Climate Change Frequently Asked Questions

Has a Green Space Factor been introduced to increase new developments' habitats?

No, the Council has not introduced a Green Space Factor to increase habitat in new developments. However, there is a Green Infrastructure Strategy for Newark and Sherwood, adopted by Newark and Sherwood District Council in February 2010 and this is referred to in many of the Council's planning policies.

Has the Council banned the use of pesticides on its owned and managed land?

No, the Council has not banned the use of pesticides but pesticide-free trials have been carried out in Southwell in 2023.

Has the Council stated they are mowing their green spaces less for wildlife?

The Council has adopted the No Mo May methodology to promote wild flowers and pollinators.

Does the Council have a target to increase tree cover?

The Council does have a tree strategy, with the aim to plant at least 600 trees per year. There are multiple schemes running including Trees for Climate that require a full lifetime management plan. Since 2019, we have planted more than 19,000 trees.

Have the Council's parks been awarded Green Flag status?

We’re pleased to confirm that all 5 of our Green Flag Parks have retained the award. The Green Flag is an international mark of excellence, demonstrating how well maintained and run our park services are, both for people and nature. Vicar Water Country Park, Sherwood Heath, Sconce and Devon, Queen Elizabeth Memorial Garden and the Newark Castle Gardens all have Green Flag Awards.

Does the Council employ a planning ecologist to scrutinise planning reports?

Yes, the Council does employ a planning ecologist to scrutinise planning reports for improvements to biodiversity in new developments, such as biodiversity net gain. A full time employee is based predominantly within the Planning Development team, but also partly in the Planning Policy team.

Do you require a higher biodiversity net gain commitment from new developments?

No, the Council does not require a higher biodiversity net gain commitment from new developments. This would only come under consideration at the next round of plan making.

Is funding offered to private renters or homeowners to retrofit their homes?

The Council’s Warm Homes on Prescription project aims to help low-income residents with cold-sensitive long-term health conditions to achieve affordable warmth by providing fully-funded heating improvements (such as boiler repairs/replacements) and other practical support to make heating more affordable (e.g. benefit checks to help increase incomes, advice on tariff switching to lower heating costs etc).

Last year, WHOP supported 27 major installations (capital investment totalled £70K). In addition, 130 referrals were made to other support agencies such as Nottingham Energy Partnership, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and Citizens Advice.

In 2024/5, a further £100K of the Council’s Better Care Fund allocation will be invested into the WHOP scheme. Staff have worked collaboratively with Mansfield District Council recently to review and refreshed the joint eligibility criteria, reflecting cost of living increases and the latest Government guidance on other grant-funded fuel poverty schemes.

The Sustainable Warmth Competition (SWC) was a central Government-funding opportunity that brought together two fuel poverty schemes: Local Authority Delivery 3 (LAD3) and Home Upgrade Grant 1 (HUG1). It ran from January 2022 for circa 18 months and is now closed. The scheme aimed to raise the energy efficiency of low EPC rated homes occupied by low-income households, including those living in the worst quality off-gas grid properties, delivering progress towards: reducing fuel poverty, the phasing out of high carbon fossil fuel heating and the UK's commitment to net zero by 2050. A competition was launched on 16th of June 2021 offering Local Authorities and Local Energy Hubs the opportunity to apply for funding. The Midlands Energy Hub (now Midlands Net Zero Hub) successfully secured a total of £82.4m funding as part of SWC of which Newark and Sherwood District Council’s allocation was just over £800K. As a result, 66 low-income households in district were supported with 104 energy/carbon saving measures such as loft, floor, cavity or solid wall insulation, solar panels and smart heating controls; enabling significant and sustainable cost savings on energy bills.

Is there a scheme to allow residents to purchase renewable energy cheaply?

No, there is not currently a scheme to allow residents to purchase renewable energy cheaply, through collective buying.

Has the council supported local community renewable energy creation?

No. However, please see our answer to Does the council offer funding to private renters or homeowners to retrofit their homes? to learn about some of the partnership schemes that the Council has been supporting and working on.

Any extensive retrofit work on Council buildings to make them low carbon?

We are awaiting reports from BE design in order to evaluate required improvements. The Beacon building will receive a site wide LED upgrade in September/October 2024. Vicar Water had new heating and LED works back in 2023.

Are the Council's operations powered by renewable energy?

Vicar Water saves approximately 25% of its power usage via solar PV
The Beacon saves approximately 18% of its power usage via solar PV
Sconce and Devon Park approximately 25% of its power usage via solar PV (not completed yet)
DLC approximately 18% of its power usage via solar PV (not completed yet)
Castle House saves approximately 15% of its power usage via solar PV
NSFC saves approximately 13% of its power usage via solar PV

Are the homes owned and managed by the Council energy efficient?

66% of homes owned and managed by the Council are C and above.

