Pictured: Restored and re-wilded pond as part of Wilder Horsham District project
At a Horsham District Council meeting in June, councillors voted to declare a climate and ecological emergency for the Horsham District.
The declaration followed a notice of motion which was debated at the meeting.
The declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency will strengthen and further enable the Council to move forward with its carbon neutral agenda, enabling it to achieve its own carbon neutral target for 2030 and the Horsham District carbon neutral target for 2050.
In particular, the Climate and Ecological Emergency status will add robust support to a number of planning policies within the Council’s Local Plan development.
This will help to:
- Minimise carbon emissions by ensuring new developments are designed and constructed in such a way that helps achieve net zero carbon emissions.
- Deliver more substantial climate change mitigation and adaptation, taking into account increased flood risk events
- Provide better connected habitats and more green spaces to improve the environment and help residents and businesses adapt to climate change.
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery Cllr Colette Blackburn commented:
As a council we have made great progress in starting to tackle climate change and improve wildlife across the area. But we realise there is still much more to be done to achieve both our carbon reduction targets and the targets for the District.
By declaring a ‘climate and ecological emergency’ we are making these a priority for the Council and will be driving forward more actions on these important issues.
Achieving both carbon neutrality and helping wildlife thrive will be challenging. However, these are both vitally important and linked issues, which will bring great benefits for everyone who lives and works in the District.
Meeting these targets cannot be achieved by the Council alone, but by involving every resident, community group and business in the area.
The Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Infrastructure Cllr John Milne added:
Planning plays an important role in our response to climate change.
We are now set to see our planning policies enhanced by including energy efficiency requirements for new homes development, prioritising zero and low carbon heating.
Going forward new homes must be designed and constructed in such a way that they minimise emissions which will also ultimately reduce energy costs making homes cheaper to run for everyone.
The Council has also taken the decision to appoint an in-house ecologist to support the Strategic Planning team with the delivery of biodiversity net gain through planning and infrastructure in the future.
Horsham District Council has reduced its direct carbon footprint by some 57% since 2019/20, equating to approximately 1,300 less tonnes of carbon being emitted. The biggest impact in reducing its carbon footprint has been from changing the fuel used in the Council’s fleet vehicles and reducing the use of gas and electricity in council-owned buildings through a range of energy reducing measures.
The Council has produced a draft Climate Action Strategy to support the whole of Horsham District to become carbon neutral by 2050 and is inviting local residents, businesses, community groups and key partners to give their views on it.
Residents can find out more about the Council’s climate work, including what climate actions are already taking place across the District, plus local events, campaigns, and advice on actions that everyone could take to help tackle climate change, on our Climate and environment webpages.