The Environment Committee of Stroud Council met on Thursday 23 January 2025 to discuss the draft Council Plan for 2025-2029 and a proposed Air Quality Strategy for Stroud District. The committee also received updates on the Strategic Planning Advisory Board and the committee's work programme.

Draft Council Plan 2025-2029

The committee was presented with the draft Council Plan for 2025-2029, which outlines the council's priorities and objectives for the next four years. The plan is structured around five key priorities: Environment, Climate and Nature; Communities and Wellbeing; Local Economy; Housing; and Working for our Communities.

The draft plan builds upon the achievements of the previous Council Plan (2021-2026), which included delivering water source heat pump projects, installing natural flood management interventions, approving an Ethical Investment Policy, reducing mowing regimes on council-owned sites to protect green spaces, funding walking and cycling schemes, and approving the kerbside collection of household batteries and vapes.

The development of the new Council Plan involved extensive consultation, including workshops with councillors, officers, town and parish councils, the Stroud District Youth Council, and the Local Strategic Partnership. A public consultation was also held between October and December 2024, with 297 responses received. The feedback indicated broad public agreement with the five priorities, particularly Environment, Climate & Nature, Local Economy, and Communities & Wellbeing. However, the Housing priority received the least agreement, which may reflect public concern about new housing developments rather than the council's focus on addressing housing needs.

The plan aims to be accessible to the public, with an Easy Read version, a high-level summary, a glossary of terms, and an infographic detailing the council's structure and services.

An Air Quality Strategy for Stroud District

The committee was asked to review and consider accepting a draft Air Quality Strategy for Stroud District for an initial two-year period. This strategy is a requirement under the National Air Quality Strategy and aims to monitor and improve local air quality to reduce its detrimental impacts on human health and the environment.

Stroud District does not currently exceed air quality targets, meaning it has not declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). However, the council is expected to take proactive measures to improve air quality. The draft strategy highlights the need to establish baseline data for particulate matter (PM2.5) for the first time, as previous reliance has been on modelled data. The council has secured some funding for PM monitoring and has submitted a budget pressure bid for additional resources to support this work.

The strategy aligns with the refreshed Council Plan's priority to develop an air quality improvement approach to reduce pollution across the district. It also acknowledges the positive environmental implications of improving air quality, which can support other council priorities.

Member/Officer Reports

• Strategic Planning Advisory Board: Members received an update on the Local Plan, noting that they were awaiting the Inspectors' decision on whether the examination could resume. The report also highlighted concerns about the new National Planning Policy Framework and its potential detrimental impacts on Stroud District, including an increase in the calculated housing need. Members also discussed proposals for development and nature recovery, and models for planning committees.
• Gloucestershire Resource & Waste Partnership: A verbal report was expected on this matter.

Work Programme

The committee was presented with the work programme for the remainder of 2024/2025 and future years, outlining upcoming reports and topics for discussion. This included items such as Budget Monitoring, the 2030 Annual Report, changes to Bulky Waste collection charges, and various Member/Officer reports. Information sheets on topics such as Walking and Cycling Updates, Air Quality Updates, Simpler Recycling, and Electric Vehicle Charge Point Rollout were also noted.