Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals Contents INTRODUCTION RENEWABLE ENERGY TRAINING HEMP PRODUCTION AND USE ACCREDITATION SCHEME COMMUNITY CRYPTO CURRENCY COUNCIL INTERNAL FLOODING TREE PLANTING HEDGEROWS GREEN ECONOMY WASTE HIERARCHY COMMUNITY SMALL-SCALE ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS GREENING AND BIODIVERSITY EV CHARGING POINTS LOAD SHARING ACTIVE TRAVEL ELECTRIC VEHICLES CAR CLUBS THE LAST MILE (OR TWO) REDUCING FOOD MILES REDUCING CARING MILES RIVER DART MAGWAY WASTE SOLAR PANELS OVER COUNCIL CAR PARKS PRIVATE SECTOR CAR PARKS LOCAL ENERGY HYDRO POWER WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMPS BUSINESS RATES FOR FARMERS TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT THE EMERGENCY CARBON OFFSETTING RESOURCES IT DISPOSAL POLICY JLP REVIEW (SUBJECT TO NEW PLANNING RULES) HOUSING GREEN HOMES GRANT Appendix - SHDC Car Parks Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Introduction This document lists some proposed actions to address Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss It is not intended to replace the Council’s Action Plan but to supplement it by providing set of proposals with some initial details of possible costs, benefits and suggested targets It is not expected that the Council adopts all these proposals but to give serious consideration to each It is widely recognised that the climate emergency now demands swift and ambitious action by everyone Nobody has expressed this better than the UN Secretary General in his speech on Dec (ref) There is great deal the Council can do to contribute to this global challenge, and in so doing set an example to others It is hoped these proposals will provide some food for thought The Emergency The climate emergency we all face has been apparent for some time but recent evidence suggests it is gathering pace and is exceeding the worst case pathways explored in the IPCC’s reports Sea level rise, as well as having devastating effect on coastal and low-lying communities is also good proxy for the progress of climate change, as it is the consequence of many interacting processes The report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) in May (ref ) shows how sea-level rise is likely to be over m by which is more than double the predictions of the worst case pathways in the IPCC th Assessment Report (AR) The consequences of climate change are described in the government’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) risk assessment, which identifies main risks:  flooding and coastal change  health, well-being and productivity  water shortages, including risks for the public water supply, agriculture, energy generation and impacts on freshwater ecology  natural capital and biodiversity  food production and trade  new and emerging pests, diseases and invasive non-native species These risks arise as result of three main factors: sea level rise and acidification, and an increase in the frequency of severe or extreme weather events; affecting rainfall, humidity, heat and wind According to Natural Devon (ref ), South West England is experiencing almost % more rainfall per year than in On average, it has decreased by % in the summer and increased in the autumn by % and in the winter by % These changes, alongside severe weather events, have an affect on farming and nationally this year there has been an estimated average loss to farmers in excess of £ per hectare (ref ) The impact of climate change on East Devon has been modelled using the Met Office climate projections data UKCP (see ref ) This is has shown an expected temperature rise of C by and has analysed the likely flooding caused by UKCP projected cm sea-level rise, together with local highest astronomical tide (HAT), giving tide m above current mean sea level Unfortunately, no such analysis has been done for the South Hams as yet However, simple illustration of the threat we face in the South Hams can be illustrated by couple of maps that show those areas that are likely to be subject to annual flooding by … years away (ref ) The likelihood of annual flooding in this case is an indication of the viability of location for continued human habitation, be it domestic or commercial It is important to note that the maps are based on the IPCC RCP model for expected sea-level rise and so do not take account of the PNAS report It is therefore reasonable to assume that the situation illustrated by the maps could be achieved before These maps do not take account of astronomical tides The map below shows the area that may be subject to annual flooding in Totnes by The flood defence scheme that was completed in is not designed to address climate change events and the EA have stated: “The Totnes flood defences are designed to protect the town from certain size tidal and fluvial floods – ‘design’ events – in the present day However, flood risks are likely to increase over time due to climate change” Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb The map below shows how the South West may suffer increasing disruption due to flooding of arterial routes into Devon and Cornwall This is an illustration of why building locally sustainable economy is so important as part of the plan to adapt to climate change Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Carbon Offsetting The Paris Climate Change Agreement set target for global warming of between C and C The IPCC has estimated that to limit global warming to C we will need to limit atmospheric CO to parts per million (ppm) As of Nov it stands at ppm – as measured by NOAA This is an increase of ppm from last year and suggests we have about years left to achieve the C target (This is commensurate with the years left mentioned in the Tyndale report – see below) The Council has determined that its carbon footprint is approximately eCO tonnes It would be possible to offset this at prices at an approximate cost of £ per eCOT So for £k the Council could declare itself net-carbon neutral It is not expected the council will do this but it is suggested that there needs to be a clear undertaking by the Council that it will only use carbon-offsetting as last resort and will never exceed % of its overall carbon footprint The South Hams needs to do all it can to contribute to bringing the increase in atmospheric carbon under control and not delegate this to outside the district The Tyndale Centre report (ref ) provides suggested pathway, which need not be followed slavishly, but nonetheless is indicative of the scale of what is required This suggests an annual reduction in emissions of %, starting immediately As stated in the Tyndale report, if nothing significant is done then in just years we will have exceeded the carbon budget that was allowed to keep global warming to the targets agreed in Paris SHDC has an important role in providing the leadership, coordination, planning and some funding to achieve this locally Reduction of its own carbon emissions, while very important in terms of setting an example, should not be its primary focus as this represents only % of the ktCO () emitted by South Hams It needs to harness the expertise and resources of local organisations and community groups and work alongside them on a day-to-day basis to achieve the