Issue - meetings

The Portfolio Holder for Climate Change Emergency and Housing presented the report to consider the call-in of Executive regarding the fourth resolution of 8 October 2019 from Overview and Scrutiny Committee. She clarified that the Council was committed to do all it legally could to meet the climate change challenges. The various policies in the local plan would be informed by robust evidence and there would be a full consultation on the local plan and the policies to be contained within it. Following the call-in the wording of recommendation four had the following wording added ‘including low carbon policy formulation and related quantification developed….’.

The Portfolio Holder for Climate Change Emergency and Housing commented following the outcome of the consultation on the Local Plan that within legal requirements all the relevant local plan policies coming forward should address the issue of low carbon/carbon neutral development.

The Senior Planning Officer stated that the government was currently undertaking a Future Homes Standard consultation which would hopefully result in a stronger national remit.

The report was proposed by the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change Emergency and Housing and seconded by the Portfolio Holder for Planning.

RESOLVED that the approval of a suite of policies to be prepared through an update of the Local Plan to meet Climate Change challenges including low carbon policy formulation and related quantification developed in consultation with local experts and interest groups, such as Action on Climate in Teignbridge

The decision of the Executive held on 8 October, 2019 has been called in by Councillor Daws and supported by Councillors Bradford, Mullone, Patch and Parker-Khan.

Consideration was given to the Call-In of part 4 of the Executive decision, Minute 70/10/2019, by Councillor Daws and supported by Councillor Bradford, Mullone, Patch and Parker-Khan.

The reasons for the call in were:

“we have run the existing and future planning policies to meet the challenges of climate change past Client Earth, and though they were encouraged by the policy, they suggested additions to strengthen the policy.

These specifically are the additions of the following detail:

- Confirm that the various policies in the new local plan / GESP (referred to at 3.5) will be as specific as possible -- e.g. specifying the minimum amount of renewable generation / which categories of development are covered where it is not a universal requirement and that they will be informed by a robust evidence base that takes a quantified and holistic approach to assessing climate impacts, e.g. by assessing carbon impact together with viability.  

- Add that the review of site allocations within the Local Plan and GESP should be included in the overall carbon emission impact calculations.”

The response from the Portfolio Holders for Housing and Climate change, and Planning were appended to the agenda report.

The Chairman referred to the Scrutiny process of Call-In which enables the Committee to request the Executive to reconsider a decision. The response to the current Call-In could be interpreted as not being supportive of the ethos.  The Leader responded and advised that the Executive were supportive of and welcomed decisions being scrutinised by the Committee.

Councillor Daws referred to the Call-In. Client Earth had suggested additions to make Climate Change Policies more robust to enable the Council to meet its Climate Emergency target and responsibilities. Cllr Parker-Khan supporting the Call-In added that Client Earth was a reputable, charitable organisation which can empower Local Councils to achieve their declarations of Climate Change Emergency.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Climate Change referred to appendix 2 to the agenda report, which detailed what the Council was already doing to implement the Climate Change declaration, and steps to speed up the Local Plan statutory process by careful management and taking advantage of new government policies. Councillor J Hook advised that the Council had consulted Client Earth prior to the Executive considering the matter on 8 October, 2019 but unfortunately the response had not been received until following the meeting. The points raised by Client Earth could have been included without the necessity of the Call-In. The first meeting of the Local Plan Working Group had already met. Policy S7 would be revised in line with national policy and low carbon policies are being made more robust. £5,000.00 has been approved for specialist advice for carbon reduction plans. The suite of policies referred to at Executive decision point 4 would be developed in consultation with local climate change organisations, involving eminent climate change experts at Exeter University, and she invited Members to contribute their ideas through the Greater Exeter Strategic Plan and Local Plan Working Groups.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94