Issue - meetings

Reducing Carbon Emissions from York's Public and Private Sectory Housing Scrutiny Report

Meeting: 07/11/2006 - Executive - for meetings from 03/06/00 to 26/04/11 (Item 108)

108 Scrutiny Report: Reducing Carbon Emissions from York’s Public and Private Sector Housing PDF 36 KB

This report asks the Executive to consider the final recommendations of the Scrutiny Sub-Committee that reviewed the topic ‘Reducing Carbon Emissions from York’s Public & Private Sector Housing’.

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED: (i) That the report be noted, with thanks to the Officers and Councillors who have worked on it.

(ii) That the recommendations of the Scrutiny Sub-Committee be agreed, subject to the amendments detailed below:

Recommendation	Executive Response
1. That Climate Change Strategies and Action Plans are developed by the Council’s Sustainability Officer as a matter of urgency. This to be done with a view to best practice approaches used by other Local Authorities. Progress on the introduction of such a strategy and action plan be reported to the Scrutiny Management Committee within the next year.	Agreed, with the following change Delete final sentence. Insert “Acknowledges that the Council is already well advanced in developing its strategies for dealing with climate change, in so far as it has powers to do so, and anticipates that a consultants report will be submitted to Executive shortly. At that time the SMC may, of course if they wish, choose to review the contents of the report”.
2. That the Local Development Framework and our present planning policy framework include a Calderdale/Merton Style Target. This target will require developers to ensure that: ? at least 10% of all energy required is provided from renewable sources in all new and significantly refurbished developments from this point and up to 2010, including domestic development. ? After 2010 the target rises for onsite embedded renewables to be greater than or equal to 15% between 2010 and 2015 ? Then rises again to be greater than or equal to 20% between 2015 and 2021 etc.	Noted, and the proposal to be referred to the LDF Working Group for their consideration
3. That the City of York Council researches planning policies adopted by other local authorities with a view to applying them in York, if appropriate, in order to specifically ensure energy efficiency by design. That all plans submitted to the Local authority be tested on these criteria.	Noted, and the proposal to be referred to the LDF Working Group for their consideration.
4. That the authority enforce Parts L and F of the Building Regulations as a matter of urgency, resolving any training and resourcing issues that may need addressing	Agreed, with the following addition: “while recognising that the deployment of resources will be influenced by the Councils annual budget build process”
5. That the Council, through its Elected Member Energy Champion request that the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly and/or Yorkshire Forward facilitate region wide BREEAM assessor training for the region’s Development Control (and other appropriate) Officers with the aim of reducing costs to individual Local Authorities, with the aim of reducing future expenditure.	Agreed, with the following amendment: Insert, after “through”, “ officers in consultation with”
6. That the City of York Council commit to recommend to appropriate funding bodies - i.e. Housing Corporation - that all new homes standards greater than or equal to Ecohomes ‘Excellent Standards’.	Not agreed. It is noted that the LDF has already adopted “very good” standards as a target.
7. That as a matter ... view the full decision text for item 108

Minutes:

Members considered a report which presented the final recommendations of the Scrutiny Sub-Committee that reviewed the topic “Reducing Carbon Emissions from York’s Public and Private Sector Housing”.

The report summarised the main findings of the review, full details of which included in the Sub-Committee’s draft report, attached as Annex A. This had been considered and endorsed by the Scrutiny Management Committee on 23 October and contained twelve recommendations, focusing on areas where it was felt the Council could take immediate action.

Councillor Livesley, who had chaired the final meeting of the Sub-Committee, commented on the recommendations on the Sub-Committee’s behalf. It was noted that some of the recommendations (2-8) appeared to relate to the Planning remit.

RESOLVED: (i) That the report be noted, with thanks to the Officers and Councillors who have worked on it.

(ii) That the recommendations of the Scrutiny Sub-Committee be agreed, subject to the amendments detailed below:

Recommendation	Executive Response
1. That Climate Change Strategies and Action Plans are developed by the Council’s Sustainability Officer as a matter of urgency. This to be done with a view to best practice approaches used by other Local Authorities. Progress on the introduction of such a strategy and action plan be reported to the Scrutiny Management Committee within the next year.	Agreed, with the following change Delete final sentence. Insert “Acknowledges that the Council is already well advanced in developing its strategies for dealing with climate change, in so far as it has powers to do so, and anticipates that a consultants report will be submitted to Executive shortly. At that time the SMC may, of course if they wish, choose to review the contents of the report”.
2. That the Local Development Framework and our present planning policy framework include a Calderdale/Merton Style Target. This target will require developers to ensure that: ? at least 10% of all energy required is provided from renewable sources in all new and significantly refurbished developments from this point and up to 2010, including domestic development. ? After 2010 the target rises for onsite embedded renewables to be greater than or equal to 15% between 2010 and 2015 ? Then rises again to be greater than or equal to 20% between 2015 and 2021 etc.	Noted, and the proposal to be referred to the LDF Working Group for their consideration
3. That the City of York Council researches planning policies adopted by other local authorities with a view to applying them in York, if appropriate, in order to specifically ensure energy efficiency by design. That all plans submitted to the Local authority be tested on these criteria.	Noted, and the proposal to be referred to the LDF Working Group for their consideration.
4. That the authority enforce Parts L and F of the Building Regulations as a matter of urgency, resolving any training and resourcing issues that may need addressing	Agreed, with the following addition: “while recognising that the deployment of resources will be influenced by the Councils annual budget build process”
5. That the ... view the full minutes text for item 108