significant reductions needed Resources Many of the proposals below require officer time as well as funds and this needs to be resourced Currently the Council has set aside £k for addressing climate change If one assumes this is spent over years, this represents just % of the Council’s expenditure By itself this sum is clearly not sufficient to address the climate emergency effectively, given the scale of the change and actions needed However, there are other resource and funds available that can be brought to bear:   SHDC earmarked reserve for creating local jobs of £,, There are many projects that would help build local green-economy, provide jobs and local expertise and address the immediate needs of the climate emergency SHDC unearmarked reserves of about £,, While this may be for emergencies that require short-term response times it is not unreasonable to draw on this reserve to some degree where to do so would mitigate against likely catastrophic events in the future Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb  The government has recently published its National Infrastructure Strategy - “Fairer, faster, greener” which includes funding of: £ billion (£M for South Hams*) for buses and cycling; and new £ billion (£M for South Hams) cross-departmental Levelling Up Fund that will invest in local infrastructure Note: bids for these funds require the local MP’s approval [ * based on South Hams population representing % of the UK ]  Active Travel Grants  EV Charging Point Grants  Green Homes Grant (LA version and domestic version)  Renewable Heating Incentive and ECO grants  The Rural Communities Energy Fund is £ million programme, run by BEIS, to support rural communities in England to develop renewable energy projects which provide economic and social benefits to the community  Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) has recently reduced its interest rate by % and while there are stricter criteria in place the guidance does not preclude applications that would that deliver resilience within communities and address climate-change However, projects will need to be submitted as part of an expenditure plan with possible exit strategy This serves to emphasis the need to begin the process of planning as soon as possible References: UN Secretary General Speech Dec https://wwwunorg/sg/en/content/sg/statement/--/secretary-generals-address-columbia-university-thestate-of-the-planet-scroll-down-for-language-versions Met Office - UK Climate Projections https://wwwmetofficegovuk/research/approach/collaboration/ukcp/index Natural Devon - Climate Change and Energy https://wwwnaturaldevonorguk/wp-content/uploads///Climate-Change-and-Energypdf Climate Change Study in East Devon https://uwemapsarcgiscom/apps/MapJournal/indexhtml?appid=bcacebddafaa#map Gov – Traded Carbon Value https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file//short-term-traded-carbon-values-for-appraisal-purposespdf Tyndale Centre – South Hams Carbon Budget https://carbonbudgetmanchesteracuk/reports/E/ Farmers Weekly - The cost of extreme weather for UK farmers https://wwwfwicouk/news/weather/exclusive-survey-the-cost-of-extreme-weather-for-uk-farmers IPCC – Summary for Policy Makers https://wwwipccch/site/assets/uploads///ipcc_wg_ar_summary-for-policymakerspdf Flooded Future: Global vulnerability to sea level rise https://wwwclimatecentralorg/news/report-flooded-future-global-vulnerability-to-sea-level-rise-worse-thanpreviously-understood Exeter University – Baselines and Trajectories for CO Emissions in Plymouth, South Hams and West https://wwwplymouthgovuk/sites/default/files/ BaselinesTrajectoriesForCarbonDioxideEmissionsPlymouthSouthHamsWestDevonpdf PNAS - Ice sheet contributions to future sea-level rise from Structured Expert Judgement https://wwwpnasorg/content/// NFU – Devon Farming Figures https://wwwnfuonlinecom/assets/ Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals Renewable Energy Solar Panels over Council Car Parks V Cllr John McKay Feb Installing solar PV panels over car-park is cheaper and more effective than installing on roof-tops The Council owns car-parks many of which could have solar panels installed over the parking bays to generate power for EV charge points and for local businesses and households where possible The following calculation demonstrates the potential and assumes only % of the parking bays will be suitable (possibly due to shade from buildings or trees) Number of parking bays: / = The standard size of parking bay is m m = So total available area of m It is general accepted that the peak output from solar panel is Wp giving ~ kWp overall The kWp is an ideal measure and then needs to be converted into kWh pa taking into account solar incidence, which is dependent on latitude, and other factors This is complex calculation and using the Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (ref ) yields an annual figure of ~ MWh To put this in context, if we take OfGen’s Typical Domestic Consumption Value (TDCV) for medium user of , kWh pa, the electricity generated would be sufficient to power ~ homes Proposal Survey all car-parks with view to developing business proposal that includes consideration of the usage of the generated renewable power to benefit local businesses and promote EV usage Work with Re:Fit (see ref ) and TRESco and others It may be suitable for some car-parks to utilise similar arrangements as have been achieved for the roof of the Pavilion in Totnes where the area is leased to Totnes Renewable Energy Society Benefits Potential energy saving of Mh pa Carbon saved tCO (using BEIS conversion factor of kg CO save per kWh) Long term revenue source, local expertise, local resilience Costs Using ASPE case study, approximate project cost per bay is £, giving overall cost of £M Possible financed through PLWB and SHDC earmarked reserves (will create jobs) Possible funding via National Infrastructure Strategy Creates variety of revenue streams, EV Charging, electricity to local business subject to electricity sales regulations, private wire sales, sale to grid Targets Business proposal: May Phased construction over years Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb References: BRE () Solar car parks: guide for owners and developers https://wwwbregroupcom/wp-content/uploads///-BRE-Solar-Carpark-Guide-Feb-App-nocrop-LRpdf Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) – Swansea Case Study https://wwwapseorguk/apse/assets/File/Swansea%__pdf Photovoltaic Geographical Information System https://rejrceceuropaeu/pvg_tools/en/toolshtml Local Partnership – Re:Fit programme https://localpartnershipsorguk/our-expertise/re-fit/ Private Sector Car Parks Many super-markets have large car-parks that should also be covered Just few examples are: Location Totnes – Morrisons Dartmouth – Sainsbury Kingsbridge – Tesco Bays > ~ ~ Solar PV area m ~ ~ ~ Energy MWh pa The potential renewable energy production (calculated as in the previous section) is significant Proposal The Council work with local large car-park owners to encourage them to install solar covers and with view to being part of coordinated plan that would bring savings to all participants Benefits CO emissions reduction Costs There would be no additional cost and could bring overall project