Essex County Council celebrates net zero and sustainable development team
The local authority’s new Climate and Planning Unit has been established in response to a report on low carbon housing and the county’s 2050 environmental targets.
Net Zero: Making Essex Carbon Neutral sets out a detailed roadmap for delivering on legal obligations and climate-related pledges designed to help the region achieve a zero carbon balance within the next 25 years. Among other things, the assessment called for a dedicated team of experts and specialists, in place to support individual district councils and housing developers.
The Climate and Planning Unit [CaPU] is now working with partner authorities to set net zero policy, provide a network of best practice and training for planners, councillors and private stakeholders, and offer assistance to Essex’s 12 districts for all planning applications received.
Energy efficiency is at the centre of the work, and it is hoped a new generation of homes built on principles of low electricity and gas use, more effective insulation, and in-depth insights into power consumption could begin to hit the market by next year. The new team has already won the Climate Action – Low/Zero Carbon in New Homes category at the Essex Housing Awards 2023 thanks to its collaboration with the Essex Planning Officers Association.
’The creation of the Climate and Planning Unit underscores our dedication to tackling the Government’s net zero obligations head on,’ said Cllr Lee Scott, Cabinet Member for Planning a Growing Economic at Essex County Council. ‘This skilled team has the expertise to help local planning authorities challenge planning applications, making sure that all new buildings are built in a way which benefits the environment and helps Essex meet its net zero goals.’
As a council, we are taking our net zero ambitions extremely seriously and we know sustainable development will play a significant role in helping us achieve our aims,’ added Cllr Peter Schwier, Climate Czar and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling. ‘Our Climate and Planning Unit will make an important contribution towards creating a greener Essex by providing advice, guidance and training while also helping to set policy. I am excited to see the benefits this will bring to Essex.’
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Image: Guilherme Cunha