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The next group meeting
Climate Change Officer for Gedling Borough Council
7.15pm
Venue to be confirmed
Hopefully face-to-face depending on circumstances
Please change your diary or calendar entries!
Comments that can be used for the Gedling Borough Council Carbon Management Strategy-Closing Date 3-1-22.
If you want to, you can cut and paste these comments when you fill in the online form:
Climate Change Strategy Consultation - Gedling Borough Council
Are there any changes that you would suggest to the proposed strategy?
-Better community engagement-so far there doesn’t seem to have been much engagement for the consultation phase.
- It is vital that a strategy for change establishes base line data and then set targets that can measure success in terms of progress towards them. Friends of the Earth (FoE) “Near me” data, provides baseline data for Gedling and the government’s target for 2030.
-An annual independent and audited public report should be published to measure progress, not only for the Council’s leadership team but also for the public.
- Developers should be required to ensure that all new build is zero carbon.
-I DO NOT support “incineration with energy recovery” as a means of getting rid of waste and generating energy (p24,25). Burning municipal waste produces around 1 tonne of CO2 for each tonne of waste and so is not low carbon. Burning of waste also discourages recycling and reusing.
Are there any actions you would particularly like to see included in our detailed action plan?
-Work should include liaising with bus and train companies to improve services and timetables particularly to all the new developments.
-Walking infrastructure is needed where people feel safe and not alongside heavy traffic with poor air quality.
-Tree species need to be considered carefully for resistance to changes in climate, with native trees being best.
-GBC should require a biodiversity net gain policy on all development. There is reference to a tree replacement policy on new development in your Strategy which is supported but should be at least at a ratio of 3:1 to reflect the loss of biodiversity and carbon soak from mature trees.
-In view of the rural nature of parts of Gedling borough, Regenerative farming techniques should be included in discussions with farmers in your action plan as this builds soil health, helps biodiversity and helps to store carbon rather than releasing it.
-Gedling currently reuses, recycles and composts 34% of its household waste. Gedling should at least aim for the minimum targets set by the EU Circular Economy plan: 55% recycling by 2025 and 65% by 2035.
-The plan states that: By reducing waste and non-essential consumption, reusing, repairing and sharing existing goods, sourcing local and using more ethical and sustainable alternatives, we can significantly reduce the detrimental impacts that result from our consumption. But there are no real proposals are given as to how this will be achieved.
· A new recycling facility is needed. There has been no replacement for the recycling centre at the old Gedling Colliery site that was closed years ago. Calverton recycling centre is extremely well organised and efficient, but is far away for many residents to reach.
· Clearer information needs to be given to residents as to what can and cannot be recycled in green bins.
· Heavier fines are needed for anyone caught fly tipping
· More pressure needs to be put on supermarkets and other commercial outlets to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging. A recent Greenpeace report shows that a large amount of plastic continues to be exported to other countries for dumping instead of being recycled.
· There seems little evidence of emphasis on reducing water demand and improving efficiency of water use, including use of grey water systems. The treating of waste water also has a carbon footprint.
-I welcome plans to implement an Environmental Ethical Investment policy (p40) and that Gedling Borough Council will be making it clear to the Nottinghamshire County Council, that the Pension Fund should be included in this. We would go further and ask that NCCs pensions no longer invest in fossil fuel companies.
-The Woodland Trust have asked for a minimum 30% tree canopy cover on all development land.
( https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/publications/2020/01/emergency-tree-plan/)
In the FoE Near me data on woodland and rewilding for Gedling, it states that up to 171 hectares of land may be suitable for new woodlands and 32.71 hectares for rewilding. There is a significant opportunity to enhance Green Infrastructure in the Borough your target of 500 trees seems totally inadequate.
What other comments do you have about our proposed strategy and action plan? |
I welcome the lead taken by Gedling Borough Council in consulting on the Carbon Management Strategy and broadly support the list of Actions set out in the Draft Plan.
For each Priority Area in the plan, a timetable is needed for implementation and who will be responsible.
The initiative identified as the Green Lung Project is supported but doesn’t seem enough-especially because of the huge loss of mature trees to construct the Gedling Access Road which will increase vehicular movement and carbon emissions. How will the roll out of the Carbon Management Strategy affect the cost benefit analysis of such infrastructure projects in the future?
-Resilience & Adaptation is not listed as a specific objective in the action plan; however, a full vulnerability assessment of the borough should be undertaken for extreme weather events and climate change with consideration for the most vulnerable citizens. This should then be incorporated into relevant policies.