savings Targets To start recruiting companies to join scheme by end of Local Energy Currently, it is only possible to purchase electricity from nationally licensed utility, and the cost and complexity of registering as such means it is very hard for small, local generators to compete The Local Electricity Bill, which has successfully been introduced to Parliament aims to change this But, while its introduction was unopposed, it has long way to go before it becomes law However, there are alternatives and it is still possible to generate electricity locally and either provide the power directly or indirectly (sleeving) or sell it to the grid:  Smart Export Guarantee – sell to grid  Private wire – provide direct to end user(s)  Energy Local Clubs (ref , used by Totnes Renewable Energy Society on the Pavilion project) There have been local successes and of particular note is South Brent Community Energy which has kW wind-turbine and kWp PV array Local energy production can be migrated to local energy network sales in due course Proposal The Council should continue to actively support the Local Electricity Bill The Council should encourage local community energy production projects by providing seed funding for project’s feasibility study and help in acquiring further funding It should actively engage with local partners like Totnes Renewable Energy Society and others The Council should work with partners to develop programme of project delivery Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Benefits Encourage local renewable energy production, creates local green skills, sustainable resilient communities Costs Draw on Rural Communities Energy Fund and extra funding from CCB fund and earmarked reserves where green jobs are created Targets Invite projects Jan References: Local Electricity Bill https://powerforpeopleorguk/the-local-electricity-bill/ Devon Community Energy https://wwwdevoncommunityenergyorguk/ Grid Watch – National Grid demand and output by fuel type https://gridwatchcouk South Brent Community Energy Society http://wwwsbcesorguk/ Gov – The Smart Export Guarantee Order https://wwwlegislationgovuk/uksi///contents/made Energy Local http://wwwenergylocalcouk/ Hydro Power Micro Hydro can be very efficient and can produce kW output with the right flow volume and head Given the many rivers and mill-leats in the area there will be many locations suitable for these units Proposal Build register of likely communities that could benefit from this technology Discuss with local environment and community groups to explore possible projects Provide support in terms of project planning and funding Benefits Provide renewable energy to local homes Build up local expertise in green skills Builds local resilience and community involvement Costs Officer time Targets Register complete by end of First project complete by end of References: The British Hydropower Association - Guide https://wwwbritish-hydroorg/wp-content/uploads///A-Guide-to-UK-mini-hydro-developmentvpdf Water Source Heat Pumps Plate heat-exchanges, aka water source heat pumps, can be placed in rivers and on lake beds They are much more efficient than air source heat pumps and can be used in community heating projects (see refs below) There are many villages across the area where homes are very close to water-courses of some form that could benefit from this form of heating either individually or as part of community project Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Proposal Build register of likely communities that could benefit from this technology Discuss with local environment and community groups to explore possible projects Provide support in terms of project planning and funding Benefits Provide renewable energy to local homes Build up local expertise in green skills Builds local resilience and community involvement Costs Officer time Targets Register complete by end of First project complete by end of References: Energy Saving Trust - Could water source heat pump work for you? https://energysavingtrustorguk/could-water-source-heat-pump-work-you/ Gov - National Heat Map:Water source heat map layer https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /water_source_heat_mapPDF Business Rates for Farmers Agriculture does not attract business rates However, if farmer uses land for renewable energy production (eg solar, wind or anaerobic digester) that was not for use by the farm then there would be liability for business rates Another example is farm-shop that sells produce that is not produced on the farm While the business rates system is still under review, Section of the Localism Act does give Local Authorities the power to give locally determined discretionary discount on business rates Proposal A policy is developed on how to assess any proposals brought forward by farmers and landowners for renewable energy production that is in excess of on-farm needs and for farmshops and similar ventures that encourage local food production, so that business rate discount can be awarded This might not apply to large scale rd party developers Benefits Assist local hard-pressed farmers to diversify Encourage local food sales and renewable energy production Costs As agriculture is in general not contributor to business rates the loss of income to the Council will not be significant Possible partial retrospective for existing installations Targets Policy in place and approved by March Travel and Transport EV Charging Points Transport is significant contributor to total carbon emissions and the sooner this can be reduced the better To do this the take up of EV transport needs to be encouraged and this means charge-points must be available Not everyone has off-street parking and so there is need to provide publicly accessible charge-points in car-parks, street-parking and in residential areas Clearly, further encouragement is the government’s commitment to ban the sale of new ICE cars and vans after The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has three grants for charging points: The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) - up to £ The Workplace Charge Scheme (WCS) – up to £ per point and max of points Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Local Authorities can apply for up to % of the capital costs for on-street residential projects There is £m available for / DCC currently has the DELETTI Project for Electric Vehicle Charge Points (contract CP-) DCC is preparing bid for money and is looking for projects across the county to include Street lighting LED street lighting draws lot less power (~%), so the supporting delivery network has spare capacity One use is the installation of EV charge points on the lamp-posts or nearby bollard DCC is responsible for street-lighting across the county Its energy supplier is Npower, supplied through Laser Energy Group who are part of Kent County Council who are DCC’s primary contractor Npower uses % renewable energy sources, which is fairly typical of the so called ‘big six’ However, this percentage is steadily increasing Proposal The Council should engage with its Town and Parish Councils to ensure that it is properly represented in any DCC bid for help with Charge Points Charge points would also be part of the car-park solar cover