ADAS Consulting Ltd
Draft Final Report
In connection with:
Review of spatial planning networks at local and
regional level
Final Report 26th November 2004
Submitted to:
Prepared by:
Doogie Black
Dr Jo Hossell
ESPACE – Hampshire Project Officer
ADAS Consulting Ltd
Environment Department
Woodthorne
Hampshire County Council
Wergs Road
The Castle
Wolverhampton
Winchester
WV6 8TQ
SO23 8UD
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Contents
Glossary of Terms ..................................................................................................... 3
Executive Summary .................................................................................................. 4
1.0
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 6
2.0
Background ...................................................................................................... 7
2.1 The Spatial Planning Approach ...................................................................... 7
2.2 Climate Change in the South East ................................................................. 8
2.2.1 Impacts .................................................................................................................. 9
2.2.2 Mitigation and Adaptation Requirements ............................................................ 11
3.0
Method and questionnaire .............................................................................. 13
4.0
Results ........................................................................................................... 14
4.1 Questionnaire Response levels (Objectives A & B) ...................................... 14
4.2 Spatial Planning Networks (Objectives C, D & E) ......................................... 17
4.2.1 Regional level Networks...................................................................................... 17
4.2.2 Local Level Networks .......................................................................................... 26
4.3 Network influences (Objective F) ................................................................. 29
4.3.1 Where climate change is raised within the existing planning process ................ 29
4.3.2 Where climate change is raised within the spatial networks ............................... 29
4.3.3 How can climate change be further incorporated in the planning process ......... 30
4.4 Barriers to climate change responses .......................................................... 32
4.5 Identifying opportunities for cohesive working (Objective G) ........................ 33
4.5.1 What aspects are already considered? ............................................................... 33
4.5.2 Where opportunities exist.................................................................................... 34
5.0
Recommendations for an integrated and uniform approach (Objective H) ...... 36
6.0
Conclusions ................................................................................................... 39
7.0
References..................................................................................................... 40
Appendix 1 – The telephone questionnaire ............................................................. 42
Appendix 2 – Project information ............................................................................. 45
Appendix 3 – Timetable for the SE Plan .................................................................. 51
Appendix 4 – Local Development Document Diagrams ........................................... 52
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Glossary of Terms
ASCCUE
Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in the Urban Environment
BC
Borough Council
CA
Countryside Agency
CC
County Council
CS
Community Strategy
CTC
Formerly the Cycle Touring Club
DC
District Council
DPD
Development Plan Document
EA
Environment Agency
EN
English Nature
GOSE
Government Office South East
IRF
Integrated Regional Framework
LDD
Local Development Documents
LDF
Local Development Framework
LDS
Local Development Scheme
LPA
Local Planning Authority
NGO
Non-Governmental Organisation
ODPM
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
PPG
Planning Policy Guidance
PPS
Planning Policy Statement
PSA
Public Service Agreement
PUSH
Partnership for Urban South Hampshire
RAISE
Regional Action and Involvement South East
RDA
Regional Development Authority/Agency
RPB
Regional Planning Body
RPG
Regional Planning Guidance
RSPB
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
RSS
Regional Spatial Strategy
SCOPAC
Standing Conference on Problems Associated with the Coastline
SA
Sustainability Appraisal
SEA
Strategic Environmental Assessment
SECCP
South East Climate Change Partnership
SECTORS
South East Climate Threats & Opportunities Research Study
SEEDA
South East England Development Agency
SEERA
South East England Regional Assembly
SEFS
South East Forum for Sustainability
SPA
Special Protection Area
SPD
Supplementary Planning Document
WWF
Worldwide Fund for Nature
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Executive Summary
Spatial planning brings together and integrates policies for the development and use of land
with other policies and programmes that influence the nature of places and how they function.
This new approach is embodied in the system of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) and Local
Development Documents (LDDs) that are to be introduced into England following the
enactment of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill in July 2004. This will include
policies that can impact on land use, for example by influencing the demands on or needs for
development, but which are not capable of being delivered solely or mainly through the
granting or refusal of planning permission.
The wider strategic approach of spatial planning also provides for the consideration of longerterm issues within the planning framework. Climate change adaptation and mitigation are
environmental considerations that require this long-term approach.
This study was
commission to determine how the spatial planning network within Hampshire operates and
how it relates to the network in the wider south East region. The review also considered how
climate change responses are currently incorporated into the spatial planning process and
where further opportunities for consideration exist.
The study included a telephone questionnaire of personnel in Local Authorities and within
networks in the region, as well as additional consultations with other spatial network
members. Forty-seven people were contacted as part of the questionnaire, but out of this
number only 13 responded – a response rate of just 28%. The additional consultation were
thus undertaken to ensure enough information was gathered to map some of the spatial
networks within the county and the south east region.
The questionnaire and additional consultations indicated that the networks operate at a
variety of spatial scales and seniority levels, ranging from Chief Executives of Local
Authorities to officers. All networks examined operate across Local Authorities and most
include representatives of regional government. The pattern of consultation with wider groups
depends upon the purpose of the network, but few groups actively considered climate change
as an issue with their networks. Where it was addressed the responses were limited to
particular aspects of climate change impacts or mitigation measures (e.g. coastal inundation
and flooding or reduction in private car usage). At the regional level the inclusion of climate
change responses as objectives within SE Plan mean that the issue will be required to be
more widely addressed in sub-regional and local strategies.
Based on the responses gathered, the study provides a number of recommendations on the
means to make best use of spatial networks in ensuring a wider uptake of climate change
responses within county:
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
Collate or otherwise develop an assessment of how different aspects of climate
change may affect the provision of spatial planning services within the county.

Ensure the inclusion of a broad range of climate change adaptation and mitigation
responses within Community Strategies

Raise awareness of climate change within local communities and community groups

Develop and incorporate a suite of indicators for measuring of climate change
responses within spatial planning processes.

Encourage commissioning at a national level of a study to help define the roles and
responsibilities of national, regional and local government within climate responses.
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1.0 Introduction
“Spatial planning is the consideration of what should happen where.
It goes beyond
traditional land-use planning and sets out a strategic framework to guide future development
and policy interventions.” People, Places, Futures, The Wales Spatial Plan
Spatial planning brings together and integrates policies for the development and use of land
with other policies and programmes that influence the nature of places and how they function.
This new approach is embodied in the system of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) and Local
Development Documents (LDDs) that are to be introduced into England following the
enactment of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill in July 2004. This will include
policies that can impact on land use, for example by influencing the demands on or needs for
development, but which are not capable of being delivered solely or mainly through the
granting or refusal of planning permission.
The wider strategic approach of spatial planning also provides for the consideration of longerterm issues within the planning framework. Climate change adaptation and mitigation are
environmental considerations that require this long-term approach.
This study was
commission to determine how the spatial planning network within Hampshire operates and
how it relates to the network in the wider south East region. The review also considered how
climate change responses are currently incorporated into the spatial planning process and
where further opportunities for consideration exist. The objectives of the project were:
A. To identify and liaise with relevant key players in spatial planning networks at a Local
Authority level (Hampshire)
B. To identify and liaise with relevant key players in spatial planning networks at a
regional authority level (South East England)
C. Map and describe spatial planning networks at a Local Authority level and detail all
the interactions that occur within and between them
D. Map and describe spatial planning networks at a regional authority level and detail all
the interactions that occur within and between them
E. Produce a comprehensive description of the interactions between Local Authority
spatial planning networks and regional authority spatial planning networks
F. With respects to climate change, give a detailed description of the internal and
external influences that affect these networks and ascertain the upstream and
downstream consequences to policy development.
G. Identify opportunities where more cohesive working that takes into consideration the
consequences of climate change can be established within and between spatial
planning networks at a local and regional authority level
H. Provide recommendations on how to develop an integrated and unified approach to
climate change within spatial planning networks at a local and regional authority level.
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This should include identification of where in the existing networks adaptation to
climate change measures could be represented.
This report is divided into 6 sections. Section 2 addresses the background to the study
describing the changes that are due to occur in current planning system, how climate change
may affect the south east and what adaptation and mitigation measures may be needed to
respond to it in the planning system. Section 3 describes the project methodology, whilst
Section 4 presents the results of the study. Section 5 presents recommendations on how
climate change responses need to be considered within spatial networks now and in the
future.
2.0 Background
2.1
The Spatial Planning Approach
In the late 1990s the Government expressed the view that the needs of the Regions had been
overlooked for some time and that it intended to ‘address this problem.’ It took the view that it
was necessary to make improvements to the system of regional strategic planning in order to
facilitate the delivery of a sustainable pattern of development. It also needed to assist the
regions in delivering their programmes of economic development, to help deliver an
integrated transport strategy at the regional level and to provide a more coherent context for
decisions on major projects. An improved strategic framework was also seen as a way to
help speed up the preparation and regular updating of statutory development plans.
Regions also needed a greater and more effective voice in their own affairs and this was
facilitated by the establishment of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and by
improvements in development planning at the regional level through the introduction of spatial
planning.
These reforms were designed to overcome problems in the existing planning
system of:

A lack of regional focus,

Often reiterates national guidance and policies,

Apart from housing, lacks targets that can be monitored and reviewed,

Too land-use orientated,

Lacks sufficient environmental objectives and appraisal,

Plans take too long to produce,

Commands no commitment from regional stakeholders, and

Plan production process is insufficiently transparent.
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, which received Royal Assent in May 2004 and
which will comes into force in July 2004, places a statutory provision on regions to produce
spatial plans. The act introduces a number of other changes to the planning system as part
of a number of reform themes:

Setting out a clear understanding of the purpose of planning,

Making the system work better at a national level,
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
Making the system for plan making work better at regional and local level,

Making the system work better at local level by overcoming obstacles to land
assembly, encouraging high quality development and improving the process of
dealing with applications and appeals,

Promoting a culture change in planning,

Improve the process by which development adds value to communities through better
design,

Better community involvement that takes account of the needs of those with a stake
in the community.
The RSS provides a spatial framework that helps to inform in the preparation of the Local
Development Documents, other plans and strategies that have a bearing on land use
activities. These activities in turn have a bearing on the RSS.
Planning Policy Guidance (PPGs) will also be replaced by simpler Planning Policy Statements
(PPS). A number of these PPSs have already been issued for consultation in advance of the
completion of the passage of the Bill through Parliament:

