In May 2019, a partnership formed to respond to the climate and ecological emergency in Devon (including the areas of Plymouth and Torbay). The partnership includes public bodies, private sector interests, environmental organisations and academic institutions.

The Devon Climate Emergency partners invited a Net-Zero Task Force of 15 specialists to create a Devon Carbon Plan that would recommend a pathway to net-zero emissions informed by a Citizens’ Assembly. A separate body, the Climate Impacts Group, is producing a Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Adaptation Plan to help prepare communities to live in a warmer and more resilient world.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the Citizens’ Assembly planned for summer 2020, so to prevent delay an Interim Carbon Plan has been prepared.

The Interim Devon Carbon Plan has been co-produced with Devon’s citizens. This has been achieved through:

• A Call for Evidence that received 893 submissions from the public
• Six Thematic Hearings (meetings) that gathered expert input about barriers to reaching net-zero; and
• A Youth Parliament Climate Summit with 75 students from 15 primary and secondary schools across Devon.

The Interim Plan contains actions which are less difficult to implement and are considered to be more publicly acceptable by the Devon Climate Emergency partners.

The issues for achieving net-zero in Devon that are considered to be more controversial and challenging are highlighted in the Interim Plan but actions to resolve them have not been included. Instead, these issues are proposed to be debated by the Citizens’ Assembly in summer 2021. The recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly will be considered by the Devon Climate Emergency partners to complete the Plan. This is explained in Figure 1.

The public consultation was a further chance for citizens to have their say on how Devon should respond to the climate and ecological emergencies.

Thank you to everyone who responded. This is an incredibly important time for the future of Devon and it is great that we have had such high-levels of engagement.

Due to the brilliant response of over 1,300 submissions, this Report is unable to show each and every comment received but every comment has been read and categorised. In most cases strong themes appeared in your responses which are provided in this Report.

The consultation aimed to: 

• Get public feedback on the Interim Devon Carbon Plan, including if any important actions have been missed; 
  
• Understand the public’s ambition for achieving net-zero; 
  
• Check if the public agree with the Plan’s priority actions;  
  
• Understand the issues the public prioritise for discussion at the Citizens’ Assembly;  
  
• Record projects and organisations in Devon with strategies that align with the Plan; 

• Get feedback on the proposed governance structure for overseeing the delivery of the Plan;
  
• Find out who is interested in participating in the future governance of the Plan. 

Responses were received from 1,322 individuals and organisations. They were received from all local authority areas in Devon and across all age ranges. However, responses from Plymouth and from younger residents of Devon are underrepresented, despite targeted communications. 

The responses to the public consultation on the Interim Devon Carbon Plan are clear there is strong public support for action on climate change in Devon. Three-quarters (76%) of respondents “broadly support the Plan”. 

The public wish to see Devon become net-zero carbon as soon as possible but recognise that doing so is very challenging.  

The consultation results show strong support (at least 81% of respondents) for the Key Outcomes and Priority Actions presented in each section of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan.  

Some respondents recommended for the next iteration of the Plan to be more concise, use plain English and slim-down the number of priority actions to focus on those that will make most difference to reducing emissions quickly. Additionally there was a call for a better link between the actions and the carbon reduction they will help achieve.  

The six issues proposed for potential consideration by the Citizens’ Assembly were of almost equal priority to respondents and therefore the Net-Zero Task Force will endeavour to design the Assembly so that as many as possible can be considered in the depth required to provide sound and useful recommendations to the Devon Climate Emergency partners. The six issues are: 

1. How should Devon’s landscapes evolve in ways that positively support achieving net-zero and are beneficial to their special qualities?  

2. To what extent would the use of financial  mechanisms be acceptable to Devon’s citizens to help discourage activities that generate emissions and to fund emissions reduction?  

3. What is the role of  onshore wind energy in the Devon Renewable Energy Strategy? How can tensions between the support for onshore wind energy in theory and practice be reduced? 

