Initial Climate Change Impact Assessment (Form created August 2021)

The intention of this document is to help the council to gain an initial understanding of the impact of a project or decision on the environment. This document should be completed in consultation with the supporting guidance. Dependent on this initial assessment you may need to go on to complete a full Climate Change Impact Assessment. The final document will be published as part of the decision-making process.

If you have any additional queries, which are not covered by the guidance please email climatechange@northyorks.gov.uk

Title of proposal	Void Management Strategy
Brief description of proposal	The Void Management Strategy sets out North Yorkshire Council’s unified approach to managing its housing assets as they become empty. It consolidates existing programmes and delivery models to ensure homes are safe, decent, and sustainable. The Strategy includes commitments implementing the Lettable Standard, reducing the backlog of empty homes requiring works and taking a pro-active approach to future void management.
Directorate	Community Development
Service area	Housing
Lead officer	Vicky Young – Service Improvement Manager
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the impact assessment

The chart below contains the main environmental factors to consider in your initial assessment – choose the appropriate option from the drop-down list for each one.

Remember to think about the following;

· Travel

· Construction

· Data storage

· Use of buildings

· Change of land use

· Opportunities for recycling and reuse

Environmental factor to consider	For the council	For the county	Overall
Greenhouse gas emissions	No effect on emissions	No Effect on emissions	No effect on emissions
Waste	No effect on waste	No effect on waste	No effect on waste
Water use	No effect on water usage	No effect on water usage	No effect on water usage
Pollution (air, land, water, noise, light)	No effect on pollution	No effect on pollution	No effect on pollution
Resilience to adverse weather/climate events (flooding, drought etc)	No effect on resilience	No effect on resilience	No effect on resilience
Ecological effects (biodiversity, loss of habitat etc)	No effect on ecology	No effect on ecology	No effect on ecology
Heritage and landscape	No effect on heritage and landscape	No effect on heritage and landscape	No effect on heritage and landscape

If any of these factors are likely to result in a negative or positive environmental impact then a full climate change impact assessment will be required. It is important that we capture information about both positive and negative impacts to aid the council in calculating its carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Decision (Please tick one option)	Full CCIA not relevant or proportionate:	x	Continue to full CCIA:
Reason for decision	The Void Management Strategy consolidates and formalises existing housing programmes and operational practices that are already underway. It does not introduce new construction, land use changes, or service models that would materially alter the Council’s environmental impact. While the Strategy supports energy efficiency and climate resilience, these activities are embedded within current delivery and capital programmes. As such, all environmental factors are assessed as having no effect, and a full Climate Change Impact Assessment is not considered proportionate.
Signed (Assistant Director or equivalent)	Andrew Rowe
Date	16^th December 2026