Is there a target to retrofit all Council-owned and managed homes?

In the 30 year Business Plan, there is an aim for 90% gas.

Is the Council part of a programme or partnership to support home retrofitting?

The Council is part of the Net Zero Hub and is learning lessons from this and sharing best practice.

Does the Council have a staff member employed to work on retrofitting?

Yes, the Council employs one member of staff for retrofitting homes and another for corporate properties.

Are the homes and buildings in the Council area energy efficient?

60% of homes in the area have an EPC rating of C or above.

Are Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards of private rented homes enforced?

The Council is not actively enforcing Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards of private rented homes currently.

Does the Council support private homeowners making their homes energy efficient?

Yes, home improvement officers work with the private sector to access government grants and funding.

Does the council have a target to retrofit all significant council buildings?

Yes, the Council plans to meet Government targets in retrofitting its significant buildings (excluding homes) and this has been costed.

Do climate pages include information about behaviour changes residents can make?

Yes, the Council does provide easily accessible information about how residents can change their behaviour to benefit the climate. Some fo this information can be found on our Climate Change Emergency page.

Is the Council working with local businesses to encourage decarbonisation?

The Council has utilised the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support local businesses of any size or sector in accessing support in relation to de-carbonisation/sustainability as well as innovation and technology solutions through the 'Accelerator' Programme. This was joint commissioned with neighbouring authorities with a total investment in Newark and Sherwood of circa £150k over 2 years, and contract awarded to the East Midlands Chamber. Support to businesses is fully funded and includes, but is not limited to:

access to specialist 121 advice through dedicated business advices
regular workshops and training including carbon literacy, business sustainability, environmental solutions etc.
access to grant funding and growth vouchers
access to innovation technology and solutions
energy audits and support to develop robust de-carbonisation plans

NSDC also used a proportion of UK SPF to provide business grants, for which 27 businesses applied under the de-carb theme, and all were awarded funding, with grants ranging from £3k to £30k. This includes projects such as solar panel installation, EV chargers, air source heat-pumps, varying from small-scale interventions to reduce energy usage to larger capital projects.

Has the Council passed a motion to ban high carbon advertising and sponsorship?

The Council does not have any ad sites on which to host adverts.

Can employee representative bodies influence the Council’s Climate Action Plan?

The Council's Senior Leadership Team meet with Unions quarterly or more often if required via the Joint Consultative Committee where they are able to influence the development and delivery of the Council’s Climate Action Plan.

Is there an up to date and easy-to-read annual Climate Action Plan report?

Newark and Sherwood District Council publishes an annual report detailing their Climate Action Plan. This report outlines the Council's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and includes a comprehensive greening program. The latest Climate Emergency Update 2022 [181kb] provides insights into the actions taken and the progress made.

Has the council lobbied the government for climate action?

Yes, as part of the Council's Motion for the Ocean, on 1 January 2024, Cllr Paul Peacock, Leader of the Council, and Cllr Emma Oldham, Portfolio Holder for Biodiversity and Environmental Services, wrote to Central Government declaring urgent need for ocean recovery and calling on the government to take action.

Is the Council working with external partners to seek to influence and learn?

Newark and Sherwood District Council is part of a joint initiative across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire (D2N2). We are part of a recently combined authority with a newly elected mayor who is keen to progress the work started on our Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP). NSDC is currently part of a LAEP and have engaged the service of Mott Macdonald and IES to identify the most effective route for NSDC and its partners to meet its local/national Net Zero targets.

The scope of the LAEP covers the current energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions as well as the projected consumption in a defined area to 2050, primarily focussing on the area’s built-environment (all categories of domestic, non-domestic, commercial, and industrial buildings) and some aspects of energy used for transportation. The Ofgem Method4 for LAEP summarises this by stating that it assesses “what is the preferred combination of technological and system changes we can make to the local energy system, to decarbonise heat and local transport and realise opportunities for local renewable energy production?”.

An LAEP provides a level of detail comparable to an urban masterplan. It provides a proposed future plan for an area rather than providing a detailed schematic that sets out how each part of the area would be designed and built. More detailed work would be required to deliver specific elements of a LAEP. As an example, a LAEP identifies a zone that is best suited to the development of a district heat network by assessing the types of buildings in the zone, their characteristics, and density, and existing network infrastructure; however, to deliver the district heat network it would require a full feasibility assessment by an appropriately qualified installation/design company, along with assessment of commercial viability and delivery mechanisms.

This work is due to start June 2024, updates will be posted on the NSDC website in due course.

Ongoing way for residents to influence the implementation Climate Action Plan

There is a resident engagement strategy in place for residents to influence the implementation of the Council's Climate Action Plan.

Has ring-fenced income been raised for climate action from property development?

The Council has not raised ring-fenced income for climate action from property development.

