The Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee met to discuss progress towards Islington Council's 2030 net zero carbon target, and how to make Islington more climate resilient. The Committee received a report from officers on the progress of various environmental initiatives and discussed several concerns raised by residents.

Reaching our 2030 net zero carbon target

The Committee received an update from the Executive Member for Environment and Transport and the Director of Climate Change and Transport on progress toward the Council's ambition for a net zero carbon borough by 2030, as set out in the Council's Vision 2030 document.

The Executive Member highlighted several achievements, including the decarbonisation of the Waste and Recycling Centre, an increase in green skills employment, and the planting of 900 trees in the borough. The Director outlined the Council's progress in implementing its net zero strategy since declaring a climate emergency in 2019.

BREEAM Requirements

concerns were raised about the new BREEAM requirement as a condition of planning applications.

BREEAM is a sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation and has become one of the most comprehensive and widely recognised measures of a building's environmental performance.

The Committee heard concerns that new BREEAM requirements, intended to improve buildings' net-zero performance, could have the opposite effect. It was suggested that while larger projects might be able to absorb the increased costs of the new requirements, smaller projects would struggle. Officers confirmed that they were about to publish new validation thresholds that would remove these requirements for smaller projects.

Moving away from the language of 'Net Zero'

Residents raised concerns that the shift away from using the term net zero in the Council's communications signalled a weakening of its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Officers responded that the change in terminology reflected an increased sense of urgency and a broader approach to addressing climate change. They said that:

net zero was passive, while the new terminology reflected urgency and a broader approach to addressing climate change, including adaptation.

Recruitment of Planning Officers

The Committee was told that there had been delays in recruiting two new planning officers with expertise in retrofitting existing buildings and in conservation design.

E-bike Parking Bays

In response to questions about how the locations of new e-bike hire parking bays are decided, officers said that the Council worked closely with bike hire companies and based its decisions on usage data and the type of land use in the area.

Islington Climate Panel

Responding to questions on the Climate Panel, officers explained that the Panel's role was to understand residents' experiences of climate change and to improve communication between the Council and residents on the issue. They said that the Panel had been selected through an independent process and that they were collaborating with other councils to share best practices.

Breakout Groups

The Committee then broke into three groups to discuss specific topics.

1. Supporting Climate Action and Resilience in our Buildings

The first group discussed a range of measures to support climate action and resilience in Islington's buildings, including:

• The need to include support for grey water and water reuse in the new Sustainable Design and Construction SPD. An SPD is a Supplementary Planning Document. Local planning authorities can use them to provide more detailed guidance on policies in their Local Plan.
• The importance of addressing overheating in homes, particularly in light of the increasing frequency of heatwaves.
• The need for more qualified workers in the construction sector to carry out retrofit work.
• The potential for partnering with businesses and community groups to support climate action.

2. Creating a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Local Economy

The second group discussed ways to create a more sustainable and climate-resilient local economy. They discussed:

• The GLA’s Retrofit Workplaces Accelerator, which aims to encourage businesses to make their offices more energy efficient.
• The potential for utilising public buildings as cool spaces during heatwaves.
• The need for better promotion of climate-related initiatives and support for local businesses.

3. Climate Action and Resilience in the Public Realm

The third group discussed how to make Islington's public realm more resilient to the impacts of climate change. They discussed:

• The need to reduce the amount of tarmac and other hard surfaces in the borough, which contribute to the urban heat island effect.
• The importance of planting more trees and creating more green spaces.
• The need for better flood defenses, particularly in light of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

The meeting concluded with a discussion of the key themes that had emerged from the breakout groups. The Chair thanked everyone for attending and highlighted the importance of taking action against the climate crisis.