South Somerset Climate Action

The need for vision

The Town Council are creating ‘A Strategic Vision for Ilminster’– a vision that will influence almost every aspect of the town’s development for many years.
The council presented its proposals to several meetings and took representations from a variety of groups including South Somerset Climate Action (SSCA) which has prompted the proposals outlined here. These proposals are the result of two well attended SSCA public meetings where the council’s vision was discussed at great length and environmental and sustainability issues were raised.
In preparing this submission we have combined some of the Town Council’s sections – and crucially we have added one on Energy. We think this addition and the combined sections makes it easier to focus on the essential issues of creating a more sustainable community.

Read the full document (1.4 Mb pdf)

A VISION FOR ILMINSTER AS A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

Helping with decisions about using natural energy and reducing waste

Each one-day course starts with a talk at 10am at BURROW FARM GARDENS, DALWOOD, near AXMINSTER.

Call Pete Addie, (01404 831 288) to confirm then send a CHEQUE for £7 to cover refreshments and other expenses to Dalwood Hill House, Dalwood, Axminster EX13 7EU.

Website - http://ecovation.org.uk/

Ecovation is a major new initiative for people who have renovated their houses to a high environmental standard to share their experiences, tips, and contacts. Ecovation is a collective, interactive forum for inspiring and enabling practical change.

The Ecovation Initiative is a project of the Climate Outreach Information Network, and is supported by The Ove Arup Foundation, The Building Research Establishment Trust and Greenpeace Charitable Trust.

SOUTH SOMERSET TOGETHER

The strategy so far has involved a great deal of thought and work when I have not been involved.

I was encouraged to see the word “sustainable” in the title.

Goal 14: Move towards a zero carbon economy by 2050” would impress many but “move towards” is a weak expression when America’s top climate scientist (James Hansen) warns ‘we only have a decade to save the planet’. [Independent 15 September 2006].

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Sustainable development is now part of the purpose of the planning system.

Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development (PPS1), published by Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in 2006, sets out the overarching planning policies on delivering sustainable development through the planning system. It states (section entitled “Protection and enhancement of the environment”):

“Development plan policies should take account of environmental issues such as mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the use of renewable energy . .”

So that is existing policy and already quite a strong requirement to afford weight to climate change. But then in December of last year DCLG issued a consultation document on a proposed supplement to PPS1 on Planning and Climate Change the eventual effect of which is likely to make climate change an even stronger consideration in planning.

While the document is only emerging policy, unusually it does set out transitional arrangements that presumably apply right away. It states (paragraph 1.16):

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