Minutes:
The following question was received from David Wooley:
13 months ago, MSDC adopted an 18-point motion on Environment and Climate Change built on commitments in the Sustainability Strategy 2018-2023. We must mitigate climate change wherever we can and without delay.
The motion included several Key Performance Indicators. Will council now publish these pre-Covid historical KPI results for 2018-2019 and also 2019-March 2020 (with particular emphasis on the provision and maintenance of EV charge points), and commit to publishing these KPI results quarterly or 6-monthly from now?
Will council introduce Sustainability Impact Assessments and require that all council projects adhere to the Sustainability Strategy?
Response from Cabinet Member Cllr. J Belsey
This Council has a number of Performance Indicators that relate to our Sustainability work. These are published quarterly and considered by the Cabinet and the Leader, Finance and Performance Scrutiny Committee. The reports for 2018-19 and 2019-20 years are therefore already publicly available. The 18 point list in the Motion were actions that this Council had already taken towards delivery of our strategy. We continue to build on these actions to deliver this work - for example:
· We now have 58 establishments, amounting to 88 outlets, signed up to the Refill programme,
· 25,745 kwh of the electricity used at the Oaklands campus was generated by the solar PV panel in 2019-20 providing an 8.3% reduction in our need for grid-supplied electricity, saving 6,500kg CO2
· The British Heart Foundation kerbside collection pilot of textiles and small electrical equipment resulted in 46 tonnes of clothing being collected in the trial period,
We continue to invest in our parks and open spaces. We have successfully secured commitments from developers to support sustainability measures and interventions. As I reported to the last Council meeting, work to procure a new EV Charge Point Operator for the provision and maintenance of EV charge points, in collaboration with all the other West Sussex District and Borough Councils and County Council, will result in a new operator being in place by the end of the year. I would also stress that councils have no obligation to provide EVCPs and we are doing so to help to stimulate the market.
With regard to the introduction of Sustainability Impact Assessments; this Council continues to have regard to a range of assessments of impact. For example, this includes assessments across a wide range of its activities as is relevant in each matter and it will continue to do so.
Achieving sustainable development is also at the core of the Council’s planning service in line with national policy set out in the NPPF. The District Plan and the emerging Sites DPD are legally required to be subject of a Sustainability Appraisal which demonstrate how social, environmental and economic issues have been considered in the preparation of the plan. Planning applications are subject to Environmental Impact Assessments and all applications are considered against policies in the District Plan.
As part of our ongoing work to assess the impacts, challenges and opportunities to do things differently that the recent pandemic has presented, we will continue to review and update our work on Sustainability.
I look forward to bringing further information on that work to colleagues in the coming months.
Mr Wooley sought clarification on the location of the published performance indicators and asked a supplementary question seeking assurance that the new charging points will be maintained by the Council. The Cabinet Member agreed to provide a written response regarding performance indicators and confirmed that ongoing maintenance will be provided to the charging points.
The following question was received from Robin Walker:
On 29th November, 17th December, 4th February, 5th May, 11th June and 19th June, for Theobalds bridleway users and residents, I emailed MSDC’s Nathan Spilsted and Sally Blomfield about the “Eastern Greenway” in Lewes District.
I proved it would only be used by 8 commuter cyclists, be ecologically very damaging, cannot be realised without CPOs, and too indirect. A route probably makes sense, but not this one. I asked why no direct central route was seriously considered, despite being shorter, flatter and less disruptive. I have received no substantive response. Why not, and why is this still under active consideration?
Response from Cllr Llewellyn-Burke, Deputy Leader
Thank you, Mr Walker, for your question. I believe your question refers to the recent consultation carried out by the Council in relation to the Place and Connectivity Programme which forms part of the Burgess Hill Growth work. This consultation ended on 25 June.
I do not believe it is the case that you haven’t received responses from officers. In fact, officers have been in discussion with you and the Theobald Road Association about this proposal prior to this consultation starting. Indeed, the Council’s consultants Sustrans, a nationally recognised expert, spent a day with you and other Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath residents prior to the public consultation. I believe this provided unprecedented access to this Council’s consultants.
During the formal consultation we have received correspondence from you however, in line with common practice, the Council does not make individual responses to consultation instead consultation responses are summarised and then made publicly available. In the case of this consultation exercise the responses will be made publicly available on the www.burgesshill.net website by the middle of August.
To be clear, the consultation for the Eastern Greenway referred to by you seeks to widen and improve the surface material and replace bridges on this important link. The fundamental objective of the proposal is to provide a route which is capable of year-round use and which ensures a much-needed safe off-road connection between Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath. The route will be capable of use by all users including children who will in future use this as a safe link between Haywards Heath and the new secondary school to be provided as part of the Northern Arc. This can be achieved without any comprehensive widening of the route and through the use of loose surface material which is also appropriate for equestrian users.
The outcome of the consultation will be considered by the Council and its partners Burgess Hill Town Council and West Sussex County Council during August.
Mr Walker thanked the Council for access to Sustrans but asked if Members were aware that the route from Wivelsfield through Bolnore Village is already owned by the Council. The Deputy Leader requested that he email with further detail of the route in question. She will provide a written response, and raise during the debrief of the consultation process in August.