NORTHAMPTONSHIRE CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY 2010-2014 -ACTION PLAN 2011-12
4thQuarter Monitoring Report
Raising Awareness of the issue of Climate Change
On track to achieve / Making progress but not quite on track / Work has yet to commence / Not on trackThe Public, Community Organisations and Businesses
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG1.Communications and Marketing Workshop - Northamptonshire Partnership members to share good practice and to better co-ordinate and further develop existing awareness programmes via a facilitated Communications and Marketing Workshop. / Northamptonshire Partnership? / This has been carried over to the 2012-13 Action plan
2.Northamptonshire-based Events - Organise campaigns and use existing events where possible to raise awareness of climate change / encourage reduction in CO2,
List events for 2011-12 / NCCOG / NHEEP/ EST/NCC/CEM / NCC to develop an events register
Inc Warm Homes activities /events Energy Saving Week & Liftshare
3.Third Sector – Utilise existing networks, forums or annual event to raise awareness of climate change and opportunities for reducing CO2 within voluntary and community organisations, volunteers and service users. / NCC (Community Partnerships). / Groundwork still contacted/ delivering ‘Greening Your Organisation’ initiative.
4.Co-ordination of Sustainability across the county – HEFCE funded project led by University of Northampton – aiming to develop a coordinated system for the public sector in particular to work in a more coordinated way to lower carbon, save money and generate income. Emphasis on Transport, Biodiversity, Energy, Water, Waste & Business / University of Northampton / Project Managers appointed
Low Carbon Summits and workshops completed
Think Tank arranged (19/4/12)
Raising Awareness through Education Settings
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG1.Carbon Trading Schools Pilot – Working with the Local Government Information Unit, Northants Chamber and the Carbon Trust support Northamptonshire schools to participate in the Schools Carbon Trading Scheme. / NCC, CT, Northants Chamber / Project currently being piloted at several schools and a plan to roll it out over the county is being created with the help of Briar Associates. Links to Junior Road Safety Team. Website live
2.SCoRE – Schools Collaboration on Resource Efficiency- Regional project funded by the Carbon Trust and delivered with the help of Briar Associates and SE-2 consultants. The main outcome will be the creation on a Carbon Management Plan for schools in the county and development of the Schools Carbon Trading Project. / Carbon Trust / Climate East Midlands / Two initial meetings undertaken to discuss the project and tailor bespoke support for NCC
Project completed
Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases
Improving Home Energy Efficiency
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG1.Northamptonshire Warm Homes Work Programme – NHEEP is co-ordinating a number of ongoing work projects across the county to promote energy efficiency measures. The current work programme includes the following initiatives:
- Improve Insulation in private sector housing eg. ‘Chillout’ home insulation scheme
- Address fuel poverty by identifying vulnerable households,collating data on the housing stockand make energy improvements
- Prepare for Green Deal – inc. explore opportunity for pilot projects
- Promote renewable technologies in domestic sector –inc. promotion of Feed in Tariffs and Renewable Heat Incentives
- Development of a NHEEP website
- Climate Friendly Communities – encouraging the development of new schemes and exploring ways of recording carbon savings
- New funding sources - Green Deal, potential EU funding and CERT/CESP Funding
- Bid submitted to LEAF for climate friendly communities
- £20m funding from NHS for insulation (to use by end of March)
- British Gas have increased their CERT funding for solid wall insulation
- Plans underway for a new website for public and staff
Housing
Energy Efficiency Partnership (NHEEP) / NHEEP re-badged as ‘Warm Homes’
Awaiting further info on Green Deal – need to link to regional scale approach
ACRE Off-Gas scheme in operation
Walgrave won local climate friendly communities prize
Improving Energy Efficiency in the Business, Commercial and Voluntary Sectors
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG1.Resource Efficiency for SMEs – Building on the success of the CWIC (Cut Waste – Improve Competitiveness) scheme operated by the University of Northampton, develop a partnership project to offer support to SMEs and encourage them to reduce CO2 / University of Northampton
NCC / NEP/ Chamber/ Other / HEFCE Project Workshops on Resources Efficiency
19 orgs (inc SMEs), 87 trained – 7 events this year.
2.Business Networks
(a)Daventry Business Environmental Network – Continue this well attended network.
(b)Business Estate Group Networks – Continue to support these
(c)Large Energy Users Group – This has now been established
(d)Environment and CR Group?