PPS1 – Creating Sustainable Communities

PPS6 – Planning for Town Centres

PPS7 – Sustainable Development in Rural Areas

PPS11 – Regional Planning

PPS12 – Local Development Frameworks, and

PPS22 – Renewable Energy.
However, several of the statements (particularly PPS 11 on Regional Planning and PPS 12
on Local Development Frameworks) may need to be revised and reissued following changes
to the Bill during its passage. The process of revision is not due for completion until 2006.
In the South East the term regional spatial strategy has been changed to the SE Plan, which
equates more readily with the London Plan and avoids any confusion over the meaning of the
term spatial. The SE Plan is a revision of RPG9 to comply with the statutory requirement of
the recently enacted Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act to produce a regional spatial
strategy for the region and it will cover the period to 2026. It is required to consider a wide
range of issues that have a bearing on land use, rather than just those that can be
implemented through the planning or local transport plan system.
2.2
Climate Change in the South East
Climate change affects us all. Over the last century central England temperature has risen by
almost 1°C, with the 1990s being the warmest decade since records began (Hulme et al.,
2002). Winters across the UK have been getting wetter, with a larger proportion of the rainfall
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falling as heavy rain events. Average sea levels around the UK are also rising by about 1mm
per year.
Research has shown that the pronounced ‘global warming’ over the past 50 years cannot be
explained solely by our understanding of the natural variability of the climate system (Met
Office/DETR, 1999). It is likely to be due to human activity through increasing greenhouse
gas emissions (IPCC, 2001).
2.2.1
Impacts
The UKCIP02 scenarios, produced in conjunction with the Meteorological Office’s Hadley
Centre, provide information on possible changes in the UK climate at a regional level, and on
the potential for changes in extreme weather events – something that is important for
assessing possible impacts (Hulme et al., 2002). Due to uncertainties in future greenhouse
gas emissions and economic scenarios, UKCIP02 present four climate scenarios – Low (L),
Medium Low (ML), Medium High (MH) and High (H) – based on differing assumptions, for
three 30-years periods centred on the 2020s, 2050s and 2080s.
For all scenarios and for all regions, future climate may move towards drier, hotter summers
and warmer, wetter winters. For the Southeast in particular:

Annual rates of warming may increase by 0.1-0.5°C per decade, with greater summer
warming in the Southeast (Figure 1a)

Winter precipitation may increase between 10-15%, whilst summers may become drier
with a decrease in rainfall of between 20 and 30% (Figure 1b).

Extreme weather events, such as the August 2003 heat wave and winter 2000/1 flooding,
may become more commonplace.
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Figure 1a: Changes in average monthly summer temperatures (°C) for Hampshire at a 5km scale. Data
from UKCIP02 (Hulme et al, 2002).
Figure 1b. Changes in average monthly winter rainfall (mm) for Hampshire at a 5km scale. Data from
UKCIP02 scenarios (Hulme et al, 2002).
Though seemingly small, these changes can have huge implications for society, the
environment and industry, as well as the interactions between them (Table 1). Hampshire
has a fast growing economy, with its associated development pressures, but also has a high
quality environment and landscape, much of which is protected by national and international
environmental designations (e.g. Special Protection Areas (SPA), Ramsar Sites and Sites of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
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Table 1. Example Threats and Opportunities to different communities within Hampshire.
Community
Agriculture
&
Threat
Opportunity
Changes in water availability; changes in timing
Longer growing season; potential to
Forestry
of agricultural production
diversify into new crop species
Biodiversity
Loss of habitats, certain species unable to
New species may flourish – habitat
tolerate changing climate conditions, increased
range for some species may increase
competition.
Business
&
Worker stress, periods of economic interruption
Opportunities for new products and
from severe flooding or heat waves, insurance
services (more wellies in winter, more
risks
lollies in summer)!
Coasts
Erosion, coastal flooding
Opportunities for new coastal habitats
Emergency
Increased risk of heathland fires, flooding (urban
Introduction of more integrated planning
Planning
and coastal)
systems
Health
Increased heat stress, food safety in heat
Decreases in winter mortalities
Economy
waves, introduction of new pests and diseases.
Planning
Increased river flooding
Changes in planning policy, introduction
of more integrated regional planning
Tourism
Changes to quality of natural environment
Increased
opportunities
for outdoor
leisure, including evening economy and
water-based activities
Utilities
&
Infrastructure
Disruption to transport networks.
Supply
becomes
localised,
Changes in demand for water and power.
benefiting economy, improvements in
Changes in timing of water availability
energy efficiency, and investment into
alternative resources.
Warmer temperatures and changes in the rainfall regime may lead to changes in the growing
season and, consequently, changes in working patterns on agricultural and recreational land
(e.g. changes in timings of grass cutting in parks). Climate change may alter many of the
climatic conditions that shape the distribution and composition of ecosystems (Hossell et al.,
2000) – the rate of temperature change may have severe implications for protected species
and habitats.
2.2.2
Mitigation and Adaptation Requirements
Climate change can present both threats and opportunities to social, economic and
environmental communities, and these impacts will very much depend upon communities’
vulnerability or preparedness.
2.2.2.1
Mitigation
The most important aspect of mitigation against climate change is delivering emission
reductions, and there are a number mechanisms at Local Authority level in which to do this
(e.g. Local Transport Plans, the implementation of the Climate Change Levy and promotion of
mitigation measures such as Enhanced Capital Allowances)
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In order to achieve the 12.5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (DETR, 2000) by 2010
and move towards a low carbon economy, Local Authorities need to undertake integrated
policies and measures to:

Create plans/strategies to improve energy efficiency in business, transport and housing
sectors

Invest in innovation and low carbon technologies

Proactively encourage renewable energy production within jurisdiction area

Develop plans that promote sustainable development such as the development of air
quality management plans and the reduction of landfill emissions

Lead by example
2.2.2.2
Adaptation
The Government recognises the need to adapt to some degree of climate change,
irrespective of however successful it is at cutting greenhouse gas emissions (Defra, 2004).
Adaptation is an approach that can be implemented to address both the positive and negative
impacts of climate change.
Extreme events such as the widespread flooding during the
autumn and winter of 2000/1 indicate that it is necessary to build adaptation measures into
mainstream policy and decision-making at all levels. Already, many areas of national policy
advise a precautionary and risk-based approach (e.g. planning guidance on development in
areas at risk from flooding (PPG25)), with many others now incorporating a climate change
perspective.
At a local level, measures such as the introduction of more stringent
development controls on floodplains and coastal areas can be seen as one method of
adaptation.
The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) was set up in 1997 to encourage both the
private and public sector to assess their vulnerability to climate change in order to plan their
own adaptation strategies. In its recent Local Authorities report, UKCIP provides examples of
possible adaptation responses that Local Authorities should be considering.
General
adaptation strategies include a number that are directly relevant to spatial planning:

considering how climate is expected to change over the lifetime of any new planning and
development decisions on infrastructure and buildings

considering the location of new development, its resilience to more extreme weather an
likely pressures on utilities

developing plans which consider the need for open and green spaces to offset some of
the increased warmth that can be expected; provision of urban trees to create shade in
recreational areas

recognising within emergency plans the increased risk of weather related incidents and
taking preventative steps
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Both mitigation and adaptation are important strategies, but must be employed together since
adaptation will be needed in advance of the mitigation measures having an effect on the
magnitude and rate of climate change.
3.0 Method and questionnaire
The study undertook a telephone questionnaire to determine the nature and level of the
interactions at the Local Authority and regional level and to ascertain how far climate change
responses are considered within the spatial planning process.
The questionnaire was
partially linked to a parallel project also funded under the ESPACE remit examining the
opportunities for further climate change responses in the county.
Both of these projects
included telephone questionnaires and had some questions that were the same.
(see
Appendix 1 for the questionnaire.)
Candidates for interview were selected to provide a range of departments and functions within
a Local Authority and a range of levels of seniority. The idea behind these selection criteria
was to gain as broad a picture of interactions as possible across all spatial planning functions.
Regional government contacts were also identified to determine the level of contact outside of
the county. In addition, selected external bodies such as statutory consultees were targeted
to gain a balanced picture of the links beyond the government level. In total 47 people were
identified and emailed with information about the project (See Appendix 2 for initial email and
information) and a request for them arrange a suitable time and date when they could be
interviewed. Where a telephone interview had already been arranged with an individual for
the opportunities project, the spatial planning project was mentioned and, where possible,
another date was arranged for the spatial planning interview.
There was some difficulty in identifying appropriate respondents due to the differing council
structures within the Local Authorities. But the initial email did request that the information
should be passed on to an alternative contact if the person felt that they were not the
appropriate person to be dealing with the questionnaire. The types of services targeted were
broad and aimed to include both conventional planning and other services with links to land
use e.g. biodiversity, leisure.
The initial response to the email was disappointing, so a week after the initial email contact,
people who had not responded were telephoned to arrange a suitable interview time or find
out the name of an alternative person who would be interested, or had the time, to respond to
the questionnaire.
Interviewees were asked 13 questions to gauge their awareness of how climate change may
affect their working lives, roles and responsibilities within the Local Authorities, but also to
determine what they and their departments are doing to address the issue. As the interviews
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were semi-structured, they took the form more of a discussion with prompts rather than a set
of static questions. Consequently, individual responses were varied according to how they
interpreted the questions and their level of knowledge with regards to the topics raised.
Following completion of the questionnaire interviews, a further round of consultations were
made when it became clear that the restricted range of respondents had not gained sufficient
information on the wider networks that existed between Local Authorities and across the
South East region as a whole. These consultations were less formal than the questionnaire
interviews and the discussions were focused on determining information on the extent and
operation of a number of existing regional/county networks.
These follow up consultations were with members of a range of networks that operate in the
region. The networks were:
1. The two sub regional study groups established as part of the development of the SE
Plan; Blackwater Valley
2. and South Hampshire, East Devon and IOW
3. Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership
4. Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH)
5. South East Forum for Sustainability (SEFS)
6. Association of Hampshire and Isle of Wight (HIOW)
7. SE Climate Change Partnership
They were selected to represent a range of groups both new and long-standing to enable
some comparison to be made between networks established under the existing planning
system and those associated with the new spatial planning approach. The responses from
these consultations are discussed separately as case studies within the results section.
A final workshop was held with senior County Council representatives to discuss the findings
of both this and the opportunities project (Clemence and Hossell, 2004). The conclusions
from these discussions are included within the recommendations section of both reports.
4.0 Results
4.1
Questionnaire Response levels (Objectives A & B)
Of the 47 people contacted, 37 were from Local Authorities and 10 from regional government
or external groups. Only 13 people agreed to be interviewed, 10 from Local Authorities and 3
from regional government or external groups. This equates to a response rate of 27% and
30% respectively and an overall response rate of 28%. Table 2 gives a breakdown of the
responses by service area for the Local Authorities, whilst Figure 2 shows the spatial
distribution of respondents across the authorities of the county.
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Table 2: Breakdown of survey responses by service type for the Local Authority respondents
Service area
Number
Number of
Response
contacted
Responses
Rate
Strategy/policy
4
3
75%
Planning Policy
5
2
40%
Development Control
4
Environment/Sustainability/LA 21
4
2
50%
Landscape/Land management
3
1
33.3%
Natural resources
1
Housing (including building design)
4
Emergency planning
3
Transport
3
Leisure/Recreation
3
0%
Technical Services
2
0%
Community services
1
0%
Total
37
0%
0%
1
25%
0%
1
10
33.3%
27
The full breakdown of responses from those who were not interviewed is:

16 gave no response or had left the job (11 Local Authorities, 5 external)

8 said the survey wasn’t relevant to their job or that they did not want to participate (all
Local Authorities)

7 referred us to colleagues (5 Local Authorities, 2 external)

3 booked interviews but were unavailable at the appointed time
There may be several reasons why people did not respond to the emails or follow up phone
calls. The most obvious is that people did not have the time to complete the questionnaire.
Though it may also be argued that this in itself is a reflection of the priority that they attach to
the climate issue. Alternatively, non-respondents may have believed:

that climate change had no relevance to their work;

that spatial planning had no relevance to their work.
On the first of these points, it is not always clear as to how climate change may affect
services within Local Authorities.
Findings from the opportunities project showed that
responses tend to be made to obvious impacts, especially extreme events (i.e. effects that
people had already experienced, such as flooding or where the consequences were
predictable and widely discussed, such as sea-level rise). However, less predictable impacts,
such as the effect of warmer weather on people’s travelling patterns, and those due to
changes in average conditions are often overlooked.
The information provided with the
contact email and those undertaking the follow up phone calls stressed the links between
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climate change and spatial planning issues but this may not have been sufficient to convince
people of its importance.
In terms of the phrase spatial planning, the term itself is relatively new and until the
introduction of the regional spatial strategies in 2005 the extent of its influence may not be
fully realised. There was also evidence from those who did respond that people were not
wholly familiar with the term even though in some cases they were involved in spatial
planning networks. It should be noted that SEERA has changed the name of the RSS in the
south east to the South East Plan in part to avoid confusion over the meaning of the term
“spatial”.
A further reason for the poor response rate was suggested within the Opportunities project
undertaken in parallel with this project. At the Opportunities workshop it was suggested that
many Local Authority staff were suffering from “questionnaire fatigue”, since they received
questionnaires on almost a weekly basis and could not possibly respond to them all.
Figure 2: Responses to the questionnaire across the county by authority.
The positions held by and seniority of the non-respondents is interesting and supports some
of the findings of the opportunities project. Of the 8 who were contacted by phone but said
that the survey was not relevant, or that they did not want to participate, three were Heads of
a service sector and one was a director of a number of service areas. This means that no
responses were obtained from within these departments, which in the case of the Director
meant no access to leisure, housing or the planning services in that Local Authority.
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The distribution of respondents across the county (Figure 2) is similar to the pattern from the
opportunities project with greatest response from the county council and, in general, a higher
level of response from the SE coastal Local Authorities than from those in the north and west
of the county. This may reflect the greater awareness of climate change issues in areas
affected by sea level rise.
The structure of the authorities varies widely and hence it is difficult to access the same
groups of people across the different authorities. However, both the opportunities project and
this study found that those contacted within leisure/recreation, development control and
housing are largely unaware of, or not addressing, the effects climate change on their
services. In contrast strategic planning departments are more involved in climate change
response issues but these tend to focus on adaptation to flooding through coastal
management and sustainable drainage and mitigation of emissions through transport
planning, energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative (See Section 4.6.1 for more detail
on the type of climate change responses already considered).
4.2
Spatial Planning Networks (Objectives C, D & E)
The level of response to the questionnaire was disappointing and information gained from it
was limited. Whilst some respondents clearly were involved in spatial planning activities
(particularly the external contacts and those in senior positions) the majority were responding
from a purely planning perspective. The case study discussions identified details of further
spatial planning networks, whilst a review of changes to the planning system has identified
other networks that will need to operate as part of the RSS process. Hence the following
sections describe 3 types of networks:
1. Proposed spatial planning networks that may need to be developed or are developing
as part of the changes to the planning system,
2. Networks based on the existing planning system as described within the telephone
questionnaires
3. Other existing networks described by the additional consultations
The structures of these networks are described in sections 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 and the
interactions between the different elements are discussed in section 4.3.3.
4.2.1
4.2.1.1
Regional Level Networks
SE Plan (Regional Spatial Strategy)
The plan forms the core of a number of interconnected strategies including those on
transport, housing, regional economy and waste management, forming the long-term context
for these strategies and is in turn informed by their objectives. Figure 3 shows the proposed
process and levels of consultation required for the development/review of a Regional Spatial
Strategy. Within the South East the production of the plan is still in its draft phase and will go
out for consultation in 2005. Appendix 3 provides the timetable for the development and
implementation of the spatial strategy for the South East
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Figure 3: The proposed stages of development of a regional spatial strategy (After ODPM,
2003a)
Timescale
(Months)
0
Identify the issues for
a
revision/prepare
project plan
Output of monitoring report
national policies, objectives &
PSA targets,
Other regional strategies, plans
and programmes
Develop options and
policies
As above, plus technical/survey
work
Publish draft RSS
and
formal
consultation
Key
3½
Sustainability
appraisal
15½
SEERA
Local
Planning
Authorities/stakeholders
Examination in public
GOSE/Central
Government
24
Panel
Panel report
26
Sustainability
appraisal
Publication of Panel
Report
and
consultation
on
Proposed Changes
National Policies, objectives &
PSA targets.
Consideration
of
all
representations
Issue of final RSS
32
Implementation,
monitoring and
review
National Policies, objectives &
PSA targets.
Other regional strategies, plans
and programmes.
Data on targets and indicators
Socio-economic,
demographic
trend data etc.
There are some ‘specific consultation bodies’ that must be consulted in the draft RSS revision
process, but this list should not be seen as exhaustive and complete. Table 3 lists these
together with a list of ‘general consultation bodies’ who can be consulted as appropriate. The
general presumption is that if there is some doubt on whether to consult or not, then consult.
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Table 3: Required and advised consultation groups for creation and revision of an RSS
(OPDM, 2003a)
Statutory consultee bodies
Local planning authority in or adjoining the SE
region
County councils in or adjoining the SE region
Parish council in or adjoining the SE region
RPB for each adjoining region
CA
General Consultee bodies
Voluntary bodies some or all of whose
activities benefit any part of the region
Bodies which represent the interests of
different racial, ethnic or national groups in the
region
Bodies which represent the interests of
different religious groups in the region
Bodies which represent the interests of
disabled persons in the region
Bodies that represent the interests of persons
carrying on business in the region.
EH
EN
EA
Strategic Rail Authority
Strategic Development Agency in or adjoining
the SE region
Relevant gas, electricity, water, sewage and
telecoms companies
Strategic health authorities in the SE region
Under the new system the County Councils have lost their strategic planning role but they
may be important bodies to lead a sub-regional study and may be used by SEERA to assess
the level of agreement between Local Development Frameworks and the SE Plan.
The
regional assembly is obliged under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act to “provide its
opinion” on whether the submitted local development plan documents are in general
conformity with the regional spatial strategy (known as the SE Plan in this region). The first
step in this process is for the local authority to provide a statement explaining how any new
development plan document conforms to the strategy.
The additional workload for the
regional planning bodies is being covered by a planning delivery grant, which the Act allows
may be used to establish agency agreements with county councils, unitary authorities or the
National Park authorities to undertake the comparison work.
Figure 4 shows the connections between the different levels of the spatial planning strategies
and the statutory requirements at each level, and highlights where some of the case study
groups discussed in this report fit into the process.
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Figure 4: The links between the different levels of the spatial planning networks associated
with the development of the SE Plan.
4.2.1.2
Case Study Network 1 – South East Climate Change Partnership (SECCP)
The South East Climate Change Partnership was formed from the group of funders who
commissioned the South East Regional Climate Change Scoping Study ‘Rising to the
Challenge’ (Wade et al., 1999) in 1999. The partnership was established to investigate,
inform and advise on the threats and opportunities arising from the impacts of climate change.
The membership now extends to more than 30 public, private and voluntary sector
organisations with concerns about climate change in the region.
Figure 5 shows the
partnership network and its links at the different levels within the region.
The partnership sits on the Natural Resources and Climate Change Advisory Group of the
SEERA and has contributed a paper on the effects of climate change that has been circulated
through the Cross-Cutting Advisory Group to all the other RA advisory groups. At the request
of the Cross-Cutting Advisory group the SECCP has also prepared a set of climate change
response criteria against which the SE Plan may be judged and it is anticipated that this will
also be circulated to the other advisory groups. The Partnership provides the only forum
facilitating knowledge in the region that is dedicated to advising and informing on climate
change impacts. It operates at all levels across the region and provides a forum through
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which interested parties may share information on climate change impacts and try to integrate
responses to it. The partnership has only two fully-funded staff and relies on contributions
from members to support shared research projects and initiatives.
Figure 5: The SE Climate Change Partnership network
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4.2.1.3
Case Study Network 2 - South East Forum for Sustainability (SEFS)
This group forms the environmental network for the region and has 3 seats on the Regional
Assembly (see figure 6 for SEFS network within the region). As such they are part of various
advisory groups established by SEERA (e.g. Natural Resource and Climate Change Advisory
group) to help in the development of the SE plan and in the implementation of existing
strategies and government consultations. The group has six permanent members and six
elected members, who are chosen from the range of NGOs that operate within the region.
They aim to act as the “environmental conscience for the region” and try to ensure that
sustainable development is considered within all aspects of the regions policies and
strategies. They are part funded by Countryside Agency (CA) and Transport 2000 and they
have links with English Nature through work on the SE’s Biodiversity Plans. However, there
remit is “to represent our members rather than the views of statutory bodies”, so they put
forward the consensus on the members’ views rather than those for all the wider
environmental groups. This means that for contentious issues or ones that not all of the
members consider to be a priority, no opinion is provided. This means that climate change is
not always well addressed.
Hence, the group raises climate change issues through the
auspices of sustainable development rather than as providing a direct and integrated
response to the issue. For example they support the eco-rating of homes, a measure that
may encourage a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by energy conservation. However,
Figure 6: The SE Forum for Sustainability (SEFS) Network
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they have limited resources and only a few core staff, the remainder are either volunteers or
act for SEFS as part of their existing paid job. Thus their ability to integrate climate change
more coherently into regional networks is limited, nor do they have a dedicated climate
change expert within the forum, which means their effectiveness at even local levels in
dealing with climate change is unclear.
4.2.2 Sub Regional Level Networks
This section deals with networks that operate at a sub-regional scale across local authorities
and in some cases across counties.
The information is based upon consultations with
individuals within the networks as opposed to the responses from the project questionnaire,
which are discussed in section 4.2.3. The networks provide case study examples of local
networks that exist outside of the formal statutory planning capacity of the local authorities.
4.2.2.1 Case Study Network 3 – Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership
The Association is a long standing network of authorities that was set up to restore the land
around the Blackwater Valley following the closure of mineral working sites and to manage
the open gap area for education, recreation and biodiversity. The partnership is made up of
the 14 authorities that lie along the valley covering town borough and district authorities and
the Wokingham Unitary Authority. They have good links with EA, EN, NGOS, local planning
departments and local sporting groups through their consultations on their 5-year strategy
plans for the valley. They do not address climate change directly in this plan and have not
raised the issue in consultations, but it has come up indirectly via consultation with the EA on
flooding issues.
4.2.2.2 Case Study Network 4 - Blackwater Valley Planning Network
The planning network developed as an offshoot of the partnership in 1996. The towns in the
region form a cohesive unit and the aim is to ensure a co-ordinated approach to land-use and
transportation planning, making the best use of the existing urban areas and infrastructure. A
number of technical groups sit under the auspices of the steering group and these advise on:

Environment

Planning

Housing

Transport
It would seem that the group has no in-house expertise on climate change and would need to
get funding to bring in an external consult in order to address the issue.
With the introduction of the RSS approach, the network was tasked by SEERA to examine the
need to create a sub-regional strategy in the area. The network has excellent links at the
sub-regional and regional level and consults with the EA and MOD where appropriate (See
Figure 7). As a network the group have provided feedback on the draft PPSs, where a
consensus could be reached between members. They have not considered climate change
widely within their planning as they “were too stretched” to include it and could not see clearly
where responses would sit within the strategies that they have dealt with. However, it did get
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raised as an issue in terms of water provision in the consultations on the sub regional
strategy.
Figure 7: The Blackwater Valley Planning Network
4.2.2.3 Case Study Network 5 - Association of Hampshire and Isle of White (HIOW)
This association is formed of representatives of the each of the authorities within Hampshire
(local, unitary and council). It is a long-standing network, steered by the Chief Executives
Group upon which the Chief Executive of each of the Local Authorities sits. This group meets
five times a year to discuss key issues facing the county. The association aims to foster
cooperation between the authorities, to pursue common interests and to represent the
association views to other bodies. It has a number of Officer Working Groups, which are subcommittees dedicated to the discussion of particular themes, including one on Community
Strategies and LSPs. The association has only two permanent staff and the issues raised at
meetings are varied.
Within the Chief Executive Group the issue of climate change was covered by a speaker from
the EA several years ago. But not surprisingly the issues covered were related to water
quality and provision rather than the full range of climate change issues. Hence climate
change had “been on the agenda but hasn’t been the top of priorities to tackle” within the
steering group.
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4.2.2.4 Case Study Network 6 – South Hampshire, East Dorset & IOW sub-regional Group
This group was tasked by SEERA to examine the issue of the need for a sub-regional
strategy within the SE Plan for the South Hampshire, east Dorset and IOW area (See Figure
8). The network originally extended to include Wiltshire and West Sussex for the purpose of
investigating cross boundary linkages and so the scope for complementary policies could be
drawn up.
However, the network is now focussed on the urban South Hampshire area
bounded by the two proposed National Parks of South Downs and New Forest.
The network has a number of working groups comprised of Local Authority Officers examining
environmental, transport, planning and housing issues. The groups consulted with all the
relevant Local Authorities, the Hampshire Economic Partnership and SEFS. Climate change
was raised as an issue within the environment group by one of the consultees in relation to
coastal processes, flooding and rainfall patterns and pressures on water supply. However,
water resources and quality were a common theme across the other topic groups. The group
is likely to persist under the SE plan as it has recommended the creation of a sub-regional
strategy for the South Hampshire area.
Figure 8: The South Hampshire, East Dorset & IOW sub-regional and Partnership for Urban
South Hampshire Networks
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Case Study Network 7 – Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH)
This network was established by Chief Executives of Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire
County Council, East Hampshire, Havant, Gosport, Eastleigh, New Forest and Test Valley to
produce a shared vision of where South Hampshire is going over the next 20 years. The
group is sub divided into the three main areas of concern: housing, economic development
and transport & planning issues.
With this economic focus it does not address climate
change issues directly. It had liaised with the sub-regional group in its work on the need for a
sub-regional strategy.
4.2.3
4.2.3.1
Local Level Networks
Existing planning networks
At the local level, networks were identified within the formal project questionnaire. Due to the
background and expertise of the respondents the networks identified are largely related to the
implementation of the existing planning system and its related strategies (See figure 9).
Within the formal planning system respondents are working on implementation of policies
within their own Local Authorities and at the county level for delivery of objectives within the
existing Local Plans and County Structure Plans.
Although not widely mentioned in the
questionnaire responses, some respondents are also involved with developing Community
Strategies (CS) and are members of Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs).
There are 14 Local Strategic Partnerships in Hampshire as indicated in Table 4 and their links
to Community strategies are indicated in Table 5.
LSPs work in different ways in different places, but their main responsibilities are to:

prepare and implement a Community Strategy for the area;

develop and deliver a Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy to tackle deprivation;

co-ordinate local plans, partnerships and initiatives and provide a forum for local councils,
•
the police, health services, central government and other agencies to work to meet
community needs; and

