Planning for Rutland’s Future - Issues and Options Consultation

Issue 1: Tackling the climate crisis

Strategic Objective 1 - Ensuring new development takes a proactive approach to carbon reduction and that environments and communities in Rutland are adaptable and resilient to climate change, including managing flood risks.

Climate change presents growing risks, globally and also locally in Rutland. It is widely accepted that human activity is the main reason for increased concentration of greenhouse gases and rising global temperatures. Unless steps are taken it will impact not just this but also future generations. Locally, the more visible impacts of rising temperatures include more extreme weather events including flooding. Longer term impacts are also likely to include rising sea levels and increased coastal flooding. The response to the challenge posed by climate change affects many aspects of life and society, a number of which can be influenced positively by the new Local Plan.

The NPPF sets out that plans should "take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change taking into account the long-term implications for flood risk, coastal change, water supply, biodiversity and landscapes, and the risk of overheating from rising temperatures. Policies should support appropriate measures to ensure the future resilience of communities and infrastructure to climate change impacts such as providing space for physical protection measures or making provision for the possible future relocation of vulnerable development and infrastructure."

The impact of climate change on health is also significant, caused by extreme heat, severe weather, air pollution, increased allergens, and environmental degradation. The different aspects of climate change can impact negatively on health in many ways including heat-related illness, mental health impacts, respiratory disease, asthma, and cardiovascular disease.

The Local Plan therefore plays a key role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. The Local Plan will have mitigation of and adaptation to the climate emergency at its heart, forming an overarching theme for the whole document, including:

• tackling climate change by promoting greater energy efficiency, encouraging more use of renewable energy, and managing flood risk;
• promoting sustainable development, its distribution and density, to reduce the need to travel;
• promoting healthy communities, good air quality, open space and green infrastructure;
• promoting green travel, including public transport, walking, and cycling and supporting electric vehicle charging points and any other relevant technology which might be introduced; and
• promoting greater biodiversity.

Reducing energy use and carbon emissions in new buildings

In January 2021, the Government issued its response to the Future Homes Standard consultation. It has more recently introduced an interim uplift to Building Regulations in 2022, which will reduce carbon emissions from new dwellings by 31%. The Government then intends to consult on a full technical specification for the Future Homes Standard in 2023 and will then introduce the necessary legislation in 2024 before implementing it in 2025. This will reduce carbon emissions for a standard home by 75%-80% and make new homes 'zero carbon ready'. In summary, this means they will not be built with fossil fuel heating; they will be 'future-proofed' with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency; and will not require further retrofitting to become zero carbon, as the electricity grid continues to de-carbonise. Given the timetable for the Government initiatives against the likely adoption date for a new Local Plan, the Council will need to consider whether it is appropriate to introduce any higher local standards for reduction in CO2. In doing so then consideration would need to be given to the additional cost and impact on the viability of development, when considered alongside other priorities for developer contributions and requirements from new development, such as affordable housing.

Low Carbon Energy

The energy sector nationally is transitioning apace from carbon-based energy sources, such as oil, coal, and gas, towards low-carbon and renewable sources such as wind and solar energy, the costs of which are continuing to reduce. Other sources of low carbon energy include energy from waste (including farm waste), hydro power and the use of renewable and low carbon energy in larger public buildings.

Planning Practice Guidance emphasises the role of the planning system in the delivery of new renewable and low carbon energy infrastructure in locations where the local environmental impact is acceptable and is supportive of criteria-based policies that are positively framed. The Local Plan Review could go further and identify specific areas which may be suitable for renewable energy. However, Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) states that LPAs should only grant planning permission for onshore wind turbines if the development is in an area identified as suitable for wind energy development in their Local Plan, and if, following consultation, it can be demonstrated that the planning impacts identified by affected local communities have been fully addressed and the proposal has their backing.

Flood Risk

Fluvial flooding occurs when surface runoff washes into a river causing the water to breach the riverbanks, the water then overflows into the surrounding area. The risk of this happening in Rutland is generally low, however, surface water is becoming more of an issue in localised areas.

Paragraph of the NPPF states that Local Plans should take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change which includes the long-term implications of flood risk. Paragraph 161 states all plans should apply a sequential, risk-based approach to the location of development, considering all sources of flood risk and the current and future impacts of climate change. Paragraph 162 sets out the aim of the sequential test is to steer new development to areas with the lowest risk of flooding from any source.

The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) will provide the basis for applying this test and the sequential approach should be used in areas known to be at risk now or in the future from any form of flooding. This will ensure development is allocated to the areas of lowest flood risk.

The SFRA will need to be updated. The Council will use the information from this and work with the Environment Agency to help locate appropriate uses to appropriate areas having regard to the vulnerability of the proposed use and the degree of flood risk.

The withdrawn Local Plan included new policies on surface water management, water supply, foul drainage, and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). These were largely supported by the Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water and Anglian Water; it is considered these policies will provide a useful starting point for developing policies in the New Local Plan.

The proposed policy approach for the Local Plan is to take account of the latest evidence and proposals relating to flood risk in the assessment of development sites and review existing adopted planning policies in the light of that evidence. The Council will consult the Environment Agency and seek to update the SFRA in the preparation of the Local Plan