(e)Towcester Business Partnership / NEP/ DDC/ NCC / Lorna Ligget is current contact at NEP for Estate Group work
3.Green Deal – Establish a strategy for the development of a county-wide response to support the implementation of the Green Deal once the details are finalised and seek opportunities to be involved in pilot schemes and set up joint briefing seminars [if applicable]. (Implementation of the Green Deal will not be until Autumn 2012 but details should be known by Autumn 2011 and there may be some pilot schemes in advance of the main launch). N.B. Green Deal is not just for the domestic sector. / NCC/ NHEEP / Too early to progress as unsure how the Green Deal will work
Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases
Improving Energy Efficiency in the Public Sector
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- NI 185 / GHG emissions for local authority activities – local authorities to undertake activities to ensure a reduction in the CO2 emissions for their activities to meet their respective targets. NI 185 has been replaced by an obligation for all local authorities to publish a report on their CO2 emissions.Initiatives include:
(b)A 30% reduction in CO2 emissions target for DDC’s Carbon Management Programme
(c)Staff appointed to take responsibility for ensuring lights are switched off, etc. and the replacement of lighting with new LED light fittings (KBC) / Each local authority / Districts / Boroughs to share data.
Corby a 10:10 exemplar
- Sustainable Procurement - Identify opportunities for reducing emissions through a county-wide sustainable public procurement and minimising waste initiatives and provide support to all local authorities to implement this.
- Photovoltaic (PV) installations to local authority buildings/land
(b)Various projects planned in Corby
(c)Installations at the Depot and the Leisure Centre in Towcester
(d)Pilot installations in Kettering area
(e)NCC have installed a systems inc. Oakley Vale school / DDC/CBC/SNC/KBC / PV going ahead on Corby councils buildings and three community buildings in Towcester.
- Biomass CHP –
(b) School in Daventry District – 1st Miscanthus heated public sector building / NCC/ KBC / Progress now unlikely with KBC depot.
Miscanthus project progressingfeasibility study completed funding from N Power
- Regional public sector ESCO – Engage with possible East Midlands ESCO that is being procured in association with a central government initiative.
- Street lighting –Highways service looking at reducing energy consumption by half by switching off streetlights when not needed.
Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases
Reducing Energy Use and Emissions from Transport
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG1. A Re-focus on CO2 – Ensure that more focus is given in the new LTP towards carbon reduction. / NCC
2.Modal Shift and Area Travel Plans
- Ensure development plan policies require the integration of walking and cycling routes in new development and links to the existing network of routes
- Ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to the preparation and implementation of travel plans associated with development - leading to area –based travel planning.
- Mobile Travel Centres – providing information
- Norbital
- LTP to be placed on NCCOG agenda as a specific theme
3.CO2 Reduction in County Council Highways Contract – Secure CO2 reductions from our highway delivery partners MGWSP. / NCC /
- Ongoing
4.Electric Vehicles - Promote the take up of electric vehicles through partnership working and the installation of EV charge points through ‘Plugged in Places’. Successful plugged in places bid from CENEX resulted in match funding for new electric vehicle charging points in both Northampton and Corby. / NCC Smart Car from April 1st and Electric Mini Bus from May/June 2011.
- Electric point in Corby
5.Car Sharing –
a) Corby Car Share is to be launched in 2011/12
(b) Car sharing / business centres / CorbyBC
NEP /
- NEP website up and running
- NHS Moulton car share launched
- 1st ‘car-club’ launched in Corby
- NEW
- Opportunities for linking users
6.Buses - Implementation of a new ‘demand-led’ bus system using 16 person minibuses (and monitoring of the CO2 emission savings from this)and encourage bus operators to use low carbon vehicles via subsidised contracts or via the Quality Bus Partnership (and Green Bus Fund?) / NCC /
- Connect service in operation
- NCC to look into the provision of EV charging point at the new bus station / and overnight bus depot
Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases
Sustainable New Development and Land Use
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Construction-wise - Work with the county’s construction sector to promote sustainable development, disseminate best practice and raise awareness of exemplar projects:.
- Encourage green roofs, SUDs and other innovative technologies.
- Raise awareness among the general public/building users to become more demanding in the levels of sustainability they expect in new buildings.
NNJPU/WNJPU Transform MKSM (Excellence Awards) / NCCOG Visit to I-Con building Daventry
- Training for local authority planning departments and Council Members– Support the capacity programme for local authorities to inc policies and technical aspects of sustainable design.
- Joint Core Strategies
- North Northants Core Strategy review – the adopted core strategy includes a policy standards based on the Code for Sustainable Homes–implemented through planning application decisions with the assistance of NNJPU’s sustainability consultant; the policy is now being reviewed and extended.
