PLANNING
North Somerset Local Plan: respond by 5pm on 22nd January
You may already be aware that North Somerset at currently consulting on the Local plan. This update of plan is a real opportunity to embed Climate friendly policies that will in turn shape further development of renewable energy and constrain development which takes (in its manufacture) or facilitates (in its future life) high carbon usage.
We would ask you to consider commenting against Bristol Airport’s removal from the greenbelt, so that it continues to have to argue ‘special circumstances’ for future development, bearing in mind its ambition to expand from the present 12 million passengers per year to 20 million. This when for most people getting on a plane will represent the highest cost to their carbon footprint in a year, and the total emissions of planes in flight per year amount to a far higher figure that all other transport emissions in the region.
We would also point to a range of measures that you could usefully comment in support of strong net zero policies for new buildings (below). They would end the perennial question ‘why aren’t there solar panels on new buildings?’ and require almost-Passivhaus with very low bills. B&NES and Cornwall recently adopted similar policies, which opens the door to other councils doing the same.
However, there will be strong opposition. In B&NES, it really helped that there were lots of supportive comments, and community speakers at the hearing defending the polices and asking the council to go further, to balance out the opposition. You don’t have to be a N Somerset resident to comment.
If you wish to support the policies, the link is here https://n-somerset-pp.inconsult.uk/NSLP2039PreSub/viewCompoundDoc?docid=13936116&sessionid=&voteid=&partId=13938260
You can comment in the boxes provided. Possible points are below but your own words are always best:
“Policy DP6: Net zero construction”
- To meet North Somerset Council’s own 2030 net zero target, new buildings must not add further emissions.
- The technology for zero carbon buildings exists and is affordable
- To build the market for these technologies, new development must drive demand
- DP6 will also provide homes that are affordable to heat in the face of the energy crisis.
- The embodied carbon policy will create market pressure for lower carbon building products, a major contributor to global emissions.
If you wish to speak at the hearing, you will have to object to the policy. An option is to say they don’t go far enough, for example:
- Full Passivhaus Plus standard required to ensure quality of new buildings
- A stronger standard for non-residential buildings is needed
- The embodied carbon policy should be much higher since the current level only represents current practice.
Interesting work on climate action and technology Information meeting in February
Eyes on Bristol Airport
During the Autumn of 2023 some of the Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) coordinating group worked on an intensive project with Grounding Technologies. This was an innovative scheme to enable 6 groups (BAAN being one) to forge new pathways to environmental action using technology. Following in the footsteps of GALBA who had been counting night flights at Leeds Bradford Airport, the grant awarded enabled BAAN to pay a data wrangler and a graphic designer and website developer to create the Eyes On Bristol Airport tool using open source data from Open Sky. We have had a few technical difficulties which are currently being ironed out, but we plan to properly launch tool and to be able to analyse the first year of results in February at our special event on Thursday 29th February 7-8.30 at Felton Village Hall (more information available here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2041610589554264?ref=newsfeed.
BAAN took a great deal of inspiration from the 5 other teams working on the project, as they joined them in workshops and acted as critical friends to each other’s projects. There was a really lovely event on 1st December where each group’s work in progress was showcased. You can take a look at the whole event here (BAAN were the last to present at 2 hours 15 minutes on the recording)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBP8NktMuoc as you will see each project has a beautiful little film and a part where team members talk about their work.
You can see the film that the project produced for BAAN here: