Agenda and minutes

Councillor VG Ford nominated Councillor Dr SA Harangozo as Chairman of the Climate Change Working Group.  This was seconded by Councillor R Hall and, there being no other nominations, it was

RESOLVED    that Councillor Dr SA Harangozo be elected Chairman of the Climate Change Working Group for 2008-09.

Councillor VG Ford nominated Councillor P Topping as Vice-Chairman of the Climate Change Working Group.  This was seconded by Councillor R Hall and, there being no other nominations, it was

RESOLVED    that Councillor P Topping be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Climate Change Working Group for 2008-09.

Interests were declared as follows:

·                     Councillor Dr SA Harangozo as Chairman of the Comberton Renewable Energy Group

·                     Councillor Dr DR de Lacey as a member of Sustainable Girton

·                     Councillor BZD Smith as Manager of the Gamlingay Eco Hub project

The Climate Change Working Group approved, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting held on 15 May 2008.

The current outline planning application for 950 extra homes at Upper Cambourne is currently under discussion and potentially subject to amendment and a master-planning process. As requested at the previous Working Group meeting, the New Village / Special Projects Officer (Cambourne) will supply members with an update on progress.

The Principal Planning Officer (Major Developments) updated Members on developments in Cambourne, relating the following comments in particular to the planning application for an additional 950 dwellings at Upper Cambourne. 

·                     the Local Planning Authority considered character of the area to be as important as, if not more important than, density alone

·                     officers were working with service providers to make sure that services to the community were at least maintained at a high level and, where possible, were enhanced

·                     officers were seeking Section 106 Heads of Terms by the end of August

·                     the aim was to present the planning application to the Planning Committee meeting on 5 November 2008

·                     a two megawatt wind turbine would be integral to the proposal at Upper Cambourne

·                     demographics would have significant implications in the short to medium term for demand on education and recreation facilities, and on health services.

·                     The code for sustainable homes would play an important role in determining the extent of contributions to be sought under the linked legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990

·                     education was needed in order to promote the concept of building for wildlife

Members added the following comments:

·                     Upper Cambourne should incorporate a Sustainable Urban Drainage System, allotments and public rights of way

·                     The Council needed to make it clear what level of community gain it expected to see from the proposed development

·                     The Council should be proactive in encouraging the Energy4All shared ownership finance model for wind turbines

·                     The community benefits of wind energy should be properly assessed

·                     Cambridgeshire County Council should be urged to insist on a zero-carbon new school, but South Cambridgeshire District Council should be aware that this might have a negative effect on Section 106 contributions in other areas of potential community gain

At the last meeting of the Working Group, members considered the emerging direction and draft content of the Enviros report that was commissioned earlier this year to review and analyse South Cambridgeshire’s renewable energy resources. The objective of this report is to prioritise appropriate Council and Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) activities that will help ensure that the district can make the best use of its renewable energy resources in directly and tangibly steering itself towards low-carbon living in a low-carbon economy. The brief for the report placed a particular emphasis upon community-focused options at the village/parish level.  The final report has now been completed with a presentation made to Council and LSP members and partners at a seminar on 4^th July 2008.

Members are asked to consider what should be the key substantive content and format of a detailed phased and resourced implementation plan which takes account of:

i.)         the report’s conclusions;

ii.)        the output of the recent seminar, and;

iii.)       the current Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) Reward Grant submission (£250k community-focused capital bid – considered and approved by members 17^th January 2008).

The full Enviros report is attached for members’ consideration (and for reference a copy of the LPSA reward Grant bid). The relevant findings and outputs from the 4^th July seminar will be presented verbally.

Maps enclosed with the paper copy of the agenda in black and white can be viewed in colour on the Council’s website by following the links from www.scambs.gov.uk/meetings > Committees

Members discussed the report at some length, focussing in particular on the following issues:

·                     the desirability of gathering information both from parishes with the benefit of mains gas and parishes without

·                     the need to select preferred technologies rather than trying to embrace every form of technology, some of which might not be appropriate within South Cambridgeshire

·                     risks to the Authority

·                     available resources

·                     effectiveness of investment

·                     the importance of making sure that the selection of parishes was sufficient to provide a meaningful set of data

·                     the relevance of public buildings within the overall aim

·                     the community leadership role of the Climate Change Working Group

Members agreed to consider the report in more detail at an informal meeting on 17 July 2008.

The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has recently (26^th June 2008) opened consultation on a UK Renewable Energy Strategy. This is potentially a very important document and members are asked to review the attached Executive Summary with a view to considering how best to draft a Council response to the consultation process.   The list of consultation questions is also attached. A ‘sifting’ of this list for those areas of particular interest and relevance to the Council could make a useful starting point for consideration. The consultation will close on 26^th September 2008 with responses helping to shape the new strategy which will be published in spring 2009. The full document and further details can be found at: http://renewableconsultation.berr.gov.uk/ .

The Chairman said that the Government must commit fully to this process, thus enabling renewable energy to flourish at a community level by linking it directly to householder commitments to install insulation and low energy devices.  Members’ attention was drawn specifically to the need for increased generation of heat in the UK from renewable sources such as solar and biomass.  Meanwhile, South Cambridgeshire District Council must explore ways of achieving similar goals within the district by engaging residents in a holistic way.

18 September 2008 at 10.00am 

Members noted that the next formal meeting of the Climate Change Working Group would be on Thursday 18 September 2008, starting at 10.00am.