Our home cities of Bristol and Edinburgh are leading the way in city-level planning for a net zero economy.  In this blog, co-authored with my Edinburgh-based colleagues Craig Whelton and Lynsey Reid, we look at recent developments from the City of Edinburgh Council.

In May 2019, City of Edinburgh Council committing to working towards Edinburgh being carbon neutral by 2030, with a ‘hard target’ for carbon neutrality of 2037. To support these commitments, the Council approved a ‘short window improvement plan’ on 25 October 2019, which sets out 37 short-term actions which the Council intends to take forward, alongside work to produce a 2030 Sustainability Strategy, which is expected to be published in June 2020.

The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 sets a legally binding, Scotland-wide target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. The UK’s overall target is to achieve net-zero by 2050. Edinburgh’s commitment means that it joins a number of other leading cities and areas within the UK. Glasgow has a 2037 target, Greater Manchester a 2038 target, while Bristol is aiming to be the UK’s first carbon neutral city by 2030. London is currently targeting 2050, however the Mayor has also expressed ambitions to bring this forward to 2030.

Edinburgh received an immediate boost on 29 October 2019, when it was announced that Engie and Edinburgh St James had reached agreement on delivery of a new low carbon decentralised energy scheme at the new Edinburgh St James shopping centre. The scheme includes an onsite combined cooling, heat and power energy centre to serve all homes and businesses on-site.

The Council’s new improvement plan also contains actions in relation to a number of policy areas, including Planning and Housing.

Improvement actions in relation to Planning link into on-going development policy review. The Council is currently working towards a new local development plan, City Plan 2030, and the improvement plan states that the Council will “base the approach to development planning on carbon minimisation. This includes assessment of carbon reduction opportunities, sustainable buildings design, adaptation, green infrastructure and sustainable drainage, renewable energy, transport, housing and other land uses”, as well as a review of the Council’s spatial strategy “to ensure a sustainable growth pattern.” The Council is also reviewing its Edinburgh Design Guidance, and “will take this opportunity to strengthen the guidance provided on climate change actions to reduce energy demand, promote walking, cycling and other low carbon travel choices” The Council also aims to minimise the risk of flooding through design guidance, including reviewing guidance on SUDs and street design standards.

In relation to Housing, actions include:

1 Seeking further opportunities across the Council’s housing building programme to develop and implement appropriate energy strategies, building on plans for a district heating system at the Council’s Fountainbridge site.

2 Review of the Council’s guidance and specification for homes to be developed through its house-building programme to take account of the Council’s sustainability objectives.

3 Edinburgh Council’s successful application, in partnership with Changeworks, for over £560,000 from the Scottish Government’s Decarbonisation Fund, with a further £500,000 in match funding from the Capital Investment Programme, to support retrofitting of rooftop solar PV and battery storage across 112 Council properties.

4 Use of £3.6m in funding from the Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland Area Based Scheme to carry out energy efficiency upgrade retrofit works during 2019-2020.

5 Council investment in retrofitting a range of energy upgrades across a further 2,448 properties, which will result in 78% of Council social housing stock meeting the Energy Efficient Standard for Social Housing.

The Council’s plans for the installation of rooftop solar PV and retrofitting of energy efficiency measures will also be extended across the Council’s non-residential buildings.

While no guidance is included in the improvement plan on the expectations on private house-builders in relation to energy efficiency, the proposals to increase the focus on carbon reduction opportunities and climate change actions in the Council’s planning policy means we are likely to see moves in the private sector to implement similar strategies.

There is also a focus on electric vehicles in the improvement plan. The Council intend to increase the number of electric vehicles within the Council’s fleet, aiming to reach 100% electric cars by 2020 and 100% electric vans by 2022/2023, and increasing the provision of public EV charging infrastructure.

For Scotland and the UK to meet its net zero targets, cities across the UK will need to follow in Edinburgh’s footsteps and aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible – treating 2045 and 2050 not as the earliest date for reaching net zero, but as the absolute latest.