East Cambridgeshire District Council’s Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is now open for comments from its residents, businesses and organisations within in the district.

It follows a unanimous vote by members at the Finance and Assets Committee, who voted in favour of the Climate Change SPD going to public consultation for six weeks.

The Climate Change SPD aims to help the planning system achieve development which has a lower impact on the climate and to encourage developers to help mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The consultation details the proposal of four new policies, which include:

• Reducing carbon dioxide emissions by ensuring development proposals incorporate sustainability measures
• Reducing energy demand in existing buildings by encouraging developers to look for wider energy efficient improvements to buildings
• Making development more resilient and adaptable to increasing temperatures and future change
• Safeguarding renewable and low carbon energy sources so that there is a continued operation of renewable energy generating technology.

The Climate Change SPD will work in unison with the Natural Environment SPD, which has already been approved for adoption.

Councillor David Brown, Chairman of the Finance and Assets Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said:

“East Cambridgeshire is a growing area and with growth comes a responsibility to balance competing demands and mitigate the negative impacts of that growth as far as is reasonably possible.

“We would like to urge residents, businesses and organisations to take part and have their say on this SPD during the consultation period.”

The consultation is open for comments until November 23rd 2020.

To view the Climate Change SPD and take part in the consultation, visit our current consultations page or our SPD homepage.