Climate Change and Sustainability: a threat to growth?

Claire Pearce, MRTPI, MIED

Group Manager Strategy and Development

Sedgemoor District Council

Introduction

• A big question and one to narrow

• Focus today not on scientific debate

but real issues and live projects

• Changing weather patterns and more extreme events

• Recent experience of flood events • Decisions the planning profession

make influence climate change and sustainability

• But are these issues a threat to growth?

Approach

• Practitioner perspective • Place shaping and making • Context, approach, tools • Challenges – flood risk,

transport • Case studies • Conflicts between national

and local? Complementary or threat?

• Legacy and communities • Lessons learnt • Opportunities – even missed

ones!

NPPF Context

• Three dimensions to sustainable development : - Economic

Social

Environmental

• Protection, enhancement, adaptation

• Interpretation area / place specific

• Issue and needs based

• Addressing issues addresses threats and mitigates risk

Sedgemoor: The Place

• Unique geography • Coastal, AONBs, Levels • 4 hrs of 50% of UK ie 48m people • Location and Logistics • Exemplary college • HPC multi-generational project • BAE, largest brownfield site in SW • Cross boundary relationships • Risk of flooding • Acute pockets of deprivation • Infrastructure investment: constraints • Lack of higher skills • Investor uncertainty

Do Nothing Scenario

• Failure to deliver sustainable growth • Low value logistics • Infrastructure constraints • Objections to growth • Boom and bust • Disruption, congestion • Housing need and displacement • Social exclusion, threats to cohesion • Coastal retreat • Flood events • Low value, low wage, poor outcomes • Genuine barriers to growth

Positive Planning

• Pro-business, ambitious, pragmatic • Vision, delivery, outcomes • Policy and practice alignment • Economic led LDF • Integrated approach • Member and officer ‘Team’ • Encourage customers, shape proposals • Collaboration is key • Walk towards problems • Agile, change and adapt, re-plan • Mitigation and regeneration

Alignment with the LEP

• Investment in a two way process • Strong alignment…but need to look

to Bristol and wider UK • Creating Conditions for Growth -

infrastructure: transport, digital, flood mgt, energy

• Maximising productivity and employment - sustainable growth, strategic employment sites, housing, workforce development

• Capitalising on distinctive assets – environmental, innovation, skills that fit with transformation

Tools

• Horizon scanning • Policy with purpose: time, cost • Visioning exercises - integrated

solutions • LDF – with major infrastructure

policies • For a community growth means

change • Use of SPDs as change mgt tool • Masterplans , design briefs as

engagement tools, accelerators • Process to fit the time available • Reduce risk, increase confidence • PPAs, LLAs • Common sense and Team work • Attitude and commitment

Acute Challenges (1 cont. ) – Flood Risk

• Climate change and sustainability

key policy considerations • Solution needed to enable NEB • Tidal Surge in Bridgwater • 11,000 homes at risk, business • Tariff in place then CIL • Tidal and fluvial • Huge implications for council • Human and economic costs • Review solution urgently • Accelerate delivery - 10 years • Plan review

Acute Challenges (1) – Flood risk

• Emergency response 24/7 • Data quality to Homelessness • Roads and rail affected to SW • Basic amenities lost • Sandbag deployment • Recovery phase • Temporary housing • Significant harm? Enforcement? • Disruption to NSIP • Resilience = opportunities • Threat into opportunities • Accelerate delivery

Acute Challenges (2) Transport

• Stepping up approach • Essential for ‘business as usual’ AND

enabling growth • Log jam of schemes • Business as usual and HPC

• EDF works • SCC mitigation • Hinkley Deal

• Rail station, cycle route • Celebration Mile

• Reached critical thresholds • Mechanisms to fast track Transport • SDC investment to join up thinking • If inadequate, a threat

The Journey

• >£300m and 1,800 jobs in 3 years

• Largest commercial stock in Somerset

• Delivery of tangible employment • Morrisons, RRBC, Mulberry

• Community hospital & Police HQ • Since 2006, 3,634 homes built • Over 1,500 affordable homes • Plan for a further 7000 up to 2026 • Dec 2013, 3,301 consents in place • 600 underway in 2014/15 • Bridgwater Gateway 38 ha / £100m • Huntspill Energy Park energy park up

to 4,000 new jobs. • Cheddar reservoir £100m

Economic Strategy

Objectives underpinned by SD theme

Low Carbon / Energy (including Nuclear) priority sector

Business – Helping our business stock to grow and thrive

People – Working with residents to access employment and maximise opportunities

Place – Creating places that people want to work, live and invest in

Leadership – Ensuring a strong voice for Sedgemoor on economic growth

Energy and Water Management

• Energy key driver in policy and regeneration

• Renewable energy from the Severn: barrages, tidal lagoons - long term

• Short term - use the Severn and Parrett for deliveries to reduce HGVs.

