure climate change is addressed and taken forward in planning applications and the Local Plan. (00:18:40)
5.6 Quarterly reporting was a recommendation from the carbon baseline assessment. The more frequently data is reported on at this stage, the more familiar the Council will get with reporting and learn from this to be able to improve the accuracy of data collection. (00:21:45)
5.7 The group asked if the Council could review the potential for solar panels on the roof space of council buildings. Also to make new buildings as carbon neutral as possible, for example can the rebuild of Splashes aim to be carbon neutral? The group also noted the action in the plan to review the potential for solar energy from Council owned car parks. The group noted that buying carbon offsets should be a last resort and we should rethink our own efforts in Medway first, for example by further increasing tree planting. (00:22:30)
5.8 The group were assured that the Council will look to include climate change in all future developments. Staff right across the Council support and embrace climate change. (00:31:00)
5.9 The group queried whether there was sufficient capacity to complete all the “Do It Now” actions and are there any obstacles to completing within this time frame. (00:34:00)
5.10 The Chair advised that every action on the “Do It Now” list was referred back to the officer with ... view the full minutes text for item 5