work with Local Authorities to develop public service agreements, including targets which
will help to reverse decline, especially in terms of reducing worklessness and crime and
improving skills, health, housing and the physical environment.
Table 4: The Local Strategic Partnerships operating in Hampshire
LSP name
Hampshire Strategic Partnership
Networkfareham
Basingstoke & Deane Local Strategic Partnership
Test Valley Partnership
Rushmoor Strategic Partnership
East Hampshire Local Strategic Partnership
The Changing Lives Partnership
Havant Local Strategic Partnership
Eastleigh Strategic Partnership
Winchester & District Working Together
Hart Community Partnership Steering Group.
Gosport Partnership
Local authority area covered
Hampshire County Council
Fareham Borough Council
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council
Test Valley Borough Council
Rushmoor Borough Council
East Hampshire District Council
New Forest District Council
Havant Borough Council
Eastleigh Borough Council
Winchester City Council
Hart Council
Gosport
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LSP name
Portsmouth Local Strategic Partnership
Southampton Partnership
Local authority area covered
Portsmouth City Council (Unitary)
Southampton City Council (Unitary)
Figure 9: The relationship between Local Strategic Partnership Networks and county
development plans
Depends upon size
and extent of Local
strategic
Partnership
Other local
LA
services eg
Departm ents
fire service,
NHS
Local Governm ent Structures
Cham ber
of
com m erce
Econom ic
Developm ent
specialists
Council
m em bers
Com m unity
councils
Other LAs
Citi zen
Panel
General Public
T ransport
Bodies
General
Public
Local Busi ness/T rade Associati ons
T ourism
bodies
Water
Com panies
British
M arine
Federation
Royal
Yachting
Club
M em bers
M em bers
of
of
Highways
Agency
EA
Other local
partnership plans
Governm ent Agencies
GOSE
CA
Regional
Assem bly
EN
Regional Governm ent
Regional
Developm ent
Agency
Vol untary
organisations
NFU
M em bers
of
NGOs/Voluntary Organisations
Conservati on
NGOs (eg
wildlife trusts,
RSPB)
Local Strategic
Partnerships
M em bers
Of
Consultation
s
County Structure
Plan
T akes
account of
Considered
within
Responsible
for
Inform s and
inform ed by
Local Plan
Consulted
On
Large Developm ents
Developm ent and Control (incl uding planning
Local transport Pl ans
applications)
M inerals & Waste
Regeneration
Fram ework
Open Spaces
Com m unity
Strategy
Sustainabi lity issues
Public
transport
Biodiversity
County
Biodivesity
Action
Renewable
Energy
energy
Effi ciency
Waste coll ection
Plan
Housing si tes
Sustainabl e
drai nage
Air/Water
poll ution
Reducing
private car
use
Land use
patterns
Land M anagem ent/Coastal M anagem ent
Sustainabl ity/Environm ental Im provem ent
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Part 1 of the Local Government Act 2000 places on principal Local Authorities a duty to
prepare 'community strategies', for promoting or improving the economic, social and
environmental well-being of their areas, and contributing to the achievement of sustainable
development in the UK.
Table 5: Relationships between LSPs and CSs in Hampshire
The act does not define at what level these strategies should be developed and hence allows
for them to work across Local Authority boundaries. For example in Lincolnshire each of the
seven district authorities has a council representative on the LSP Board and the Community
Strategies of all seven districts have been adopted at the county level to form the County
Council’s Community strategy. The aim of community strategies has been to complement
strategies in existing development plans.
In preparing community strategies, Local
Authorities need to take into account the policies and proposals in any existing adopted
development plan, so there are links with Local Authority Planning Departments.
Community strategies have the status of “material considerations“ within the planning
application process if they relate to the development and use of land. This means that they
may in some circumstances be adopted by the authority as supplementary planning guidance
and hence be used to ensure planning applications conform to aims of the community
strategies.
Both LSPs and CS will continue to operate, but the new planning system will lead to the
abolition of the County Structure Plan and the replacement of Local Plans with Local
Development Frameworks (See Appendix 4 for a description of the proposed contents of the
Frameworks). The changes are likely to produce a stronger link between strategies at the
local and regional levels, since LDFs are obliged to consider the objectives of the RSS.
However, it is not yet clear how the new system may affect the existing networks. It would be
expected that the local level consultations would continue but the interaction with the county
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council may weaken, whilst the interactions across Local Authorities may strengthen where
authorities are part of a sub regional group and are involved in consultations on the SE Plan.
4.3
4.3.1
Network influences (Objective F)
Where climate change is raised within the existing planning process
There was considerable discrepancy amongst respondents as to who raised climate change
as an issue in consultations, the consultant or the consultee.
Four of the respondents
indicated that it was raised by the consultant, one stating that it was a bit of a one-way
dialogue in terms of negotiation on climate change responses with developers. All three
external respondents suggested it was a two-way discussion between consultant and
consultee, whilst two Local Authority respondents indicated that consultees had raised climate
change as an issue. The final three respondents said that consultees rarely if ever mentioned
climate change in consultations.
Certainly the external respondents are far more involved in climate change issues than the
Local Authority personnel.
This is reflected by external respondents both in their
consideration of the issue as being important for a wider range of development and strategic
plans and for the greater frequency with which they raised and discussed climate change
issues in their networking.
However, there should be some concern that this greater
appreciation of the need for climate change responses is not filtering down to others within
the same external organisations that are consulted by the Local Authority planners.
For example there are range of statutory consultees that must be consulted on all planning
applications. A number of these, such as EA and English Nature have specialist climate
change personnel within their organisations consultations but these tend to be within national
level teams and more work needs/guidance to be provided by such teams to ensure that local
project officers consulted about planning applications are sufficiently aware of possible
climate change risks and responses.
Ideally climate change should be raised by the
consulting body rather than relying on the consultee to bring up any relevant matters. But
such a solution requires that Local Authority planners are sufficiently well briefed to
understand what the possible threats and opportunities may be. This would require training of
such staff or for them to be able to readily access relevant information and for provision of
regular knowledge updates.
4.3.2
Where climate change is raised within the spatial networks
Following from the guidance given in draft PPS11, the SE Plan should include climate change
responses within its objectives. One of the key themes of the plan is
“Addressing climate change and its spatial implications - Climate change is one of the
biggest challenges facing the South East over the next 20 years. The South East
Plan will help manage the implications of climate change and associated financial,
social and environmental risks.” (SEERA, 2004)
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Since there is a also requirement to monitor progress on the Plan, there should also be some
means of assessing the achievement of the climate change objectives within the Integrated
Regional Framework (published on 28th June 2004), which forms the guidance for the
Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Plan.
Within the case study networks, at the regional level the issue of climate change is more
widely covered and, in the case of SECCP, this it is tackled in far greater depth and in an
integrated fashion. It was also clear that the more established networks (HIOW, Blackwater
Valley Countryside Partnership) appeared to be less concerned about the impacts of climate
change than some of the newer networks (the 2 sub regional strategy groups). This may well
be linked to the greater awareness of climate change issues at the regional level, since the
newer groups tend to have stronger links with SEERA.
4.3.3
4.3.3.1
How can climate change be further incorporated in the planning process
Top down influences (National/Regional to Local levels)
It was clear from the questionnaire responses, that those questioned considered that more
needed to be done to include climate change within the planning process.
Several
respondents suggested that there should be some level of obligation to consider climate
change. Most of the strategic and development process in the existing planning system are
prescribed and involve government guidelines as to how to go about the processes, but
climate change is not directly addressed by any of these. The main issue raised in responses
to this question was the need for guidance from central and regional government on how best
to consider climate change.
Recognising that sustainable development provides a mechanism for including climate
change, respondents also suggested that the links between the two areas should be clarified
and that guidance from the government or regional authorities on how to go about this would
be welcome.
Guidance on the implementation of climate change responses within the
planning system has been long awaited and was produced by the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister (ODPM) in September 2004 (ODPM, 2004).
There is a requirement to undertake Sustainability Appraisals (SAs) of the RSSs and there is
work underway at SEERA to develop the government’s guidance on Sustainable
Development Frameworks into an Integrated Regional Framework.
The draft framework
includes a number of objectives on climate change:

To mitigate future climate change through measures relating to energy, transport and
land use;

To ensure that the South East is prepared for the impacts of climate change over this
century, including the risks to the region’s economic, social and environmental wellbeing and any opportunities that may arise from a changing climate
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However, these objectives are linked only to targets on greenhouse gas emissions (ie
mitigation):

Energy consumption in domestic, business and public sector buildings within the
region.

Annual GHG emissions from all modes of transport within the region.

Annual GHG emissions from land use and waste management within the region
The SECTORS project is due to report in mid 2004 and it is hoped that it will provide some
indicators that may be used to measure adaptations and impacts of climate change within the
IRF.
The inclusion of the climate change objectives within the SE Plan would seem to be the most
influential method of ensuring the propagation of those aims to sub-regional and regional
levels, but for the local networks that have less formal relations with the RA (e.g. HIOW,
Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership) the effects of incorporating climate change at the
