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Climate change environmental planning
challenges
Mark Southgate
Head of Planning and Local
Government
Climate change
- environmental challenges
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The Environment
Agency and spatial
planning
Climate change some planning
issues
Planning challenges
Conclusions
Environment Agency and planning
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Better environment for England and Wales for
present and future generations
Environmental advisor - related to operational
functions, expertise and information
Consultee, not regulator
Legislation, policy, development plans,
applications, appraisal and schemes
160 planning staff, 60,000 consultations pa
Risk-based approach, focus on plans
Climate change - planning issues
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Avoiding and
reducing flood risk
Water resources
Water quality
Biodiversity
Coastal planning
Positive planning enhancement
Mitigation vs adaptation
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Mitigation:
• Resource (esp energy) efficiency
• Sustainable transport
• Water efficiency measures
Adaptation
• Avoidance of high flood-risk areas
• Flood resilient building and infrastructure
• SUDS
Flooding - past events
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Easter 1998:
5 deaths; £400m damage
Autumn 2000:
£1 billion damage
August 2004 - Boscastle
January 2005 - Carlisle:
2 deaths
Flooding
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Natural process
Cannot be totally
prevented or
defended against
5 million people live
in floodplains
1.8 million homes &
185,000 businesses
Foresight - Future flooding
Economic scenarios
• Global temp rise
• More frequent
flooding - urban
• Sea level rise
• Increased storms
• Coastal erosion
www.foresight.gov.uk
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Role of planning
“Decisions taken now
will have a profound
impact on the size of
flooding risks that
future generations will
need to manage”
Foresight report, 2004
Planning - reducing flood risk
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‘Where possible to reduce, and certainly not
add to, the overall level of flood risk’
Flood defence to flood management
Focus on probability and consequence
Avoid development that increases flood risk,
or that creates it elsewhere
Plan-led - look for suitable alternatives
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
Water resources
Water resources
supply-demand
balance
Zones with a deficit
between now and
2015
(without climate change)
> 20 %
15 to 20 %
10 to 15 %
5 to 10 %
<5%
Scenarios: 2010, 2015 and 2025
32,000 houses pa, 8% efficiency + new resources
Water resources
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Wealden District Council (Policy EN5):
“New development will only be permitted
where adequate water resources are
available and where it would not present
an unacceptable risk to such resources.”
(Wealden Local Plan, Adopted December
1998)
Sustainable construction
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Energy, water, waste
25% savings in water
& energy - Building
Regulations
Better align planning
and Building
Regulations
Code for Sustainable
Building (CoSB)
Merton – renewable energy policy
Policy E13:
• Employment developments - new industry,
warehousing, office and live/work units above
1,000 sq m
• ‘Expected to incorporate renewable energy
production equipment to provide at least 10%
of predicted energy requirements’
• PPS22 - Renewable Energy (para 8)
Water Framework Directive
River Basins
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Good ecological status
Statutory plans - 2009
Cover all water bodies
Summarise protection
and restoration
‘measures’ required
Provide the mechanism
to manage future water
use and activities
Water Quality - Scenario testing
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EA and water
companies
identifying
STWs where
concerns about
treatment/
environmental
capacity
STW ‘Hotspot’ Map
Planning and WFD
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Wide area focus - beyond LPAs
Guidance & awareness raising with LAs
Evidence base - for SA/SEA
Policies in plans now! - 2007 vs 2009
Share policy best practice
Political support - national policy
WFD and planning initial advice
Climate change planning response
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Act now - impacts are
with us now
Make the links - actions
required for more than just
climate change
Spread the word - raise
awareness
Make the best of
existing tools - eg SA
Make effective use of
existing instruments
Conclusions
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Sustainable development duty
Long time horizons - plan-led, vision
Spatial plans
SA/SEA, evidence base
Environmental capacity and limits
Public participation
Planning vs Building Regulations
Awareness raising, political leadership