4. To what extent should financial incentives  and  legislation be used  to  accelerate the retrofitting of  buildings with energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies?  

5. What is the role of  reducing  road capacity in reducing traffic, and is it appropriate for Devon?  

6. The Committee on Climate Change scenarios for achieving net-zero require a 20% reduction in beef, lamb and dairy consumption nationally. What does this mean for Devon? Should Devon adopt and promote a red meat and dairy consumption target? 

Respondents were able to rate the importance of all 159 actions in the Interim Devon Carbon Plan from “Not at all important” to “Very high importance”, as well as indicating if each should be discussed by the Citizens’ Assembly. No more than 20% of responses to any one action said it should be considered by the Citizens’ Assembly, which was at most 58 people. This represents 4% of the total responses to the questionnaire and therefore it is concluded that no additional themes need to be considered by the Citizens’ Assembly.  

On average, each action was rated as at least “Medium importance” by 87% of respondents. This shows the high support for actions in the Plan. However, respondents felt that some actions were of much greater importance than others. The percentage of respondents who rated an action as being of “Very high importance” ranged from 19% to 70%, depending on the action.   

Respondents were asked about existing community projects linked to one or more of the actions highlighted in the Plan.  In total, 264 different projects were identified by respondents.  These will be collated into a public directory to facilitate networking between projects and greater public participation.  

When asked about existing organisational strategies, linked to one or more of the actions highlighted in the Plan, 67 respondents identified strategies within their organisations. This will help to inform future opportunities for collaboration and outreach.   

Respondents to the consultation were asked to comment on a proposed structure for overseeing the delivery of the actions within the Plan. Whilst more people thought the proposal for overseeing the delivery of the Plan would work than not, a greater percentage of people didn’t know either way. Comments made explaining the answers given emphasised concerns about diverse representation, the ability for the groups to act with speed, the need for national support and resources, as well as the delivery of the Plan having clear, quantified milestones. 

When asked if a representative from their organisation saw value in getting involved in overseeing the delivery of the Plan 95 respondents said yes. This included representation from a wide range of organisations with expertise ranging from community engagement to civil engineering.  

Some respondents provided additional comment on the approach to monitoring the Plan, highlighting the importance of a public online record of progress towards key indicators and suggested indicators. 

Overall, the consultation shows strong support for the actions in the Interim Devon Carbon Plan and the potential to further prioritise actions. Respondents want to see rapid and significant progress on actions in the following decade. We are not starting from scratch; the consultation identified organisations and community groups in Devon already engaged in adopting strategies and acting locally on climate change, but we must accelerate and expand this action together. Some respondents are also interested to be involved in overseeing the delivery of the Plan. In short there is the support and will to achieve net-zero in Devon.    

1. Timing 

The consultation for the Interim Carbon Plan was open from the 7^th December 2020 to the 15^th February 2021 for a period of 10 weeks. Unfortunately this did coincide with the third COVID-19 lockdown in England, which may have had a negative effect on the number of responses received. 

2. The Plan’s Availability 

The Plan was available online as accessible and searchable web pages and as downloadable PDF chapters. Hard copies were initially intended to be made available via libraries but due to the third COVID-19 lockdown this was not possible and instead were available by post via a phone call to the Devon County Council Customer Service Centre. 

3. Promotion Methods 

The consultation was promoted widely on the Devon Climate Emergency’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts as well the social media accounts of the 27 partner organisations. Paid advertising was used on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to target people who would not normally take a significant interest in environmental or climate issues. Organisations beyond the partnership that would have a particular interest, such as farming organisations, were reached out to on social media. 

The opportunity was marketed in partner newsletters and news releases were issued. Every town and parish council and secondary school received a hard copy set of posters to display in their communities.   

A series of nine webinars on each theme of the Plan and for different audiences (councillors, individuals, organisations and communities) ran throughout the consultation period. Attendance at each of these ranged from 50 to over 100. Recordings are available online. 