proposal (above) Benefits Encourage take up of EVs Costs Can be as low as £ per charge point (using LED lamp-posts) Targets DCC deadline Installations by end of References: Gov - On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme guidance for local authorities https://wwwgovuk/government/publications/grants-for-local-authorities-to-provide-residential-on-streetchargepoints/grants-to-provide-residential-on-street-chargepoints-for-plug-in-electric-vehicles-guidancefor-local-authorities Gov - Grant schemes for electric vehicle charging infrastructure https://wwwgovuk/government/collections/government-grants-for-low-emission-vehicles Map of charging points https://wwwzap-mapcom/live/ Database of Electric Vehicles available in the UK https://ev-databaseuk EV Street Charging https://wwwevstreetchargecouk/ Lucy Zodian https://wwwlucyzodioncom/street-lighting-infrastructure-and-on-street-ev-charging/ Commercial Networks Charge Master https://bpchargemastercom/ Pod Point https://pod-pointcom/ Rolec https://wwwrolecservcom/ev-charging/product/free-ev-home-charging-points Charge Point https://wwwchargepointcom/en-gb/ Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Load Sharing Approximately % of trucks on the roads are empty according to estimates from the DfT While there does exist load-sharing schemes for long-haul freight there appears to be nothing that addresses the needs of regional/local businesses Proposal The Council helps to set up project to go to local businesses across the district to compile data on their logistical operations and to formulate plan and agreements in partnership with them This may involve setting up load-booking web-site for instance The potential for businesses to save money, to ease congestion and to lower emissions is enormous and should be selffinancing Benefits Reduction in traffic and CO emissions Building of community neworks Costs Seed funding for partner organisation: ~£, from CCB fund Targets Operational by end of References: DfT - Domestic Road Freight Statistics, United Kingdom https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /domestic-road-freight-pdf Active Travel Active Travel is term that is largely self explanatory It benefits both the traveller and the environment It reduces CO emission and spectrum of pollutants from ICEs and results in fitter population both physically and mentally The government has provided £bn to promote active travel, which will be provided in two phases The first is for covid- specific projects and the second for longer term projects The allocation for Devon is £, in phase and £,, in phase two There exists numerous cycle paths as document by the National Cycle Network and others However many are not connected and there is no district-wide strategy to connect the population centres There also exists many cycle groups like PL: in Ivybridge, Primrose Trail in Kingsbridge and numerous others that are trying to create cycling infrastructure Proposal The Council work with local groups to develop district-wide strategy and help with funding bids to promote active travel and develop connected network The Council include and work with cycle-hire businesses to promote the use of electric bikes for short-journeys and to draw down funding The Council develop plans to help those business to create jobs using ear-marked reserves Benefits Health, environment, well-being, green-economy Costs Given South Hams represents ~% of the population of Devon (% by area), one would should expect about £, of the Active Travel funding to be available for South Hams projects Targets Preliminary report – end of Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb References: UK Gov – Two billion package to create new era for cycling and walking https://wwwgovuk/government/news/-billion-package-to-create-new-era-for-cycling-and-walking SUSTRANS – find route https://wwwsustransorguk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/ Electric Vehicles Car Clubs EV Car Clubs are increasing popular and can bring community benefits In Totnes we have E-Co Cars but their cars are not EV yet due to the lack of EV charge points This social enterprise is very successful and has been limited only by the lack of available parking It would expand if parking capacity was made available Car-clubs encourage the use of other forms of transport while maintaining the access and convenience of car These enterprises will turn to EV as charge points become more available They should be seen as part of the Active Travel initiative Grants for EVs Office for Low Emmission Vehicles (OLEV) has the Plug-In Car Grant (PICG) as below:  Up to £, provided the car has CO emissions of less than g/km and can travel at least km ( miles) without any emissions at all  % of the cost of van, up to maximum of £,  % of the cost of motorcycle, up to maximum of £, Proposal EV Car Clubs in our towns and villages should be encouraged and the Council should work with partners like E-Co Cars and others to help set these up There may be need for parking to be made available and EV charge points Benefits Freeing up parking spaces – potentially less cars needed in community, Environmental benefits of EVs, Increased familiarity with electric vehicles, Reduced costs of living – cheap to run -p per mile - upkeep, maintenance, depreciation is shared Available to those that cannot afford an EV Costs Grants and loans (repayable over years) for start-up costs: purchase/lease the vehicles, telematic booking system, insurance, etc Possible access to Active Travel grant funding Example EV cost: Nissan Leaf: Cost ~ £,, Lease ~ £ pm Targets First projects end of References: Business Case for Community Car Club (non EV study) https://comoorguk/wp-content/uploads///Business-case-for-community-car-clubs-finalpdf Gov - Low-emission vehicles eligible for plug-in grant https://wwwgovuk/plug-in-car-van-grants e-co cars https://wwwe-cocarscom/ The Last Mile (or two) The rise and rise of online retail means the roads and lanes of the area are full of delivery vans of all shapes and sizes causing congestion and environmental damage Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals Proposal V Cllr John McKay Feb Communities are supported so they can provide central drop-off point and electric delivery and people buggy The drop-off point would be volunteer manned location … could be Village Hall, Church, Shop, Pub, etc community-led project that would be seed-funded There are many models of electric buggy/deliver vehicles available at different price levels The price tends to reflect: power-rating and range guide price would be £ for sufficiently powerful vehicle with mile range On-costs for maintenance and charging: £ pa Initially paid for by SHDC and thereafter funded by the community Benefits Reduced CO emission, less congestion in lanes, safer for cyclists Costs parishes per year: £, Targets First projects end of Reducing Food Miles ‘Food Miles’ is bit of simplistic measure when taken without regard to other factors Out of season produce that has been air-freighted-in may, in some circumstances, be better than locally produced produce stored for months in refrigerator powered by non-renewables The key to overcoming many of these complications is to eat what is in season locally and where