regional level through the SE Plan are not yet clear.
4.3.3.2
Bottom up influences
There seems to be fewer options for the upstream influencing of spatial networks. From the
responses within the opportunities survey it is clear that four Local Authorities seem to include
or are about to include climate change responses into their community strategies but all are
doing so under the auspices of sustainable development rather than as an issue in its own
right. Two further respondents suggested that getting climate change into the community
strategy would provide the most effective route to implementing climate change responses at
a local level. Effects may be felt both upstream and downstream through raising climate
change awareness and increasing its priority at the affected levels. For example, including
climate change within a community strategy would entail negotiating its inclusion with Local
Strategic Partnerships who may extend beyond the Local Authority itself (e.g. EA, EN,
business groups).
Hence it would raise awareness of the issues within the partnership.
Since community strategies and LSPs should be actively supported by regional government it
would increase awareness of the issues there. Furthermore if criteria were included in the
Community Strategy to monitor progress on climate change issues, these would increase
awareness within the higher LA management and amongst the councillors. Downstream
adoption of the strategy would put it onto the agenda for planning departments and could
mean that it is considered within planning applications as a “material consideration”.
The sub-regional strategies should have an effect on the SE Plan but there appears to be less
information available at this level on the impacts of climate change and hence less
consideration of the responses to it within local groups.
In particular, the questionnaire
respondents often commented that what was available was too generic and could not be
readily related to local issues. A similar information gap between what is known and how it
relates to the local area was identified in the opportunities project. Best practice examples
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could help to address some of these information/local translation gaps but there is no coordination in the provision of such examples at the local or sub-regional level.
4.4
Barriers to climate change responses
The main barriers to addressing climate change seem to come from lack of awareness and
people’s attitude to the issue. This aspect is supported by the lack of responses to the
questionnaire and the limited range of climate change responses included within the existing
planning arena.
Ironically given the relatively long time horizon of most of the planning
process, short-termism was mentioned as the key attitude problem.
Low and conflicting
priorities were also raised as problems in addressing climate change, which is not surprising if
people are largely not aware of the problem.
One of the key reasons for the lack of translation of climate change measures from strategic
plans into development plans is that authorities do not have statutory powers to insist on the
implementation of their recommendations. It is clear from the opportunities project (Clemence
and Hossell, 2004) findings that has also been undertaken within the ESPACE project that
some climate change responses, such as construction of renewable energy sources, have
been implemented on land owned by authorities. But it is difficult to persuade developers to
include such measures on private land.
“Usually they [developers] perceive the implementation of mitigation/adaptation methods to be
the cause of high costs and unattractiveness to potential buyers”
Developers can always get out of measures to include climate change responses. So there is
a need to be able to enforce the briefs that are provided for by the strategy.
“At the strategic end there are not too many problems, although some recent government
guidance has been woolly. The problem is on the ground – trying to implement what is
written – this can be ignored by the developer.”
Nor is there any priority given to climate change responses within the planning inspectorate,
which needs to be closer to the strategic decisions in order to reflect the more forward
thinking strategy.
Within the case study networks the main barrier to the inclusion or otherwise of climate
change responses is the availability of information/staff who have knowledge on the subject
and again a lack of priority given to the issue.
At the regional level the provision of information by SECCP to the advisory groups on the plan
seems to have greatly facilitated the inclusion of the issue across the range of advisory
groups and the development of a criteria against which to judge the Plan’s objectives should
help further in integrating it into spatial planning networks.
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4.5
4.5.1
Identifying opportunities for cohesive working (Objective G)
What aspects are already considered?
It is clear from questionnaire responses that the treatment of climate change responses within
the Local Authorities is piecemeal and focused largely on mitigation measures e.g. energy
efficiency and renewable energy sources. The bias towards mitigation is not surprising given
the contribution that Local Authorities have to make towards national targets for greenhouse
gas reduction and the incentives and support in place to facilitate this. However, mitigation is
only one part of the climate change measures need to respond successfully to this issue.
When asked about what aspects of climate change responses (adaptation or mitigation) are
considered in the planning system, most questionnaire respondents mentioned similar
responses to those covered in the opportunities project. Measures tend to focus on mitigation
rather than adaptation, so that consideration of the need for good public transport availability
(5/13 respondents) and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (8/13 respondents) use is
considered where appropriate in most aspects of strategic planning. In contrast adaptation
measures such as to sea level rise were only mentioned by 4/13 respondents and water
availability/quality only by two.
External respondents were most likely to raise adaptation rather than mitigation measures as
key issues and they also mentioned that climate change responses affect all policy areas. In
contrast, several Local Authority respondents admitted that climate change is only just coming
on to the planning agenda. Hence the main mention of climate change responses appears to
be within the strategic planning process. Here it is not included explicitly but most of the
Local Authorities are addressing climate change through the sustainable development route:
“We do not consider it directly in the local plan; there are two general policies, energy
efficiency developments and renewable energy sources. Indirectly, it is considered in relation
to sustainable developments that are close to housing and transport”
“There may well be strategies within management plans to adapt to climate change – e.g.
migration of marginal species, alternative/renewable energy – and there is normally a specific
reference to climate change, but it is not central to the management plan”
Within the sub-regional networks, climate change has also been raised in relatively restricted
ways, dealing with isolated aspects of impacts (e.g. water shortages) and mitigation (e.g.
reduction of private car use).
Only the specialist SECCP appears to provide a more
integrated view of climate impacts and responses. However, the information that this group
has provided to the RA does seem to have contributed successfully to its wider consideration
in the SE Plan and the IRF.
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4.5.2
Where opportunities exist
Within the current planning system, the links between sustainable development and climate
change are not clearly defined and no suitable measures are available within the suggested
quality of life indicators to measure climate change adaptation. A respondent to the recent
government consultation on the Local Development Frameworks commented
“It would certainly help if the Government was more prescriptive about sustainable
development.
There are a number of guidelines and documents which suggest that
sustainable development should be part of good practice but unless it is instilled and
enshrined in legislation developers and others often take the attitude that they can either 'take
it or leave it' and don't actually have to sign up to it if it becomes too difficult.”
So the wider inclusion of climate change into the IRF should help to introduce climate change
issues into the new spatial planning networks, working from the top down. As one respondent
said,
“There needs to be a directive at county level that puts climate change on agenda of those
working within the authorities. [It]… must come down rather than go up”
As the SE Plan should include climate change within its own objectives, there will be a
requirement for all the sub-regional strategies and new LDFs to concur with these aims. It is
anticipated that the IRF should be reviewed every 2-3 years so new targets and objectives
may be readily added.
Moreover, the IRF does not prohibit the creation of additional
objectives and indicators as part of the appraisal process. But there is a need to ensure that
the IRF can be successfully applied to the more local level plans and that it includes a wider
range of suggested targets than are included in the draft. The SEECP criteria may prove to
be useful starting point for such assessments but for sub regional levels the criteria may have
to be adapted to be applicable in a local context.
SEERA has also designed the IRF to incorporate the Strategic Environmental Assessment
(SEA), which is required by EU law to be undertaken on strategies such as the SE Plan.
Guidance has recently been published on how to incorporate climate change into the SEA
process (UCKIP, 2004), which needs to be incorporated into the process.
There are opportunities to include climate change within a broader range of spatial planning
activities and to extend the consideration of climate change adaptation into all activities. For
example, there are opportunities to introduce climate change more widely, and particularly
into some of the longer-standing local groups, such as Blackwater Valley Countryside
Partnership.
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More cohesive working would be helped by the provision of a standard guidance on how to
assess the importance of climate change for local groups and partnerships. This may require
the use of risk assessment techniques developed under the UKCIP Risk and uncertainty
framework (UKCIP, 2003) and it may also require additional work to provide a better
indication of how climate change adaptation measures identified in other authorities or in
climate change literature may be best suited to the Local Authority level. A recent Defra call
for tender (May 2004) under its cross regional research programme for climate change
impacts and adaptation has included a call for proposals to develop guideline for adaptation
options and strategies. Such research may be useful in promoting a more cohesive approach
to climate change responses within Local Authorities.
There are a number of areas where the ability to measure the success of climate change
responses would help to ensure that plans are successfully implemented. There is the need
to assess existing indicators of climate change response within:

The IRF

The SEA/climate change guidance

The government’s quality of life indicators

SECCP assessment criteria

Existing Local Authority climate change strategies

Other ongoing research (e.g. SECTORS and ASCCUE)
in order to develop a suite of indicators that may be applied at sub-regional and local levels to
a range of different strategies and plans.
For example, the adoption of climate change
response measures (again, particularly adaptation measures) within the CPA would also raise
the profile of climate change within many councils and ensure a higher priority for climate
change issues within strategic spatial planning. Such measures could also be used within
Community Strategies.
An indicator may be something as simple as the existence of a climate change strategy within
local businesses or a more detailed measure of a response such as the level of CO 2
reduction through the increased energy efficiency or the change in frequency of grit
applications on roads.
There purpose can be both to detect changes in climate and to
monitor responses to it. An assessment of existing and potential indicators would help to
rationalise the amount of data collected and to determine if existing monitoring data may be
used to track the extent and need for climate change responses.
The inclusion of climate change within Community Strategies seems to provide one of the
most effective routes to ensuring that responses are addressed in a cohesive way across a
Local Authority and a region. These strategies bring together a wide range of service areas
and have direct links with communities, local business and other key groups. They also have
the capacity to directly influence planning decisions through their interpretation as material
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consideration within the planning application process; they thus create a very powerful tool.
The only other mechanisms that have this leverage are changes to planning legislation or
issuing of policy guidance at the national level.
The translation of any climate change responses in spatial planning strategies into
implemented actions was recognised in the survey as being particularly difficult, since there is
often no compulsion for developers to consider them in their applications. Though there are
requirements within Building Regulations to deal with energy efficiency aspects of building
design that have to be adhered to by developers, climate change adaptation responses are
largely ignored within such regulations.
Several respondents suggested that greater
compulsion is needed to ensure that development control aspects of planning included
climate change responses more thoroughly.
One of the respondents mentioned that ODPM guidance on climate change issues would help
the inclusion of such responses into the process. This is true but there is still a need for such
guidance to be applied and interpreted at the local level. There is the opportunity through the
use of local strategic partnerships to raise the issue of the need for such guidance at the
regional and national levels. This may help to ensure that the guidance is tailored to the
needs of Local Authorities and LSPs.
5.0 Recommendations
for
an
integrated
and
uniform
approach
(Objective H)
Based on the networks identified and the upstream and downstream influences that affect it
the following recommendations are presented to improve the integration of climate change
responses within Local Authorities.
Figure 10 shows the scale of influence that such
measures may have on the different network levels.
1. Collate or otherwise develop an assessment of how different aspects of climate
change may affect the provision of spatial planning services within the county.
The preceding analysis has identified a range of networks, with a range of remits and
structures and a differing level of inclusion of climate change issues. In general, climate
change appears to be dealt with best where sufficient information is available to non-experts
on how its affects cut across traditional sector boundaries, and guidance is available on how
to deal with such impacts. There is a need to extend the scope of climate change responses
considered within Local Authorities but frequently a low level of awareness of how different
aspects of climate change may affect services. Tools such as the UKCIP risk and uncertainty
framework may be useful in determining the significance of climate change for spatial
planning networks. A new web-based version of the framework is currently being developed
by UKCIP and the Opportunities project report (Clemence and Hossell, 2004) recommended
the use of the tool to incorporate climate change into Hampshire County Council’s existing
departmental risk assessment process. The findings of the SECTOR project, the ASCCUE
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project and potential commissioning of a Defra funded project on the development of
guidelines for adaptation options and strategies may also assist this work. But there is still a
need to collate these findings into an easily accessible summary that can be distributed to a
range of groups within the county. The County Council Workshop held in November 2004
also highlighted the need for risk/action assessments on the impacts of climate change for
different sectors.
Figure 10: Extent of influence of recommendations within the different spatial network levels
EU
National
Regional
Sub-regional
County
Local
Recommendation 1 May be useful
Assessment of climate
information for
change impacts
subregional netw orks
May influence SE Plan objectives
May influence national companies'
strategies
May influence SE Plan objectives via
Community consultation
May influence SE Plan monitoring
Recommendation 5 Encourage development of
guidance on roles and
responsibilities
Recommendation 2 - Include
climate change in Community
Strategies
Recommendation 3 - Raise
aw areness w ithin social and
economic commnities
Recommendation 4 - Develop
indicators for measuring
climate change responses
May clarify need for actions at different netw ork levels
2. Ensure the inclusion of a broad range of climate change adaptation and mitigation
responses within Community Strategies.
This process will have a direct effect upon Local Development Frameworks and will raise the
profile of climate change within a wide range of internal and external groups (e.g. via LSPs).
The HIOW Association includes an officer network for LSPs and Community Strategies.
Climate change responses should be raised with this group and with the Association’s
steering group to ensure high-level recognition of the importance of the issues. Moreover,
LSPs are currently setting priority actions for the next 1 or 2 years. Local Authorities are
obliged to produce Community Strategies under the Local Government Act 2000 and for
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these to contribute to national and local sustainable development goals. Climate change
responses should thus be part of these goals.
The Government’s intention is for Local
Authorities to develop their Community Strategies in conjunction with LSPs and other
community bodies and organisations. This may provide a good basis from which to raise
awareness if climate change is included on Local Authorities forward planning agendas. This
recommendation mirrors one put forward under the opportunities project (Clemence and
Hossell, 2004).
Within the County Council the inclusion of climate changes within the Hampshire Strategic
Partnership, over which they have control, would be a starting point for this process. It can be
introduced to the Environment section via the EA but there is a need to ensure that it is not
treated only as an environmental or water related issue. There is also the potential for the
council to introduce the topic into Local Authority CSs, since the council is represented on
each of the partnership groups, but there is the possibility that this may not be an appropriate
route. Instead the LSPs Chairs Group may provide a more independent and immediate
means to raise the issue.
3. Raise awareness of climate change within social and economic communities and
community groups.
The statutory requirement for community strategies means that public consultation forms a
more significant part of strategic development. If communities are aware of climate change
issues they can ensure that they are raised, where appropriate within consultations at the
local level.
At regional level, the requirement for community consultation within RSS
development also ensures that a range of community groups will be represented. Community
awareness of climate change will also increase its profile for politicians at both the local and
national level. The opportunity project recommended the creation of a climate change “road
show” with promotional information for public consumption on climate change impacts and
mitigation, together with a poster that can be displayed in suitable venues across the county
e.g. libraries, local conferences. This approach would also be suitable for achieving this
recommendation.
Climate change could also be put on the agenda of the Hampshire Economic Partnership in
order for the County Council to influence the uptake of such issues within the business
community. The council can influence the construction industry, in particular, through its own
building programmes by adjusting its procurement procedures to encourage climate change
responses and through the wider planning process in relation to specifications.
Influence on the wider business community may also be exerted via County Council and
Local Authority investment decisions for their staff pension funds. The Funds’ investments
could therefore be directed to both demonstrate a commitment to climate change responses
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and to ensure that their pension provisions are climate change “proofed”; high carbon emitters
companies will be financially affected by the Climate Change Levy and companies not
considering climate change may be vulnerable to its impacts and their financial
consequences. In the Council, at least, there is a need to engage with the council’s pension
advisors on this issue and to discuss it with the Treasury Department.
4. Develop and incorporate a suite of indicators for measuring of climate change
responses within spatial planning processes.
Successful indicators of climate change response will maintain the issue as a priority within
the strategies and help to ensure that measures are implemented. They may form part of the
sustainable development measures that already exist, but it is likely that additional measures
will need to be included to ensure that adaptation responses are given sufficient weight. The
SECCP criteria may form a starting point for these indicators.
5. Encourage commissioning at a national level of a study to help define the roles and
responsibilities of national, regional and local government within climate
responses.
No one level of regional or local government is taking ownership of the climate change issue
and hence there is some confusion as to what level the decision making process should
operate at. (A similar recommendation was made in terms of transport planning by the report
on The Integration of Regional Transport Strategies with Spatial Planning Policies (2004) but
it applies equally to climate change issues).
6.0 Conclusions
Some level of climate change response is being incorporated into existing planning networks
within Local Authorities, but it is largely related to mitigation measures. Climate change is
most widely considered within the strategic planning levels but there may be insufficient
mechanisms in place to ensure the widespread implementation of such measures. Moreover
there is a lack of cohesion in the treatment of climate change issues across the county or in
the priority that they are given.
The changes to the planning system and the introduction of spatial planning provides the
opportunity for the wider inclusion of climate change responses. At the regional level the SE
Plan seems to be considering climate change in an integrated fashion and there is a
requirement for this consideration to be extended into the new Local Development
Frameworks but there is a need to ensure that sufficient indicators exist against which to
measure implementation of these plans.
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7.0 References
Clemence, B and Hossell, JE (2004). An analysis of opportunities within Hampshire Local
Authorities that take account of the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Final report
to Hampshire County Council as part of the ESPACE project, ADAS, Wolverhampton. 69pp.
Defra
(2004).
Climate
change:
Action
being
taken
to
tackle
climate
change.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/index.htm accessed 07/04/2004
Department of Transport Environment and the Regions (DETR) (2000). Climate Change: The
UK Programme. HM Stationery Office, London Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (2004).
http://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/manage/statistics/incidents.html (accessed 07/04/2004)
GOSE
(2004)
The
local
development
framework
universe,
http://www.go-
se.gov.uk/key%20business/LDF/LDD/docs/ldfColour.pdf (Accessed 10/3/2004)
Hampshire Flood Steering Group (2002). Managing Flood Risks in Parishes: A Best Practice
Guide. Environment Agency, January 2002.
Hossell, JE, Briggs, B, and Hepburn, I.
(2000).
Climate Change and UK Nature
Conservation: A review of the impact of climate change on UK species and habitat
conservation policy. Wolverhampton, ADAS: 200pp
Hulme, M, Jenkins, GJ, Lu, X, Turnpenny, JR, Mitchell, TD, Jones, RG, Lowe, J, Murphy, JM,
Hassell, D, Boorman, P, McDonald, R and Hill, S (2002). Climate change scenarios for the
United Kingdom.
The UKCIP02 Scientific Report, School of Environmental Science,
University of East Anglia, Norwich. 120pp.
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), Climate Change 2001: The scientific
basis. Summary for policy makers. 2001, Cambridge Academic Press: Cambridge.
Met Office/DETR (1999).
Climate change and its impacts: Stabilisation of CO2 in the
atmosphere. The Meteorological Office, Bracknell. 28pp.
ODPM (2004) The planning response to climate change: Advice on better practice,
http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_planning/documents/page/odpm_plan_032088
.pdf (Accessed 20/10/04)
ODPM (2003a) Consultation Paper on Draft Planning Policy Statement 11 (PPS11) –
Regional
Planning,
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http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_planning/documents/page/odpm_plan_024631
.pdf (Accessed 26/4/04)
ODPM (2003b) Media and PR Toolkit: How to create effective and engaging communications
http://www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/formatteddoc.asp?id=574 (Accessed 26/4/04)
SEERA
(2004)
Key
Themes
in
the
SE
Plan,
http://www.southeast-
ra.gov.uk/southeastplan/key/themes.html (Accessed 16/6/04)
UKCIP (2003) Climate Adaptation: Risk, uncertainty and decision making, Oxford
UKCIP (2004) Strategic Environmental Assessment and Climate Change: Guidance for
Practitioners, Oxford, 8pp
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Appendix 1 – The telephone questionnaire
Spatial Planning Interview
(The following must be said to an interviewee BEFORE the interview.
It is NOT optional!):
The project is for Hampshire County Council Env Dept. The objective is to
help make sure that policies and practices being considered by HCC take
into account the needs of the people who have to implement them.
Comments and suggestions made will be fed back to Hampshire County
Council Env Dept, annotated to show which district they have come from
and the level of seniority of the contributor.
1) What is your involvement in the planning system?
What type of planning applications do you consider?
Do you work on planning strategies rather than applications?
2) Who is on your checklist of people/organisations to contact for each application
type or type of strategy?
Divide the people consulted into County wide and regional groups
Statutory consultees and non-statutory
How many unsolicited responses do you get – if so who sends them and do they ever
introduce the climate change element?
Would you ever consult with someone not on this list? On what basis are these consultees
selected – Department policy or because they are a personal contact?
3) When do you consult these groups/people?
At what stage in the planning application or do you contact them before planning applications
are received and why at this stage?
4) In what way do you consider climate change adaptation or mitigation in your
decisions?
[Interviewee to work down the list]
Area
Public transport availability
Energy efficiency of designs
Reducing greenhouse emissions (e.g. by reducing
travel
distances
or
using
renewable
energy
resources)
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Flood risk
Water availability/quality
Subsidence
Sea level rise
Anything else?
5) When do consultees raise climate change adaptation or mitigation as an issue?
On what sorts of planning applications/ planning strategies?
Is this on a regular basis or ad hoc?
How do you deal with climate change evidence that conflicts with approved policies in the
local plan?
6) What, if any, recent decisions have involved climate change adaptation or mitigation
as a significant factor?
Where? Why?
7) How are new planning guidance incorporated into the planning system?
How regularly do processes change?
How will the Regional Spatial Strategy affect your way of working?
8) How do you think climate change could be considered more widely in the planning
process?
Do you think that the involvement/activity is/will be successful?
How can climate change be incorporated within the different levels of the planning system
and then propagated to the other levels?
Should particular planning strategies/applications be obliged to consider climate change
responses?
Questions for those not doing the opportunities questionnaire
9) What else do you think needs to be done about responding to climate change?
Is there enough information on climate change
for you? ie technical
for the public ie general?
Where do you look for this information
10) What can be done to aid the sharing of best practice?
11) If you think there is more that could/should be done, what are the things that
prevent that happening?
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(Interviewer, tick off from list. Check out any not mentioned. Ask after each barrier named:
“what other barriers are there?” until the respondent says there is nothing else.)
Answer
Response
Lack of time/money/staff
Attitudes
Awareness
Lack of information
Conflicting priorities
Low priority
12) What do you think is the highest priority for action, for your department?
13) Is there anything else you would like to add?
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Appendix 2 – Project information
Dear
7.1.1.1
Will global weather changes affect spatial planning in Hampshire?
ADAS Consulting Ltd has been commissioned by the Environment Dept of Hampshire County
Council as part of the ESPACE project, to conduct a consultation of local government
employees across the county to assess:

what climate change responses/policies are considered within the spatial planning
process

how the spatial planning network operates at the local and regional level

what further opportunities there may be to introduce climate change responses into
the spatial planning network
You have been identified as someone whose role within your Local Authority means that you
could have a part to play in spatial planning issues. We would value your help in making this
work meaningful, targeted, and output driven. Your input will help to make sure that the
climate change policies and practices (and their priorities) being considered take into account
the needs of the people who have to implement them.
You may have already received a similar request for an interview on a related project that we
are also running, looking more widely at the incorporation of climate change into Local
Authority services. This is a separate piece of work and we would be grateful if you could
respond to us on both. Both interviews may be run in the same phone call if that is more
convenient for you.
If, when you have read the attached explanation, you feel that this email has been
misdirected, please don’t ignore it - tell us so! and if possible give us the name and contact
details of a person to whom you think it should be redirected.
The consultation process will take the following form:

The interview will last approximately 20 minutes and a list of the types of questions you
will be asked is given in the attachment HantsDQsp.doc.

An ADAS consultant will interview you by telephone, at a time to suit you.

When all the interviews are complete, your comments and ideas will be collated and
presented to Hampshire Council Environment Dept.
What do we want you to do NOW? Two things:
1. Please read the attachment HantsDQsp.doc, which explains some of the terms and ideas
behind climate change policy and describes the ESPACE project.
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2. Please reply to this email giving us details of days/times when you can be available for
the interview, between February 25th and March 5th and your direct dial telephone
number.
If you have any questions about this consultation exercise, you can contact me directly
(contact details below).
Project Contact: Dr Jo Hossell
Tel: 01444 487835
Email: jo.Hossell@adas.co.uk
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Will global weather changes affect spatial planning in Hampshire?
Does climate change exist and will it happen?
Climate change affects us all. Over the last century central England
temperature has risen by almost 1°C, with the 1990s being the warmest
decade since records began. Winters across the UK have been getting
wetter, with a larger proportion of the rainfall falling on heavy rain events.
Average sea levels are also rising by about 1mm per year.
It takes some time for the climate system to adjust to the build up of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Hence, even without further
emissions, we are committed to further climate change this century due
to the gases that have already been emitted.
1.1.1.1
Climate Change
The science shows that the pronounced ‘global warming’ over the past 50 years cannot
be explained solely by our understanding of the natural variability of the climate system.
It is likely to be due to human activity through increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
How will the climate change?