Has the Council launched a Climate Bond, Community Municipal Investment?

The Council has not yet launched a Climate Bond, Community Municipal Investment or equivalent.

Has the Council raised income for climate action from any other sources?

The Council has not raised income for climate action from any other sources.

Is there a motion supporting divestment from all fossil fuels from pension fund?

The Council has not passed a motion in support of divestment from all fossil fuels from the councils' pension funds as the Council does not host a pension fund.

Has the Council's pensions fund committed to divesting from all fossil fuels?

The Council's pensions fund has not committed to divesting from all fossil fuels as the Council does not host a pension fund.

Direct investments in airports or high carbon intensive energy industries?

The Council does not have direct investments in airports or high carbon intensive energy industries.

Does the corporate plan feature net zero target and climate emergency tackling?

This is Newark and Sherwood’s Community Plan, covering the period from 2023 to 2027.

The plan sets out what the Council intends to achieve over the next four years and how we will go about doing this. It takes account of feedback that we’ve received from our residents and focuses on the things that matter most to them – like tackling crime and anti-social behaviour and protecting and enhancing our environment. There is a whole section tackling environmental issues, one of the key objectives is Objective 6.

Within the 'Reduce the Impact of Climate Change' section we state that we will undertake an annual assessment of the carbon footprint of Newark and Sherwood District Council to measure performance against the Council’s target of net zero. Engage with the Carbon Trust to explore the feasibility and implications of accelerating the decarbonisation target, our pledge to become Net Zero by 2035 and expanding it to include social housing.

Does the financial plan include a net zero target and climate emergency?

The Council's Medium Term Financial Plan reflects the resource requirements necessary in order to complete all actions (where costs can be reliably measured should an action not be forecast to occur until a later year in the MTFP period) within the Community Plan. Where actions have been identified within the Community Plan and these have been costed, they will be reflected within the MTFP.

Does Corporate Risk Register identify the risks of climate change to local area?

Whilst the strategic risk register includes an 'Environment' risk, this risk focuses solely on the ability of the Council to meet the government's green agenda, deliver greener and carbon neutral services and meeting the aspirations/expectations of the NSDC community. There is no specific link within this SR identifying the consequences of failure to achieve the above and the consequent impact of climate change to the local area. NSDC is not a flood risk authority and therefore may only have limited ability in producing an SR that is able to fully understand the extent of the future risks to our area and implement the controls required to mitigate the extreme weather risks this district experiences. There is another SR relating to growth within district. This SR focuses on facilitating the provision of key infrastructure projects to enable/sustain growth within the NSDC district. Whilst this considers planning and land use (via the DPD), energy generation/supply and future transport requirements, it does not specifically identify the issues of growth due to future climatic changes.

Is the Council reporting on its own greenhouse gas emissions?

Newark and Sherwood District Council is reporting on its green house emissions using the Green House Gas Accounting tool from the LGA. We have been doing this continuously for the last 3 years measuring Scope 1,2 and 3. As the Council becomes more proficient at identifying carbon, the accuracy of the emission figures will continue to improve.

Have the council's own greenhouse gas emissions reduced since 2019?

Newark and Sherwood District Council is reporting on its green house emissions using the Green House Gas Accounting tool from the LGA. We have been doing this continuously for the last 3 years measuring Scope 1,2 and 3. As the Council becomes more proficient at identifying carbon, the accuracy of the emission figures will continue to improve.

Have the Council's area-wide carbon emissions decreased?

The Council's area-wide carbon emissions have not yet decreased since 2019.

Has a new climate emergency governance or decision making process been adopted?

The guidance on the first page of report templates (for Full Council, Cabinet and Committees) says that report authors should consider if the report has any elements relating to sustainability and which may impact on the Council's footprint - signposting to the relevant officer for advice. Report templates include the following statement: - "Implications - In writing this report and in putting forward recommendations, officers have considered the following implications: Data Protection; Digital & Cyber Security; Equality & Diversity; Financial; Human Resources; Human Rights; Legal; Safeguarding & Sustainability and where appropriate they have made reference to these implications and added suitable expert comment where appropriate."

Does the Council have a sustainable procurement policy?

The Council does not currently have a sustainable procurement policy that includes an area wide net zero target and makes tackling the climate emergency one of its main priorities.

Does the procurement policy require tenders to take environmental action?

There is currently no mandatory requirement in the Council's procurement policy that requires tenders to take action to reduce waste, carbon emissions or other environmental actions.

Is there a Portfolio Holder that has climate change explicitly in their remit?