there is refrigerated storage it is powered from renewable source Proposal Work with local organisations to establish directory of local suppliers that fulfil the criteria Work with panel of local chefs to develop recipes based on locally available foods Establish an information site and an opt-in accreditation scheme for local food growing and supply businesses Help support community fridges powered by renewable energy (car-park solar and local energy networks) Benefits Promotes local sustainable economy Costs Targets Officer time End of Reference: The Myth of Food Miles https://wwwtheguardiancom/environment//mar//foodethicalliving Reducing Caring Miles The lack of Affordable/Social Housing is Green Issue Affordable housing tends to be in urban areas like Plymouth However, sectors of the economy like ‘caring’ cover the whole of the district This means that many carers visiting patients across the South Hams are commuting long distances The root cause is there are insufficient local carers as they can’t afford to live in the communities they serve This is much wider problem but it deserves to be treated as ‘green’ problem Proposal Purchase properties that fulfil set of well defined criteria: threshold price, condition and most importantly geographical distribution Benefits Address the lack of affordable housing Costs Funded from earmarked affordable housing Targets Policy development ( months) Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb River Dart The roads from Totnes to Dartmouth / Kingsbridge carries , vehicles day many of which are commercial very rough estimate might be tonnes carried by % of vehicles being , tones per day Proposal The river Dart is navigable up to Totnes and there is sufficient water on average neaps and so could be used to move bulk materials between Totnes and Dartmouth (as it used to) Eight medium sized lighters going up and down on each tide could shift tonnes per tide, so , tonnes per day, using very little fuel as they would work the tides and could take % of haulage traffic off the roads Eight lighters working the turn of each tide would have no impact on the amenity value of the river Benefits Reduction in heavy traffic and CO emissions Costs The Council is in position to examine the possibilities and the planning implications and produce feasibility study to include set up costs and profitability Part of the Capital Investment Programme Targets Preliminary report – end of References: Government Office for Science - Understanding the UK Freight Transport System https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /fom_understanding_freight_transport_systempdf MagWay MagWay is company that aims to provide means of parcel delivery using pallets powered by electric linear motors running through tubes This technology is the future It will evolve to carry greater loads and eventually to carry people in - years But the first phase is ready to use now It can remove great deal of unnecessary delivery transport from our roads In time it will revolutionise freight transport, and Highways England are working with them as are many other Local Authorities Note: (JM) have had long and interesting chat with their Technical Director (Rubert Cruise) and their CEO (Anna Daroy) This is undoubtedly an ambitious proposal but bears further investigation, possibly in collaboration with DCC and other partners Proposal A feasibility study of establishing MagWay connection between South Brent and Kingsbridge (along the old rail route) and similar connection down the Dart between Totnes and Dartmouth There would be many aspects to consider including terminals, planning and other aspects A preliminary report might be prepared followed by more detailed analysis Benefits Reduce road traffic and CO emissions Costs Suggest £, Targets Preliminary report – end of References: Magway https://magwaycom Virgin Hyperloop https://hyperloop-onecom/ Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals Waste Waste Hierarchy V Cllr John McKay Feb SHDC has policies in place to manage household waste in accordance with DEV of the JLP and the W of the Devon Waste Plan There exists comprehensive waste management plan, and SHDC have achieved an impressive recycling rate of ~% in / Also, it has managed to eliminate the need for ‘Dispose’ for domestic waste and concentrates its efforts on Recover However, despite the obvious successes there is need to reduce CO emissions from the Recover and Dispose operations (see below) and to increase efforts to promote the top four elements of the hierarchy, as by definition these are the much less environmentally damaging options Proposal Any reduction in payments from the DCC - Reuse Credits Scheme to local organisations should be compensated for with payments from the CCB fund To address Prevent and Reduce SHDC should provide educational material and run workshops for community groups and business groups Provide grants to set up and run ‘reuse’ community facilities Work with Refurnish and many others to develop and network “Pretty Local” recently ceased trading but could have been given more support in the context of programme to deliver community ‘reuse’ economy Benefits The prevent and reuse of materials is the best way of stopping waste becoming source of pollution and CO release Costs Use of Localities Funding support from CCB fund and earmarked reserves for creating jobs Targets Programme by end of References: DCC – Resource and Waste Management Strategy for Devon and Torbay https://democracydevongovuk/documents/s/HIW--pdf DEFRA - UK Statistics on Waste https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /UK_Statistics_on_Waste_statistical_notice_March__rev_FINALpdf DEFRA – Guidance on the Waste Hierarchy https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /pb-waste-hierarchy-guidancepdf DEFRA – Rational for Waste Prevention https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /wpp-evidence-overviewpdf Community Small-Scale Anaerobic Digesters None of South Hams’ waste goes to landfill After recycling, residual waste goes to the Energy from Waste (EfW) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) incinerator in Plymouth This facility processes about k tonnes of waste per year As tonne of waste yields to tonnes CO (ref ), there will be CO emissions of about k tonnes per year (Note :the Environment Agency does not require CO levels to be monitored or reported as part of the operating license as CO is not deemed to be pollutant) About k tonnes pa of residual waste comes from the South Hams and will result in approximately kt of CO release This represents about % of South Hams emissions which is small but significant amount Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb The facility also provides heat to the docks which means kT of CO are not generated by the docks giving an overall CO emissions total of kt The plant produces , MWh pa giving carbon intensity of ~g COe per kWh This is times greater than gas generated power which produces g COe per kWh (ref ) Long term reliance on incineration is not sustainable (ref ) There are other technologies that could replace incineration and could be retro-fitted as discussed in ref However, the timescales for these are long There is therefore need to drive down the