Low Emissions Towns and Cities Programme
‘Developing a Low Emissions Strategy for the West Midlands’
Draft Low Emissions Strategy Questionnaire
On behalf of the West Midlands Low Emissions Towns and Cities Partnership, we welcome any
feedback and comments that you may have on the Draft Low Emissions Strategy and the Draft
Good Practice Planning and Procurement Guidance.
We would be grateful if you could complete the questionnaire and return it by email to Vicki
Popplewell popplewellv@walsall.gov.uk by no later than Monday 10th June 2013.
If you have, any further questions please contact Vicki Popplewell popplewellv@walsall.gov.uk
Section 1 –Draft Low Emissions Strategy
Question 1: The key aim of the Low Emission Strategy is to:
“Improve air quality in the West Midlands Metropolitan Area through vehicle emission
reduction activity, whilst securing CO2 and noise emission benefits wherever possible.” (section
2.2)
Do you agree with the aims of LES (please tick relevant box)
Yes
No
Not Decided
If no. What key aim would you suggest
Question 2: The draft LES has established a number of objectives (see section 2.3 and 2.4)
which have informed the work streams to be taken forward by Low Emissions Towns and
Cities Programme. Do you agree with these objectives? If not, what alternatives would you
suggest?
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Question 3: Section 3 to Section 7 of the draft LES sets out the various work streams that will
be taken forward by the Programme (i.e. Health and Air Quality, Land Use Planning and
Road Transport Emissions, Procurement, Low Emissions Zone Technical Feasibility Study,
Low Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Plan). Do you have any comments with regards to each
of these work streams? Are there any additional elements that should be considered?
Question 4: Do you have or know of any examples of best practice in partnership working
that we could use to develop an effective programme?
Question 5: Are there any additional vehicle emission reduction measures that you think
should be included in the LES? If so please state here.
Question 6: What could local authorities do to encourage you to invest in a lower emission
vehicle/fleet and/or change the type of vehicle fuel you use?
Question 7: Section 8 and Tables 5 and 6, establish a proposed monitoring and review
process for the LES. Do you have comments to make on the suggested approach and the
proposed measures and outcomes? Are there any alternative approaches to Table 5 and 6
that you would suggest
Question 8: Are there any additional elements that the LES should consider?
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Section 2 – Draft Good Practice Procurement Guidance
Question 1: How useful would you find the provision of a whole life cost model as
suggested in Section 4.4?
Question 2: How useful would you find the provision of a Database of UK low emission
vehicle trails as suggested in Section 8.1?
Question 3: Are you aware of any additional procurement policies and measures that
should be considered in order to improve knowledge transfer?
Question 4: Do you or your organisation have examples of sustainability clauses and low
emission contract specifications which could be used as part of the Procurement Guidance?.
Question 5: Are there any additional procurement measures that you think should be
included in the Good Practice Procurement Guidance? If so please state here.
Question 6: Are there any additional elements that the Good Practice Procurement
Guidance should consider?
Section 3 – Draft Good Practice Guidance Planning Guidance
Question 1: Are there any alternative approaches to the development classifications set out
in Section 3.3 and Table 1 of the Planning Good Practice that you would suggest?
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Question 2: Table 3 in the Planning Good Practice Guidance (EV Recharging Standards) lists
the proposed EV recharging requirements. Do you consider the proposed rates acceptable or
would you wish to see different requirements and if so please specify?
Question 3: Based on mitigation and compensation measures set out in Table 6 and Table 7
of the Planning Good Practice Guidance, do you have any suggestions on how to develop an
approach to monitoring the associated mitigation requirements, such as Low Emission Fleet
Strategies and Travel Plans?
Question 4: Should the Planning Good Practice Guidance (Section 3.7 & 3.8) consider the
damage costs for PM10 as well as NOx? Whilst you could argue that the area only has
exceedances for NOx it is accepted that there is no “safe level” for particulate matter.
Question 5: Do you agree with the general methodology used to calculate damage costs set
out in Section 3.8 of the Planning Good Practice Guidance? If not how would you modify the
approach?
Question 6: Would you find it useful if the Planning Good Practice Guidance included a flow
chart to illustrate the step by step approach to the Planning and Air Quality Template?
Question 7: The vehicle trip length of 10km shown in the methodology used to calculate
damage costs (Section 3.8 of the Planning Good Practice Guidance) has been extrapolated
from the National Travel Survey 2012. Should a different average trip length be used for
commercial vehicle journeys and what evidence is available to support a different
assumption?
Question 8: In addition to conditions, does your organisation consider S106, CIL or both to
be the most appropriate mechanisms for implementing Air Quality Mitigation measures to
ensure schemes are acceptable?
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Question 9: Does your organisation have examples of S106/Conditions, which have been
implemented as part of Low Emission Strategy measures?
Question 10: Do you have any comments on the information contained in Annexes 1 to 5?
Question 11: Are there any additional elements that the Planning Guidance document
should consider?
Section 4 – Further comments and/or questions
Please provide any further comments or questions you may
Section 5 – Your contact details
Name:
Job Title:
Organisation:
Email:
Thank you for taking the time to complete this form.
Please email the form to Vicki Popplewell – popplewellv@walsall.gov.uk by Monday 10th June.
Please email Vicki Popplewell if you have any further questions regarding the Draft Low
Emissions Strategy or any other documents developed by the Low Emissions Towns and Cities
Programme.
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