4. The Questionnaires 

Initially, respondents were asked to complete an online questionnaire which was designed to allow a quick or a long response depending upon the appetite of the respondent. Early on in the consultation period we received feedback that the questionnaire was difficult to navigate and so adapted it into two separate questionnaires – one that took 45 minutes and one that took 10 minutes to complete. Offline audiences that had requested a hard copy of the Plan also received a hard copy of the questionnaire with a Freepost return envelope.  

5. Adaptation of the Approach 

The final weeks of the public engagement strategy were monitored and adjusted in response to evidence about how and which audiences were being reached. Younger audiences were under-represented despite targeted paid adverts on YouTube and Instagram and an attempt at TikTok content. We reached out to social media influencers, Fridays for Future, the Devon Youth Parliament and the Devon Explorer Scouts Facebook group to help with engagement.  

The urban areas of Plymouth and Torbay were underrepresented in the submissions during the campaign and so paid advertising on social media targeting residents of these areas with bespoke messaging was implemented.  

To help with social media promotion and to enable people to understand the main objectives of the Plan quickly, a short video explaining ‘The Interim Devon Carbon Plan in Eight Points’ was developed to engage social media audiences.  

There were 1,322 responses, of which 1,307 were unique. This is more than the number of responses to the Public Call for Evidence in autumn 2019 (893 responses). 

The responses were received in the following ways: 

• 531 responses to the 45-minute questionnaire; 

• 723 responses to the 10-minute questionnaire;
  
• 63 responses by email;
  
• 5 responses via the paper version. 

The responses received by email have been analysed and their comments incorporated into the questionnaire data under the relevant question. 

Website analytics show that 20% of people who landed on the webpage of the 45-minute questionnaire completed it, and 40% of people who landed on the webpage of the 10-minute questionnaire completed it. This is an excellent ‘conversion rate’ – anything above 5% is generally considered very successful from marketing campaigns. 

Q1.1 Are you responding on behalf of yourself or an organisation? 

Responses were received from 1,197 individuals, making up 92% of responses, but also from representatives of 110 organisations, making up 8% of responses.  

A variety of organisations responded including: 

• Political parties 
• Councils – including County, District and Town and Parish 
• A range of environmental groups, both place-based, e.g. Sustainable Crediton, and issue based, e.g. Exeter Cycling Campaign 
• Professional bodies 
• Businesses 
• Educational institutions

The full list of organisations that responded can be found in Appendix 1.  

Q1.2 Please select the answer which best represents your connection to Devon. 

Consultation respondents are connected to Devon in a variety of ways, but 90% are residents. Figure 2 shows the number of respondents split by the connection with Devon they selected. Respondents were able to select multiple answers. 

“Other” connections with Devon given include: Grew up in Devon; Family in Devon; Government body; Local Authority; Political party or member; Business interests; Resident of another county which borders Devon. 

Q1.3 If responding on behalf of an organisation, how many people are you representing? 

Respondents represented various sizes of organisations, the largest representing 30,000 people, but mostly organisations with under 50 people. Figure 3 shows the number of responses within each bracket of organisation size. 

Q1.4 In which area of Devon do you live or is your organisation based? 

Responses were received from all local authority areas in Devon. From most areas the number of responses were proportional to their population, however some areas were under-represented, particularly Plymouth. South Hams, Teignbridge and Dartmoor had higher response rates than would be expected based on their population. See Table 1 below.  

Q1.5 Is your home or organisation within a national park? 

Table 1 shows that responses from people and organisations based in both Dartmoor and Exmoor were slightly higher than expected, compared with the proportion of Devon’s population that live in the national parks. Responses received from individuals or organisations in Dartmoor National Park accounted for 9% of overall responses. Responses received from individuals or organisations in Exmoor National Park accounted for 2% of overall responses. 

Q1.6 Please provide the first part of your home or organisation postcode. 

