Final chance to have a say on how planning process works towards climate change aims

Residents and stakeholders in Cornwall are being urged to have their final say on a document that aims to ensure that planning decisions address and consider climate change. 

Cornwall Council has been developing what is known as the Climate Emergency Development Plan Document and a final six-week consultation, ending on April 16, will now be held before it is submitted to the Government. 

It is a last opportunity for people to comment on the policies that have been developed with the aim of ensuring that planning decisions in the future fully consider and respond to climate change. 

It covers policies to support green energy, enhance the environment, provide more efficient housing, greener travel and resilience to issues such as coastal change and flooding. 

Once adopted, the Climate Emergency DPD will sit alongside the Cornwall Local Plan and other policies and will be used for decision making on all development proposals. 

The Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and recognises that its planning policies – covering what can be built where and how – have a major impact on the way that places grow and change, helping to protect and shape the Cornwall of the future. 

Cornwall has a Local Plan outlining how development should be achieved and the Climate Emergency DPD has been developed to strengthen it and help address climate change. 

The aim is to make sure that future development is sustainable and helps to address climate change in every aspect of its design and construction, contributing to the Council’s aim to be net carbon-neutral by 2030. 

Tim Dwelly, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Economy and Planning, said: “This is important because we can have a big impact on our climate change ambitions through what we build and how we build it. 

“The DPD will help make sure new developments play their part in the overall picture.” 

Councillor Edwina Hannaford, the Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Neighbourhoods, said: “We have an ambitious target to be net carbon-neutral by 2030 and, if we are to meet it as early as possible, we need to ensure that we build in a sustainable way.” 

The document can be viewed on the Climate Emergency DPD website. 

Feedback can be given via the website, or by email at [email protected] 

Alternatively, phone 0300 1234 151 or write to Climate Emergency DPD, Cornwall Council – Planning Policy, 3b Pydar House, Pydar Street, Truro, TR1 1XU, between February 26 and 5pm on April 16, 2021. 

There will also be a series of online events, as follows:
Tuesday, March 16, 3.30pm to 5pm
Wednesday, March 17, 12.30pm to 2pm
Thursday, March 18, 2pm to 3.30pm 
and Friday, March 19, 1.30pm to 3pm 

To register for a place at one of the sessions, email [email protected] 

Once the full statutory process is concluded, including an Examination in Public, the Climate Emergency DPD will become an adopted planning document, meaning that proposed future development will be assessed against stronger policies that protect the environment.