To consider a bid for funding from the Green Initiatives Fund.

The Committee considered a request for GIF funding to seek guidance and advice from The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) to assist in the development of supplementary planning guidance documents to support the Local Plan in encouraging more sustainable design.

Due to time constraints, the application had not been considered by the Climate Change Working Group, however the joint Chairs of that Group had been consulted and supported the proposal.

The Committee was advised that these supplementary planning documents hook onto policies and provide additional detail encourage more sustainable design and developments.  APSE had done a lot of work in this area, were well engaged with local authorities and promoted best practice. 

Alternative options considered and rejected:

To refuse funding

Resolved:

To approve funding of £5,200 to obtain advice from APSE to support the creation of robust supplementary planning documents for the Local Plan.

Reason for decision:

The Local Plan in development will run until 2037, and the UK government has announced that by 2035 UK carbon emissions will need to be reduced by 78% compared to 1990s levels, therefore the Local Plan and SPDs will need to have strong climate change policies in place to reduce the carbon emissions of development and provide sustainable future homes.