kt of CO emissions from the South Hams Small scale anaerobic digesters (AD) are reality and can produce valuable outputs as well as generating electricity They can benefit from Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) for installations up to MW or used to power local business recent feasibility study for the Dartington Estate by the Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESoc) demonstrated the economical viability of proposed plant By working with partners like TRESoc to set up local ADs would bear down on the kt CO emissions as well as help reduce emissions from agriculture and the hospitality sector Start up costs can be quite high at about £, but with return in - years There would be revenue for the local community and it would also serve to build up ‘green skills’ in the area Proposal The Council works with partners like TRESoc and others to identify how best to deploy Anaerobic Digesters Benefits Address the CO emissions from waste Reduce waste miles Green-energy Green skills Provide long-term resilience to communities Costs Assist access to the BEIS Rural Communities Energy Fund and supplement as required from PWLB and earmarked reserves Targets First project end of References: The impact of Waste-to-Energy incineration on climate () https://zerowasteeuropeeu/wp-content/uploads/edd///ZWE_Policy-briefing_The-impact-ofWaste-to-Energy-incineration-on-Climatepdf Environment Agency - Pollution inventory reporting –incineration activities guidance note https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /Pollution-inventory-reporting-incineration-activities-guidance-notepdf MVV – Plymouth EfW CHP https://wwwmvvde/en/about-us/group-of-companies/mvv-umwelt/thermal-waste-recycling/plymouth-efwchp-plant Energy from Waste and the Circular Economy https://wwwbirminghamacuk/Documents/college-eps/energy/Publications/energy-from-waste-policycommission-report-pdf Future of Small Scale Anaerobic Digestion https://wwwbiogasworldcom/news/future-small-scale-anaerobic-digestion/ Gov - Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan https://assetspublishingservicegovuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/ /anaerobic-digestion-strat-action-planpdf Circular - UK small scale biogas provide “significantly negative” carbon emissions https://wwwcircularonlinecouk/news/uk-small-scale-biogas-provide-significantly-negative-carbonemissions/ Gov – The Smart Export Guarantee Order Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb https://wwwlegislationgovuk/uksi///contents/made Greening and Biodiversity Flooding Sea level rise is challenging threat but so to is the flooding due to the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall events To address this issue there is need to work on the upstream catchments to slow down the volume of flood water that flows off Dartmoor The Dartmoor Headwater Management Project is pilot to gather data on effective management techniques Given the threat to the communities of South Hams the Council should work closely with the Dartmoor National Park to assist, through its members and local projects and education, in encouraging an increase in natural vegetation and tree cover in the catchments and to nurture the bog lands that act as natural sponge and carbon sink Proposal The Council should consult with Dartmoor National Park and the Environment Agency on the outcomes of its pilot and determine how it could best assist in mitigating fluvial flooding through its connections with partners and the community Benefits Reduced risk of flooding Community involvement, education and resilience Costs Officer time Targets Ongoing Dartmoor Headwater Management Project https://wwwdartmoorgovuk/wildlife-and-heritage/our-conservation-work/dartmoor-headwaters-project Exmoor Mires Partnership https://wwwexmoor-nationalparkgovuk/Whats-Special/moorland/exmoor-mires-project Tree planting The levels of CO in the atmosphere are the highest humans have ever experienced There is not only need to reduce emissions but to draw down CO levels All IPCC pathways require so called Negative Emissions Technology (NET) tree is one of nature’s best NETs However, trees can take decade before they are effective, so the faster they are planted the better Doubling the number of trees across the UK would account for % of current CO emissions The national average for woodland cover in the UK is only %, compared to an EU average of % Assuming an approximate current tree cover of % across the South Hams (, ha), this represents about hectares So to double the tree cover requires planting another hectares over years So hectares per year Trees are planted at density of - per hectare So assuming then to cover hectares means planting million trees per year (k per week) Proposal The Council needs to build register of sites by inviting participants to join the campaign and to manage this over the years The Council should consider acquiring and planting land, especially close to sensitive areas like Greater Horseshoe Bat flyways and feeding zones Benefits Carbon sequestration addressing ~% of emissions Costs Saplings (whips) can be obtained from Woodland Trust for nothing plus planting advice Cost of Land … Increase remit of tree officer Preliminary plan by planting season (October) Targets References: Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Woodland Trust - Large Scale Tree Planting https://wwwwoodlandtrustorguk/plant-trees/large-scale-planting/ Woodland Trust – Tree Coverage by MP Constituency https://wwwwoodlandtrustorguk/media//woodland-indicators-by-parliamentary-constituencypdf South Devon AONB – Trees and Woodlands http://wwwsouthdevonaonborguk/coast-countryside/land/trees-and-woodlands Moor Trees https://wwwmoortreesorg/ Hedgerows Devon is said to have some , miles (, km) of hedgerows In the South Hams, which represents % of the area of Devon, there will be approximately , miles ( km) of hedgerows Assuming width of m this represents ~ hectares Note: many hedges are more like m at the base, so this is a conservative estimate The potential for this area to sequester and store atmospheric carbon is significant and there has been great deal of research over the last decade to support this idea Unfortunately, high percentage (maybe %) of these hedges are cut back rigorously, some times several times year, with mechanical tractor mounted flail There good practical reasons for this activity but it has devastating effect on the ability of the hedgerow to store carbon and greatly reduces its ability to support wild-life and range flora Also, the resulting pulverised wood quickly releases its stored carbon back into the atmosphere The Agriculture Act and the Environment Land Management Scheme (ELMS) may help to influence hedgerow management, but the ELMS roll-out will be slow Also, it is part of Local Authority’s remit to help businesses reduce their environmental impact and in rural area like the South Hams this must included farmers There are grants from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) if farm is in Country Stewardship scheme There are number of hedgerow management strategies that can be adopted Proposal Council appoints an agricultural liaison officer and works with the NFU and local exemplar farmers, of which there are