Climate change impact assessment
The purpose of this assessment is to help us understand the likely impacts of our decisions on the environment of North Yorkshire and on our aspiration to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030, or as close to that date as possible. The intention is to mitigate negative effects and identify projects which will have positive effects.
This document should be completed in consultation with the supporting guidance. The final document will be published as part of the decision making process and should be written in Plain English.
If you have any additional queries which are not covered by the guidance, please email climatechange@northyorks.gov.uk
Version 2: amended 11 August 2021
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Title of proposal |
NYC Draft Economic Growth Strategy |
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Brief description of proposal |
A new economic growth strategy for the council. |
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Directorate |
Community Development |
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Service area |
Economic Development, Regeneration, Tourism and Skills |
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Lead officer |
David Caulfield |
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Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the impact assessment |
Mark Haynes & Julian Rudd |
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Date impact assessment started |
02/08/23 |
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Options appraisal Were any other options considered in trying to achieve the aim of this project? If so, please give brief details and explain why alternative options were not progressed.
No. A strategy to guide the most appropriate actions for the Council to undertake to achieve economic growth is necessary to ensure actions are co-ordinated and proportionate. However, it was made clear that aspiration to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2034 should be a fundamental element of the Strategy and the recommended actions, in accordance with York and North Yorkshire LEP policy.
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What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?
Please explain briefly why this will be the result, detailing estimated savings or costs where this is possible.
The only impact on budgets of the strategy is the cost of its creation. There will however be cost implications for the delivery of action plans and projects that flow from it, but these cannot be quantified at this stage, nor can the external investment it is hoped can be secured to offset the costs.
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How will this proposal impact on the environment?
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Positive impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant) |
No impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant) |
Negative impact (Place a X in the box below where relevant) |
Explain why will it have this effect and over what timescale?
Where possible/relevant please include: · Changes over and above business as usual · Evidence or measurement of effect · Figures for CO2e · Links to relevant documents |
Explain how you plan to mitigate any negative impacts.
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Explain how you plan to improve any positive outcomes as far as possible. |
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Minimise greenhouse gas emissions e.g. reducing emissions from travel, increasing energy efficiencies etc.
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Emissions from travel |
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x |
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The Economic Growth Strategy (EGS) includes objectives that look to improve transport infrastructure and grow the economy. In of itself growth and more traffic can imply more emissions, although the Strategy supports enhanced public transport and equipping our towns with facilities and shared workspaces that allow residents to work locally and travel around their places via active travel. It also supports focussing growth on existing towns to reduce the need to travel or to allow access by public transport. Alongside this are objectives to improve the electricity infrastructure and Green Energy sector. This will ensure we can accommodate the transition to electric vehicles and that there are facilities for charging in all urban and rural communities. Industry too will be encouraged to play its part and transition to low carbon energy and we will help facilitate renewable generation and storage by improving the local power infrastructure to enable this. The strategy also seeks to ensure that all of the county is covered by good connectivity to the internet enabling a greater degree of home working. The ambition is for these measures to have a cumulative positive impact but until more detailed actions plans are developed it is difficult to quantify if this will be the case. To reduce fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency, the Strategy supports retrofitting the existing housing stock with appropriate measures, in addition to ensuring that new housing is efficient and sustainable. |
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Emissions from construction |
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x |
Infrastructure in the form of roads, industrial units, energy and broadband infrastructure and housing are all potential outcomes of the strategy. |
Any construction that results from projects to fulfil the objective of the EGS will have to be built to modern standards e.g. industrial units built to BREEAM standards especially if they are to benefit from public funding. The EGS also seeks to develop the economic opportunities that housing stock decarbonisation brings which will help mitigate any negative impacts. |
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Emissions from running of buildings |
x |
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The strategy has identified the considerable economic potential that decarbonisation of housing stock represents. Developing skills and capacity in this area will result in a positive impact on emissions from buildings, in addition to economic and social benefits for residents. |
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Collaboration with the York and North Yorkshire Housing Partnership and working closely with housing associations on decarbonisation will help improve outcomes. |
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Emissions from data storage |
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x |
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Any data storage implications are likely to be offset by growth in the green energy sector. Difficult to quantify at this stage but anticipate no overall impact. |
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Other |
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Minimise waste: Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost e.g. reducing use of single use plastic |
x |
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Development of more local supply chains and productivity improvements are two areas of action within the strategy that will help to maximise the utilisation of resources. The strategy also includes actions in support of businesses and communities to building existing circular economy strengths to drive sustainable growth in our towns. |
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Reduce water consumption |
x |
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Improved utilisation of resources, including water is likely to help reduce consumption. Ensuring good design principles are adhered to in new domestic and industrial builds will help with water conservation. Overall impact is likely to be positive. |
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Minimise pollution (including air, land, water, light and noise)
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x |
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Growing the green energy sector (which is a key focus of the Strategy) and improving the electricity infrastructure, including that for charging of electric vehicles is likely to have a positive impact. Improving productivity and efficiency of industry, including utilisation/elimination of waste streams will further reduce waste and pollution. This will be balanced against growth and the impacts of business growth and new building. Difficult to quantify at a high level strategy stage but the ambition is to have a positive impact. |
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Ensure resilience to the effects of climate change e.g. reducing flood risk, mitigating effects of drier, hotter summers |
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x |
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The Strategy supports increasing tree cover to provide shade, fix carbon and provide habitats. It also supports locally devised measures to address climate change and energy efficiency, including new blue and green infrastructure to address flood risk, as well as providing new spaces for health and well-being and providing new habitats. |
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Enhance conservation and wildlife
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x |
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See above re increased tree cover and new blue and green infrastructure. Any new development resultant from the strategy will have to comply with current planning regulations and the principle of bio-diversity net gain. Existing developments and growth of indigenous business is unlikely to have a significant impact but again at the high level strategy stage it is hard to quantify the overall impact and this will need to be considered more carefully at the detailed action plans stage. |
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Safeguard the distinctive characteristics, features and special qualities of North Yorkshire’s landscape
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x |
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Place and natural capital are important assets to North Yorkshire and feature strongly in the strategy. Apart from their value to those who live and work here these assets underpin our tourism sector. The strategy seeks to protect and enhance our places and makes improved quality of place a key aspect of future regeneration projects. |
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Other (please state below)
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Are there any recognised good practice environmental standards in relation to this proposal? If so, please detail how this proposal meets those standards. |
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No.
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Summary Summarise the findings of your impact assessment, including impacts, the recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.
The new Economic Growth Strategy places the challenge of reaching Net Zero at its heart and has significant emphasis on how North Yorkshire will transition to become carbon negative. This includes a range of actions that both support the transition of businesses and build green skills whilst taking forward projects that draw upon devolution funding to support the move to carbon negative. This strategy aims to deliver growth in a way that stimulates low carbon industries and seeks to minimise the carbon generation from new development and investment. A range of actions to our places will enhance travel by public transport and active travel whilst creating measures to deal with climate change and improve the quality of life of residents. |
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Sign off section
This climate change impact assessment was completed by:
Authorised by relevant Assistant
Director (signature):
Date: 24 August 2023
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