Annual rates of warming may increase by 0.1-0.5°C per decade, with
greater summer warming in the Southeast
Winter precipitation may increase between 10-15%, whilst summers may
become drier with a decrease in rainfall of between 20 and 30%.
Extreme weather events, such as the August 2003 heat wave and Winter
2000/1 flooding, may become more commonplace.
(Source: Hulme, M, et al (2002). Climate change scenarios for the United Kingdom. The UKCIP02
Scientific Report, School of Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich.)
The Impacts?
There are many uncertainties as to how climate change will impact upon us.
However, one certainty does exist – in some shape or form, as a threat or
opportunity, it will affect us all.
Climate change can present both threats and opportunities to social,
economic and environmental communities, and these impacts will very much
depend upon communities’ vulnerability or preparedness.
What can we do?
There are two ways in which society can respond to climate change: to
mitigate and to adapt.
1.1.1.3 Mitigation
Action to reduce the emission of greenhouse
gases (e.g., Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides,
Ozone, and Methane) as a means of slowing down
the rate of and eventually halting climate change.
1.1.1.2 Adaptation
Changes to behaviour or practice to take into
account and adjust to the impacts of climate
change. Adaptation may seek to take advantage
of or avoid the threat from climate change impacts.
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Both mitigation and adaptation are important strategies, but must be
employed together so that we can attempt to slow the rate of future humaninduced climate change, whilst simultaneously adapting to current climate
change.
2.0 Case Study – Mitigation
Bristol City Council’s local transport plan for
2001/2-2005/6 includes a strategy on climate
change.
The Council has estimated that
carbon dioxide emissions from road transport
account for around 25% of Bristol’s total
greenhouse gas emissions.
Measures to
reduce emissions will be incorporated into the
Council’s Air Quality Strategy. The aims of
‘are you doing your bit?’ have also been
integrated into Bristol’s travel awareness
campaign. The council is now looking at
developing ways of monitoring and modelling
the effect of transport strategies and individual
projects on carbon dioxide emissions in the
area.
Source: DETR (2000a). Climate Change: The UK
Programme. HM Stationery Office, London.
1.1.2
Case Study – Adaptation
The West Sussex Structure Plan proposes that
local planning authorities should monitor changes
in climate, sea and groundwater levels, air and
water quality, and that plans should be revised
urgently if necessary. The Plan proposes that
development should be resisted in areas of
greatest risk, or potential risk, from flooding,
erosion or storm. Permission will also be refused
for development which would increase the risk of
flooding or erosion elsewhere, or development
would only be allowed if sea or flood defences
were enhanced.
Source: IDeA(2001) Community Leadership and
Climate change: Guidance for Local Authorities
What is the project aiming to do
Local authorities have a crucial role to play as planning authorities in adapting
to climate change. There is a need therefore to understand how the spatial
planning networks operate at a regional and local level in order to determine
how and where climate changes issues should be introduced into the process.
The work also seeks to discover at what level climate change responses may
be introduced to the system and how they should be propagated to the other
levels.
The results from the questionnaire will be used to identify what more could be
done and to help in sharing best practice across the county and region. The
questionnaire is not the same as the SECTORS questionnaire sent out earlier
this year. The Sectors project has a wider remit to examine what is being
done in response to climate change in the South East Region.
This spatial planning questionnaire work is related to a project that ADAS are
running for Hampshire County Council on the opportunities available in the
provision of Local Authority services to respond to climate change; but the
interviews questions for the projects are different. Both projects have been
commissioned by the Environment Department of Hampshire County Council
as part of the ESPACE project, details of which are given below.
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ESPACE: EUROPEAN SPATIAL PLANNING:
ADAPTING TO CLIMATE EVENTS
SUMMARY
It is now evident that climate change is happening. In order to ensure that North West
Europe can cope with the impacts of a changing climate, adaptation is now essential.
It is the role of public agencies to minimise the risk that climate change brings to society,
economy and the environment. Ignoring climate change poses a big financial, social and
environmental risk. Spatial planning should contribute to the management of this risk.
ESPACE will bring about a major change in the philosophy and practice of spatial
planning by taking account of climate change. This should lower the financial and
social costs associated with this risk.
The aim of ESPACE is to ensure that adaptation
to climate change is recognised and to
recommend that it is incorporated within
spatial planning mechanisms at the local,
regional, national and European levels.
ESPACE will focus specifically on how we
manage our water resources and plan for a future
with a changing climate
The ESPACE partnership brings together four
countries and ten partners who have responsibility
in ensuring that climate change is
recognised within spatial planning at the local,
regional, national and European levels.
The ESPACE partnership is a transnational,
balanced partnership with representatives from all
levels of civic society, ranging from
a local voluntary organisation to a national ministry.
The core objectives of ESPACE are:
 To develop a transnational approach to adaptation to climate change within
spatial planning mechanisms which can be implemented by the partners.
 To recommend a suitable approach at European, national, regional and local
levels.
In order to achieve these core objectives key actions will be undertaken to:
 Establish an “extended partnership” to contribute to the development of the
transnational approach and be advocates for the outputs of ESPACE at all
levels.
 Raise awareness amongst a wide range of stakeholders on a variety of
issues encompassing climate change and adaptation.
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

Review and test adaptation measures and policies in light of climate
change through case studies and models.
Develop mechanisms by which decisions are informed and take account
of the impacts of climate change.
Innovative techniques will be used throughout the project, these include:
 Establishment of a transnational “extended partnership” to contribute to
the final output.
 The implementation of case studies to develop adaptation measures on a
transnational scale.
 The development of a transnational decision testing tool.
 Common actions by the lead partner on behalf of the partnership as a
whole.
Underpinning the key actions, common actions provide the base from which the core
objectives can be met and key actions delivered. The common actions include:
 Joint International Workshops and International Technical Conferences;
 the development, publication and dissemination of communications
materials and website;
 the development of a sound information base;
 analysis of partner actions;
 development of a common strategy; and
 the development and dissemination of policy recommendations.
The common actions are funded by the partnership as a whole, demonstrating both the
partners’ commitment to ESPACE and the truly transnational nature of the project and
partnership.
Through ESPACE, a change in the philosophy and practice of spatial planning will be
achieved by ensuring that climate change is acknowledged as a major influence on spatial
planning decisions and processes. Spatial planning will have to be explicit as to whether
climate change has been taken into account or not.
The core tangible outcomes of ESPACE are:
 spatial planning policy guidance on adaptation to climate change;
 adoption of the policy guidance by the ESPACE partnership; and
 recommendations towards the integration of the policy guidance into
spatial planning systems from the local to European level.
The ESPACE Partnership:
Hampshire County Council (lead partner); Environment Agency; Regional Landscape Zenne,
Zuun en Zonien; South East Climate Change Partnership; South East England Regional
Assembly; Surrey County Council; Water Board Rivierenland; West Sussex County Council;
Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment; Bavarian Water
Management Agency.
For further information please contact:
Chitra Nadarajah
ESPACE Project Manager
Environment Department
Hampshire County Council
The Castle, Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 8UD
Tel : 01962 846771
Fax : 01962 846776
E-mail: Chitra.nadarajah@hants.gov.uk
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Appendix 3 – Timetable for the SE Plan
In the South East the timetable for the development of the SE Plan is:
Autumn 2003 – May 2004
 Development of vision and preliminary work to identify options
 Commission research projects
 Carry out sub regional studies
 Stakeholder workshops
May – August 2004


Development of spatial options
Consideration of sub regional strategies
August – November 2004


Proposed sub regional policies prepared
Preparation of draft South East Plan
January – March 2005

Public consultation on draft South East Plan by the South East England Regional
Assembly
Summer/Autumn 2005

The Assembly submits its draft South East Plan to Government
Spring 2006


Public consultation on the South East Plan by the Government Office for the South
East
Public Examination of South East Plan proposals by the Government Office for the
South East
Summer 2006

Expected Government approval of the South East Plan
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Appendix 4 – Local Development Document Diagrams
Figure A4.1 shows how the prospective relationship between the LDF, the RSS and other
strategic plans, whilst Figure A4.2 gives more detail on the structure of the local development
documents within this framework.
Figure A4.1: The proposed Local Development Framework "universe" (GOSE, 2004)
This new structure should allow a greater flexibility in the inclusion, review and updating of
plans within the local framework, allowing new issues to be included within individual plans
more frequently and without the need to reprint all the other parts of the framework. This
should:
 Speed up the preparation of plans;
 Ensure that plans are monitored, reviewed and kept up to date; and
 Achieve more effective involvement with the community.
The Local Development Scheme (LDS) provides the starting point for the local
community to find out what a Council’s current planning policies are for the area and
sets out the programme for the preparation of Local Development Documents
(LDDs). LDDs set out the spatial strategy for the area and comprise development
plan documents (DPDs) and supplementary planning documents (SPDs). DPDs
together with RSS make up the statutory development plan, which is the replacement
for the Local Plans. The new structure provides a more direct link with the objectives
and development requirements of RSS and should translate into a stronger
interaction between the Local Authorities and the regional planning bodies.
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Figure A4.2: The relationships between local development documents in the local development framework
CORE STRATEGY (& KEY DIAGRAM)
OTHER
SITES
(Allocations)
DEVELOPMENT
BRIEFS
OPEN
COUNTRY
(AONB,
SSSI, ETC)
RURAL
ECONOMY
TRANSPORT
(LTP
SCHEMES,
PPG13 ETC)
LANDSCAPE
(e.g. Town Centres,
Conservation Areas,
Major Sites)
CAR PARK
STANDARDS
IDEALLY SHOULD BE FIRST LDD
+
AFF ORDABLE
HOUSING
AREA ACTION
PLANS
STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
EVIDENCE BASE
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INSET MAPS
PROPOSALS MAP
HOUSING
SITES
Area-Wide
Primary
Policies
SA & SEA
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HOUSEHOLDER
TREES
GENERIC
DC
POLICIES
DESIGN
GUIDE
SET OUT IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME
SUPPLEMENTARY
DEVELOPMENT
DOCUMENTS
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
DOCUMENTS
Spatial Strategy to include housing land supply plus primary policies, which
cover whole LPA or general locations but are not site-specific.
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