many, to help communicate the benefits, both environmental and economic of better hedgerow management Evening talks (free beer and pasty!), literature, peer-to-peer contact with contractors (who do much of the hedge trimming), etc Benefits Carbon sequestration and better wildlife corridors and biodiversity Economic benefits to farmers … preparation for ELMS funding Costs Officer time Targets Officer in place by March References: Utilising hedgerows for landscape scale carbon sequestration https://wwwagroforestryacuk/sites/wwwagroforestryacuk/files/Axe%Utilising%hedgerows%for %landscape%scale%carbon%sequestration%final%vpdf Gov - Countryside hedgerows: protection and management https://wwwgovuk/guidance/countryside-hedgerows-regulation-and-management Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals Green Economy Training V Cllr John McKay Feb There is serious shortage of qualified people to implement energy saving upgrades across the South Hams housing stock This is problem that is hampering the take up of government grants and is delaying the ability of the district to deliver the important reduction in domestic household CO emissions necessary To obtain the Green Home Grant any works need to be done by TrustMark accredited operator with the specific skills necessary for the particular work being done At the time of writing there were just companies, all based in Plymouth, not all of which have the full range of skills: Qerb Energy Ltd, Carbon Saving Group and Evolve Home Energy Solutions Proposal The Council issue call-to-arms to encourage local companies and those with the necessary skills to obtain TradeMark accreditation as matter of some priority Registration via TrustMark Scheme costs ~£ Benefits Provide the workforce necessary to drive down the eCO emissions from homes which amount to % of the total Costs Cost of communications Targets Double the number of TrustMark’ed operators able to serve the South Hams by end of References: TrustMark – Find trades person https://wwwtrustmarkorguk/find-a-tradesperson Hemp Production and Use Hemp is very versatile plant which can be used to produce range of products Just some of these are:  rope – hemp rope has been used for ’s of years  textiles – awnings, sails, clothing  biodegradable plastics – bio-plastic made from the cellulose content of the hemp fibre  paint – based on hemp seed oil it has no VOCs and is not water-based paint  insulation – thermal conductivity of hemp fibre is very low  biofuel – made from the fibrous stems (cellulosic ethanol)  food – based largely on hemp seed oil source of omega- fatty acids normally associated with fish, and other nutritional benefits  paper and packaging – high sustainable paper and packaging alternative to soft-wood source  construction material – hemp fibre mixed with organic resins can produce very strong material that can be used in vehicle, boat and moulded structures  building material – fibre mixed with lime to create concrete (hempcrete) that can continue to sequester carbon for many years while becoming harder and stronger  medicinal – varieties of hemp that have higher THC content and CBD content which are an important medicine for range of conditions As well as being versatile, hemp can sequester about tonnes of CO per hectare, during its growing cycle And, when harvested and used to manufacture products there can remain net negative carbon cost Proposal The Council works with local bodies like the NFU and Chambers of Commerce to establish pilot programme drawing on local and national funding resources Establish network of growers and manufacturing businesses Benefits Net positive carbon sequestration Reduction in dependence high CO materials and production methods Sustainable business model building local resilience and jobs Costs Officer time Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals Targets V Cllr John McKay Feb To have scheme ready for launch by end of References: HempWiki https://hempwikicom/hemp-products/technology-industry/ Wikipedia - Hemp https://enwikipediaorg/wiki/Hemp UK Hempcrete https://wwwukhempcretecom/why-building-with-hempcrete-is-good-for-the-environment/ The Role of Industrial Hemp in Carbon Farming https://hemp-copenhagencom/images/Hemp-cph-Carbon-sinkpdf Hemp car https://wwwyoutubecom/watch?v=TugMbfnAGI Green Boats - company building boats with hemp https://green-boatsde/ Accreditation Scheme There is need to encourage businesses to make their operations less damaging to both the climate and the environment To this end it is proposed the Council work with partners to promote an accreditation scheme There is confusing array of accreditation/certification/assurance schemes that are concerned with sustainability and the environment, but it has been suggested there is need for single South Hams and Devon brand that the public understands and motivation scheme to encourage businesses to achieve the standard Proposal The Council works with other authorities and standards agencies (like the Carbon Trust) to develop rating system that can be applied to all businesses across the district The rating should be linked to business rate discounts and other benefits Benefits Help motivate businesses to reduce their carbon emissions Build the networks that’s are the lifeblood of circular or doughnut green and resilient economies Costs Reduction in business-rate income if scheme widely adopted Targets To have scheme ready for launch by end of References: Eco-Label Index http://wwwecolabelindexcom/ecolabels/?st=country,gb Wikipedia – Sustainability Standards https://enwikipediaorg/wiki/Sustainability_standards_and_certification ISO – Environmental Management https://wwwisoorg/iso--environmental-managementhtml Carbon Trust – Carbon footprint accreditation https://wwwcarbontrustcom/client-services/certification/product-footprint/ Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Community Crypto Currency Totnes was leader in Community Currencies with the Totnes Pound While this initiative had only limited success it had the logistical disadvantages of ‘fiat-like’ currency These can largely be overcome by using crypto currencies Crypto currencies have been around for awhile now and are mature part of the portfolio of most currency traders and many institutional investors The market capitalisation across all crypto assets is now over $ billion and rising Paypal have recently started accepting BitCoin and many successful applications of the power of smart-contracts are being developed on the Ethereum, Avalanche, Polkadot and similar networks One such UK application is the Community Coin; HullCoin It is based on two established crypto currencies; Ven and FeatherCoin It has been very successful and has helped stimulate the local economy Proposal The Council work with community partners and consult with Hull City Council to explore the model used in Hull and develop proposal for the South Hams Benefits Promotes the local economy and helps build local resilience and sustainability Costs Council starts initiative and draws on local expertise to take forward Targets A proposal by the end of References: HullCoin https://wwwhull-coinorg/ Ven https://venvc/ FeatherCoin https://feathercoincom/ FairCoin https://fair-coinorg/ Article from Resiliance on Local Currencies