The Council's Leader had appointed a Portfolio Holder for Climate Change to the Council's Cabinet but this post has now been removed under the belief that Climate Change is so important that it should sit with all Portfolio Holders. The Leader has also appointed a Portfolio Holder for Biodiversity and Environmental Services with responsibility for: biodiversity and conservation, oversight of the Council’s Tree Strategy, tree maintenance and tree planting programme, maintenance and enhancement of parks and open spaces, including oversight of the Council’s Open Spaces Strategy, public engagement in relation to the natural environment, street cleansing, removal of graffiti and fly-tipping and land contamination.

Have all senior management and cabinet received climate awareness training?

Yes, all senior management and councillors in the cabinet or committee chairs have received climate awareness training.

Is the area-wide net zero target a strategic objective of the Local Plan?

Yes, the Council's area-wide net zero target is a strategic objective of the Local Plan.

Suitable areas for new solar energy, wind development and district heat networks

No sites or land have been allocated as suitable areas for new solar energy, wind developments and district heat networks within the development plan.

Have any applications been approved for renewable energy developments from 2019?

Yes, the Council has approved planning applications for new or expanded solar or wind developments, battery storage, or renewable district heat networks since 2019.

Solar approved in Halloughton
Battery energy storage system approved in Halloughton

Other developments have been approved, however the application description does not include the number of MW of the solar. A number (unable to specify this) are larger than domestic or business solar proposals.

Will all future owned/managed housing have a high energy efficiency standard?

The Council has committed to building all future Council-owned or managed housing to a high energy efficiency. Those not built by the authority that are bought in will retrofitted.

Are new homes required to make an improvement on Part L building regulations?

The Council does not require new homes to make an improvement on the Part L building regulations.

Does the Council require a fabric first approach for new development?

The Council does not require a fabric first approach for new development.

Are all new homes built required to be operationally (regulated) net zero?

The Council does not set a requirement that all new homes to be built must be operationally (regulated) net zero.

Are developers required to carry out a whole life-cycle carbon assessment?

The Council does not require developers to carry out a whole life-cycle carbon assessment of new build developments.

Does the Council require a higher level of water efficiency for all new homes?

The Council does not require a higher level of water efficiency for all new homes. This is encouraged through Core Policy 10 of the Amended Core Strategy.

Has the Council removed minimum parking requirements for new residential homes?

The Council has not yet removed minimum parking requirements for new residential homes across their area.

Does the Local Plan include policy to create 15/20 minute neighbourhoods?

The Council's Local Plan does not yet include a policy to create 15/20 minute neighbourhoods.

Will new building developments be avoided on the functional flood plain?

The Council has committed to avoiding new building developments on the functional flood plain.

Core Policy 10 states that new development should be steered away from those areas at highest risk of flooding, applying the sequential approach to its location detailed in Policy DM5 ‘Design’. Where appropriate, the Authority will seek to secure strategic flood mitigation measures as part of new development;

Where appropriate having applied the Sequential Test move on to apply the Exceptions Test, in line with national guidance. In those circumstances where the wider Exceptions Test is not required proposals for new development in flood risk areas will still need to demonstrate that the safety of the development and future occupants from flood risk can be provided for, over the lifetime of the development; and
Ensure that new development positively manages its surface water run-off through the design and layout of development to ensure that there is no unacceptable impact in run-off into surrounding areas or the existing drainage regime.

Is there a requirement for on-site renewable energy generation for new builds?

The Council does not have a minimum requirement for on-site renewable energy generation for new building development, this is encouraged through Core Policy 10 of the Amended Core Strategy.

Is the Council transitioning their vehicle fleet to electric?

The Council is currently trialling 2 electric vehicles and is looking to transition the rest of the fleet once the vehicles are capable of providing what is required for the Council to meet the service needs of its residents.

Has the Council supported the expansion of public electric vehicle chargers?

Yes, as regards the D2N2 scheme.

Do the NO2 levels in a significant proportion of neighbourhoods exceed guidance?

In the areas samples by the Council, the WHO guidance has been exceeded. However, there is a large rural population and many of these areas are not monitored. The Council area still falls well below the UK requirements. Our most recent reports can be found here.

Do PM 2.5 levels in a significant proportion of neighbourhoods exceed WHO guide?

The Council does not currently measure for PM 2.5, but is currently trialling the equipment.

Has the Council set up or supported a shared transport scheme?

The Council has set up or supported a shared transport scheme that can be used across their whole area. It has coordinated the introduction of a Brompton Bike scheme in Newark. Bike Hire stations have been located at transport hubs in the town and the new Middlebeck community on the south side of town. The scheme allows for people to have the benefits of bike ownership without the costs of maintenance and problems of storage following onward train or bus travel. The scheme was developed using Town Fund assistance.

Is the reduction of single use plastic encouraged?

The Council has encouraged the reduction of single use plastic at external events on Council land, property and public spaces such as roads and parks. The Council is part of the refill.org Community Refill scheme, and has engaged local businesses to do the same. In addition to all NSDC buildings having free refill stations, these are some of the organisations signed up in Newark: