East Cambridgeshire District Council added another piece to its armoury to help safeguard the district’s environment by adopting its new Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

The implementation follows a unanimous vote by members at the council’s Finance and Assets Committee to formally adopt the Climate Change SPD.

Now that the Climate Change SPD has been adopted by the Council, it will in February become a material consideration to be used by the Council’s Planning Department in all future planning decisions.

The Climate Change SPD will help the planning system achieve developments which have a lower impact on the climate and will encourage developers to do their bit to help mitigate their impacts on our environment. 

The document seeks to ensure that developers have the environment at the forefront of their application and includes guidance relating to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, increasing the energy efficiency and adaptability of buildings as well as safeguarding renewable energy infrastructure.

Councillor David Brown, Chairman of the Finance and Assets Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We all have a role to play to protect the environment and reduce climate change and as a Council, this is something we take very seriously.

“The Climate Change SPD aims to make the environment a priority consideration and alongside our Natural Environment SPD, will allow us to make sure developers take steps to reduce their impact on our climate and boost the natural environment across the district.

“These two documents complement each other, and I would encourage everyone who hasn’t seen them already, to read them to further understand the steps being taken by the council to safeguard the environment for future generations.”

View the Climate Change SPD as agreed at Committee.