- West Northants Joint Core Strategy – Implementation of this once it is finalised. It includes standards based on the Code for Sustainable Homes.
Minimising Waste
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Northamptonshire Waste Partnership – NWP to continue to engage with NCCOG to help reduce CO2 by reducing, reusing and recycling waste.
- Waste Minimisation– Continue to raise awareness of the links between climate change and waste through the promotion of the waste minimisation campaigns and the Schools Waste Education Team.
- Energy Strategy - Undertake research to identify the potential of utilising waste / bio / products to create a localised energy supply e.g. wood waste, anaerobic digestion/biogas, landfill gas, etc. to inform production of an Energy Strategy for the County.
Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases
Increasing Low and Zero Carbon Energy Use
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Energy Strategy - Produce an ‘Energy Strategy’ that draws together key information needed to understand the planning, transport and local issues surrounding the development of small and large-scale renewables throughout Northamptonshire.
- To include an environmental constraints map to show the locations in the county that are most feasible to accommodate renewable energy technologies; and
- Identify opportunities to develop large scale renewable energy generation and community heating schemes with combined heat and power in association with new developments, including the potential of organic waste to generate renewable energy
- Technology / Innovation - Establish a mechanism to support the business opportunities of low carbon technologies and encourage collaboration and innovation in environmental technologies in Northamptonshire.
- Community generation schemes
(b)Application for EU LEADER funding for hydro-power installations in the north of the county
(c)Off-Gas Schemes– operated by ACRE & Groundwork / ACRE, local planning authorities / Ongoing
- Local Renewable Energy - Support community groups to invest in local renewable energy projects to generate income (and/or reduce fuel poverty) through ‘Feed in Tariffs’ and the proposed ‘Renewable Heat Incentive’.
- Small/medium hydro-power – Produce guidance on this and streamline the Environmental Permits required so that only one is needed for each project.
NB – permits not sorted
Plan and Adapt to the Impacts of Climate Change
Public Services
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Planning to Adapt to Climate Change – continue to embed ‘planning to adapt’ activities into public sector process, practices, policies
Industry and Commerce
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Targeted Support - Identify the businesses in Northamptonshire that are most sensitive to the impacts of climate change and work with them to help them take adaptive action.
Chamber/ NEP / Work completed by CEM with funding from the EA – results to follow – forming part of 2012-13 action plan
The Built Environment
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Development Plans (Local Plans)–Monitor and review the Planning Authorities’ Development Plan documents to ensure policies are effective in encouraging sustainable construction and adaptation.
Biodiversity, Agriculture and the Natural Environment
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Implement the Towards a Naturally Resilient Northamptonshire Strategy - use of natural interventions to adapt to the likely impacts of climate change inc projects;
- Rockingham Forest-Forest for Life/ countywide Tree Planting scheme
- LNP success and NIA bid
- RockinghamForest Trust activities
- Improved Biodiversity – Continue to support project with the Northants Wildlife Trust to improve local target Ni 197 indicator – Improved Biodiversity by 3% by March 2012.
- Land Management Schemes – Explore opportunities to encourage famers / growers to reduce their GHG emissions
- Ensure core strategies incorporate a sound green infrastructure delivery plan – the core strategies are the key legal planning documents that will set out the requirements for new development to provide for green infrastructure and biodiversity on site, and to make contributions to their enhancement and new provision elsewhere in the local area
Flood risk management
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Flood and Water Management Strategy for Northamptonshire – Ensure that the flood and water strategy to be developed for Northants by NCC (as a result of new responsibilities) takes full account of the likely impacts of climate change.
Flood Fairs – 2nd,3rd &4th Nov
Strategy being developed
- Flood Action Plans –Identify the priorities for these, including the Nene Flood Storage project (from April 2011) and new ‘washlands’ (areas that can be allowed to flood in a 1 in 10 year event, with farmers paid compensation when this happens).
- Flood Risk Management Strategy Update for North Northants – this innovative piece of work will be completed in October 2011 and will define costed priority projects that will be necessary to support new development identified in the core strategy review
Further Development of the Climate Change Strategy
Monitoring Progress and Review
Actions / Lead Organisation / Progress to Date / RAG- Undertake regular monitoring of Action Plan through NCCOG
- Use of Vantage Point to monitor progress and focus priorities– Participate in regional project to identify priorities for reducing CO2
NCC / Initial findings presented – to be shared at NCCOG
- Action Plan for 2012-13 – Develop a further Action Plan for the next year.
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