• Multiple solar schemes on green field sites

• Wind turbine appeal recovered, dismissed and under challenge

• National Grid – local economic benefits?

• Huntspill energy park

• Reservoir for Bristol in Cheddar with leisure opportunities.

Case 1: Climate Change, Sustainability and Steart

• Sedgemoor supports change in a regional context – underpinning economic growth and climate change adaption

• EA project, developed in collaboration with Council and communities, PPA

• Compensatory habitat for Severn Estuary flood defenses and Bristol Container Port

• £20m coastal re-alignment and compensatory habitat, adjacent to HPC

• Magical asset for Somerset and SW

• Investment from HPC to secure added value - cycling, coast path, business opportunities

Case 2: Low Carbon Energy - Hinkley Point

• Somerset – long history in energy and specifically nuclear

• First nuclear power station at Hinkley Point (HP) in 1957

• HPB started producing power in 1976 and extended until 2023

• 2011 Nuclear part of the UK’s energy mix and that Hinkley Point was a suitable site

• Strategic siting assessment process: councils raised important local matters - first meeting in 2008

Low Carbon Energy: Hinkley Point

In 2012 EDF Energy applied for consent to build: • Two reactors, turbines, a spent fuel

store, a temporary jetty and accommodation for 510 construction workers at Hinkley Point C

• A wharf refurbishment • A village bypass in Cannington • Park and Ride sites • Freight logistics facilities • Accommodation for c1000 construction

workers in Bridgwater

Project Mobilisation and Preparation

• EDF preparations • Ambitions to harness as driver for local

growth: supply chain development • Collaboration with agencies and partners:

HCA - Housing Zone • Employment development, training,

outreach – JCP, HTA • NPR and VMS, logistics planning and

business engagement • Planning - section 106 funded officers,

condition / requirement discharge, mitigation planning, monitoring, community support

• Key test will be to hold internal colleagues, partners & EDF to account

Council concerns

The Council’s LIR highlighted benefits and impacts. Concerns centred on: - • Traffic congestion • Pressure on housing • Loss of amenities • Impacts on business • Potential negative affect on

tourism • Social cohesion Package of mitigation - obligations, requirements and management plans. Monitoring, effective design and implementation of mitigation will be critical

Lessons and Opportunities

• Legacy not a key consideration • Strong driver in Olympics, not

applied to NSIPs • Missed opportunity to integrate

national and local growth • Temp housing on strategic site • Unsustainable • Options and exceptions • Two systems need to be able to

integrate to ensure proper planning and development of area

• Obligations not tested • Local impacts dismissed • What happens if… plan b?

Community Benefit

• Politically, the Sedgemoor Leader has run a successful national campaign to ensure communities affected secure longer term benefit

• Similar to financial rewards for renewables

• Agreed in principle

• Kicks in post construction

• Ambition to utilise to further sustain and boost growth

• E.g. Community energy schemes, infrastructure investment

Climate change & sustainability

• Serious consideration • No direct threat to growth • Do nothing is a greater threat • Constraint • Innovative and robust solutions • Opportunity for design, business growth • Failure could mean human and

economic cost across SW

Observations

• Politicisation and streamlining not geared around long term objectives

• Short term rationalisation to expedite growth

• Prior approval v permitted development • Clarity on renewable energy • Barn conversions: sustainable? flood

risk? • Resource considerations (eg appeals,

written reps) • Standing advice, deemed consents • Highways – devolve powers

Future

• Cross departmental focus on growth • Prioritise infrastructure delivery • Future proofing • Reality check on big picture, value

added • Visit, lessons learnt • Major projects Unit - Fast track

resolution • Focus on people & places • Sustainable growth = positive legacy,

not opportunity lost