https://wwwresilienceorg/stories/--/bitcoin-blockchain-and-local-currencies/ Community Currencies https://wwwgrassrootseconomicsorg/community-currencies Community Currencies - Video https://youtube/HgbWOkQY Parliamentary Briefing (very old … but has some interesting content) https://researchbriefingsfilesparliamentuk/documents/POST-PN-/POST-PN-pdf International Journal of Community Currency Research https://ijccrfileswordpresscom///ijccr_summer__volume__issue_-pdf Council Internal IT Disposal Policy The Council continually retires end-of-life or surplus laptops and desktops Currently these go to contracted IT disposal company that guarantees the destruction of all data in compliance with ISO and other standards Thereafter, these laptops tend to be broken up to recover precious and rare-earth materials Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb There is real social need for laptops by families in hardship, schools and other community support groups These laptops should be donated to help these Furthermore, by continuing the useful life of this equipment the Council will be fulfilling its commitment to ‘reduce’ waste, and thereby reducing CO The need to ensure all data is properly destroyed prior to passing to rd parties is not big hurdle, but it does require the development of an in-house protocol that would be easy to achieve Proposal A policy is developed for the donation of surplus IT equipment Benefits Social and environmental Costs Possible software costs for data erasure Targets A policy is in place by end of March JLP Review (subject to new Planning Rules) There is much that is good in the JLP and the subsequent SPD but it does not provide the necessary framework to deliver on the commitment of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergency declared in July This is a fundamental issue that hampers the Council’s ability to properly address aspects of the Emergency The whole of the JLP need not be reviewed, only those aspects that are clearly at odds with the Emergency Proposal The Council together with its partners West Devon and Plymouth employs suitably qualified officer to coordinate and drive this review, submit to the inspector and its adoption in to months SH needs to take initiative Note: There are no legal or procedural reasons to prevent this and reviewing the JLP does not in any way reduce its standing as has been suggested The Council has declared Climate Emergency and should review any policies that conflict with this Benefits Social and environmental Costs Officer time Targets A policy is in place by end of Housing Green Homes Grant In Nov the Energy Saving Trust stated, “Household emissions from heating and hot water must reduce by % to reach net zero targets” “The majority of household CO emissions come from heating (including generating hot water) Energy Catapult Analysis shows that in , the average household generated , kg of CO emissions from heating, which is around % of the total Until July this year, the UK was aiming to cut carbon emissions by % by , which would mean reducing the carbon generated from heating to kg CO annually To reach the Net Zero target that the UK has now adopted, we need to go even further and reduce heating emissions to kg CO per household – reduction of %” This needs to be the mission of SHDC Cost and CO emission savings for detached house: Loft Insulation: £ … kg CO pa … cost per kgCO pa = Cavity-wall: £ … kg CO pa … cost per kgCO pa = External Wall: £, … kg CO pa … cost per kgCO pa = Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb In the South Hams %+ of houses are rated ‘D’ or below and % could be E,F or rated Dwellings in the South Hams , (), so lets say , Very approximately, of these % are in flats leaving about , properties So there are probably about , properties with EPC rating of E,F or G While SHDC are spending £k on external wall insulation and heat-pumps for properties, it needs to be appreciated that this addresses about % of the properties that need upgrading and will only reduce CO emissions by about tonnes pa, and so will reduce the South Ham’s estimated domestic CO emissions of kilo tonnes per annum by less than % How to achieve % To achieve the % reduction needed requires more comprehensive strategy that includes the drawing down of grants by individual households The Council should use monies it is able acquire to achieve the greatest CO reduction Note: taking the kt figure and dividing by the number of dwellings yields an estimate of CO per dwelling of kg CO pa, which is much higher than the EST national estimate of ,, which may demonstrate the inefficiency of homes in the South Hams Cavity-wall insulation is times more cost effective, would reach + properties ( %), with an overall CO reduction of tonnes being % of the domestic total Proposal As well as the training proposal (), there needs to be house by house appraisal using Council data and data from the English Housing Survey to optimise the combined approach of Council upgrades and resident upgrades This may involve both in some cases Benefits To obtain the greatest reduction in CO emissions as is reasonably possible Costs Officer time Targets Analysis and proposal by May References: Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates http://dclgappscommunitiesgovuk/epc/epcdemohtml English Housing Survey https://wwwgovuk/government/collections/english-housing-survey Page of Climate Change and Biodiversity Proposals V Cllr John McKay Feb Appendix - SHDC Car Parks Area is based on bay size of m m Town Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Totnes Slapton Slapton Slapton Slapton DARTMOUTH DARTMOUTH DARTMOUTH Kingsbridge Kingsbridge Kingsbridge Kingsbridge Kingsbridge Salcombe Salcombe Salcombe Salcombe Ivybridge Ivybridge Ivybridge Modbury Modbury Postcode TQ SP TQ RJ TQ DZ TQ DZ TQ EF TQ SF TQ AL TQ AL TQ NZ TQ HW TQ HW TQ PN TQ TQ TQ TQ TQ PN TQ LW TQ NF TQ LW TQ HH TQ LR TQ PP TQ EG TQ HN TQ DU TQ JQ TQ ND TQ JE PL AS PL RU PL AS PL QJ PL QJ Car Park Old Market The Nursery Heaths Nursery Heathway Victoria Street Civic Hall Steamer Quay Longmarsh North Street Pavilions Pavilions Short Stay Slapton Memorial Torcross Layby Torcross Tank Strete Gate Park & Ride Mayors Avenue Leisure Centre Cattle Market Duncombe Park Fore Street Lower Union Road Quay Creek North Sands Shadycombe Whitestrand Leonards Road Glanvilles Mill Hartford Road Poundwell Meadow Poundwell Street Type Long Stay Long Stay Short Stay Long Stay Short Stay Short Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long stay Long Stay Short Stay Long Stay Short Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Short Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Long Stay Short stay Long Stay Short Stay Short Stay Long Stay Short Stay Bays Total Bays Page of Dis Vehicles Cars; Motorcycles Cars; Cars; Cars; Motorcycles Cars; Motorcycle Cars; Motorcycles Cars; Coaches Cars; LGV Cars; Motorcycle Cars Cars Cars; LGV Cars Cars; Coaches, Motorcycle Cars; Motorcycle Cars; Coaches, LGV Cars; motorcycles Cars Car, Coaches Car Car, Motorcycles Car, Motorcycles Car, Motorcycles Cars; Coaches, Motorcycles Cars Cars; Motorcycles Cars; motorcycles Cars; Motorcycles Cars; Motorcycles Cars Cars Cars Area Total Area (square metres) kWp (assuming Wp/m)