CORPORATE PLAN 2024-28 ACTION PLAN – Actions in Environment and Sustainability Committee’s Remit

Short-term actions: 2024-25

Medium-term actions: 2025-27

Long-term actions: 2027-28

COMMUNITY Aim:  To place the needs of the borough at the heart of everything we do; supporting residents to live healthy and fulfilling lives and empowering communities so they feel included, valued, supported and safe.
Theme 1 - Clean and safe borough Making our borough a great place to live, keeping our borough safe, and encouraging communities to take pride in their area
Short Term	Medium Term	Long term
Launch the Keep Spelthorne Clean initiative and engage with relevant agencies and businesses to take responsibility for their areas. Trial new ways of working to address the issues of street sweeping in difficult to access roads such as parking suspensions or prior notification boards, adapting to increasing demands and delivering solutions within existing resources.	Trial the use of QR codes on bins in key shopping areas, so residents can report full bins/litter concerns.
Theme 2 - Healthier communities Address the causes of health inequalities, promote more active and healthier lifestyles and our parks and open spaces.
Short Term	Medium Term	Long term
Install five new inclusive play areas in parks across the Borough.
Theme 3 - Empowered communities Communicating, listen and engage with residents, be an inclusive Council for all our residents and sustaining our Community Centre Network, adjusting to the needs of our residents.
Short term	Medium term	Long term
Launch a Citizens’ Panel in 2024 to help shape the Council’s decisions on services and policy. Introduce an online engagement tool to gain views on planning design codes in 2024.

ADDRESSING HOUSING NEED To support the delivery of high-quality housing and solutions to allow residents to live independently which meets the needs of all sections of the community at every stage of life, addressing the challenges around availability, affordability and homelessness.
Theme 2 – Affordability Maximise the provision of affordable homes through the planning process, support the delivery of social housing and work with partners to increase the range and affordability of housing.
Short Term	Medium Term	Long term
Seek to maximise the provision of affordable homes through the planning process through viability assessments and s106 agreements.
Proceed to Examination and adopt the Local Plan to guide how new sustainable development which benefits our communities comes forward over the next 15 years.

RESILIENCE Aim:  To ensure prudent management of our finances and resources and create a climate in which businesses and individuals can thrive. Work with our partners to maintain our preparedness for emergencies.
Theme 3 - Preparing for the effects of climate change: Maintaining our preparedness and response to borough emergencies
Short term	Medium term	Long term
Manage our parks and open spaces and commons e.g. utilising tree planting and plant species to reduce risks of flooding.	Continued engagement with the Environment Agency and support the progress of the development consent order to build the channels and associated infrastructure for the River Thames Scheme.	Identify habitats with high biological carbon sequestration potential and planting species which can adapt to future environmental changes
Advise residents steps they can take to prepare for emergencies with a ‘warning and informing’ campaign using a range of communication platforms.	Build on established flooding community groups to prepare for flooding emergencies and assist when required.
Work with partners including Surrey County Council in developing a climate change and resilience plan for adoption in 2024.	Work with Surrey County Council to implement relevant aspects of their ‘Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Strategy' to ensure it meets Spelthorne’s requirements.	Adapt Council assets to prepare for changing climate and weather conditions

ENVIRONMENT
Theme 1 - Our Council’s journey to Net Zero 2030
Aim: Deliver actions in the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan, operate sustainable practices and procurement and complete the New Leisure Centre, promoting Passivhaus standards.
Short Term	Medium Term	Long term
Introduce an electric Spelride community transport bus to our existing fleet.	Update other vehicles and equipment to electric including mopeds, mowers, leaf blowers and small vans (subject to technical and financial constraints)	All other Council vehicles to run by alternative fuel (e.g. electric/hydrogen powered) in line with government regulations.
Become a certified carbon literate organisation.	Implement EV rapid charging points at Lammas car park and where feasible other locations in the Borough in 2025.	Reduce Council energy use by 50% by 2028 and explore Passivhaus opportunities for own portfolio. Complete full energy audits in 2028.
Develop a NetZero tracker to benchmark the Climate Change Strategy actions.	Identify further environmental enhancements and energy saving opportunities for Council properties e.g. white roofs to keep interiors cooler and air source heat pumps.
Theme 2 - Protecting and enhancing our environment
Aim:  Improving air quality, reducing noise impacts, enhancing biodiversity across the borough and working with partners to deliver a greener future.
Short Term	Medium Term	Long term
Create a Tree Nursery at Laleham Nursery and seek opportunities for new species to meet climate change adaptation needs.	Complete phase 2 of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. (LCWIP)	Secure further LCWIP funding with Surrey County Council to fully implement the scheme for the benefit our residents.
Work with key stakeholders to help address poor air quality by adopting a revised air quality management area and an air quality action plan for 2024-25.	Work with local groups to enhance biodiversity through planting wildflower meadows in suitable locations.	Continue support for the River Thames Scheme (which should be into its construction phase in 2027/28).
Implement Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) obligations through the planning process and complete baseline surveys for Council BNG sites.	Promote and grow the Council’s commercial waste service - Spelthorne Direct Services, assisting businesses to comply with legislation, be more efficient and reduce cost and waste.	Seek to minimise the impacts of the redesign of Heathrow’s flightpaths (airspace changes) on our communities in terms of noise.
Theme 3 - Championing local action
Aim:  Supporting residents and businesses to lower their carbon footprint and promoting development of community environmental groups
Short term	Medium term	Long term
Promote and assist the development of community environmental groups across the borough to develop environmental initiatives and enhance biodiversity in our parks and open spaces, supporting the Climate Change Action Plan.		Encourage the development of space for locally sourced community food growing initiatives.
Run a programme of business energy and carbon reduction seminars for local businesses offering practical advice and solutions.	Promoting local ‘greening the grey’ and neighbourhood ‘Library of things’ initiatives via schools and community groups.	Encouraging circular economy development through repair cafes and education of residents about how to respond to climate change
Deliver climate change audits for businesses to enable them to reduce costs and adapt to greener energy solutions.	Encourage the reduction of plastic waste by promoting water fountain facilities and work with partners to identify suitable locations to introduce new water fountains.	Continue to identify available community and business grant funding opportunities for energy efficiency and decarbonisation initiatives.

SERVICES: To deliver a wide range of high-quality community focused and accessible services for everyone who lives and works in Spelthorne, striving for continuous improvement in all aspects of our work and providing excellent customer care.
Theme 2 - Digitally enabled and accessible services - Empowering customer experience, using customer insights for smarter service delivery and enabling remote accessibility to increase customer choice
Short Term	Medium Term	Long term
Bid for funding for digitalisation of planning services to improve digital engagement and community interaction.