The first part of a respondent’s home or organisation postcode was recorded. The postcode area with the most responses was TQ9 with 66, followed by TQ13 with 72. Figure 4 shows the comparative number of responses received by postcode area, with a darker orange indicating a higher number of responses.  

Q1.7 If you are not a resident, what is your interest in Devon?  

Only 4% (50) of respondents said they were not Devon residents, but expressed other reasons for wishing to participate in the questionnaire. These included having family connections to Devon, working in Devon, being a regular visitor or a second homeowner.   

Q1.8 Please select your age group. 

Individuals over 65 years old responded more frequently than other age groups, accounting for 32% of responses. Younger age groups were underrepresented despite the targeted, paid social media and YouTube advertising to these age groups (Figure 5). Six responses were received from people aged under 16.  

Q1.9 Please select the gender you identify with.  

Female respondents slightly outnumbered males in all age categories, except the over 65s. Overall, 51% of respondents were female, 44% male and the remainder ‘other’ or ‘preferred not to say’. The slightly higher percentage of female respondents is reflective of Devon’s population (Figure 6).  

Q2.1 How concerned are you about climate change?  

Over 90% of people responded that they were either “extremely concerned” or “very concerned” about climate change (Figure 7). Most respondents within every age group and regardless of gender were extremely concerned. 

Q2.2 Is climate change more or less important to you than it was two years ago? 

Seventy-nine percent of responses indicated that climate change is more important to them than it was two years ago, with just over half of responses saying it was “much more important” (see Table 2). This was consistent across age groups, but the age groups with the highest proportion of responses who said climate change was “much more important” to them than it was two years ago was the under 16s and 16 – 24 age categories.  

Q3.1 What is your overall view of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan?  

Seventy-six percent of respondents “broadly support the Plan”. Broad support for the Plan was consistent across age groups and the area of Devon respondents were based in (Table 3 and Figure 8). Some respondents were concerned by the length of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan which will have deterred some people from engaging with it, whilst others commented they were pleased with how comprehensive it is.  

Some respondents provided general feedback on the whole Plan via email or by using the free-text boxes in the questionnaire. The bullet points below show the most frequent themes occurring in the feedback. The number in brackets shows the number of responses to that theme.  

• Need to include recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change’s Sixth Carbon Budget and their report for Local Authorities in the revised Interim Devon Carbon Plan (2) 
• Would like more of the jargon removed to make the Plan easier to understand (38) 
• Would like more detail on the carbon savings achievable from each action and the costs of implementation (30) 
• Concerns about the bureaucracy of the process (10) 
• Ensuring the impacts of actions on different sections of society are adequately considered and that the transition to net-zero is inclusive (10) 
• The Devon Climate Emergency partners need to lead by example and take meaningful action (8) 
• Work with government to ensure there is the necessary legislation and that it is effective (5) 
• Need to raise awareness about Citizens’ Assemblies and greater use of them (5) 
• Be clear with central government about the resources and freedoms local government need to tackle climate change (6) 
• Doubts over the need for a Citizens’ Assembly, including that it will slow down the pace of action, bypass existing elections and democratic processes and be an ineffective use of funds (5) 
• Disbelief in the need to act on climate change (15) 
• A need to get on with reducing emissions rather than wasting time on this Plan (2) 

Q3.2 What date do you support for reaching net-zero? 

The consultation responses show that there is strong support for early action on reducing carbon emissions in Devon with 51% of respondents supporting 2030 as the date for achieving net-zero, 26% supporting 2040 and 13% supporting 2050 (Figure 9). Other responses included a variety of individual years, both sooner and later than the options given. 

Several additional comments on the date for net-zero reflected concerns that it must be achieved “as soon as possible”, highlighting the urgency of the situation. However, some expressed concerns about the feasibility of achieving earlier dates than 2050 even though they thought it was desirable, including for 2030.  

The six respondents under 16 split their opinion between 2030 and 2040 as the favoured net-zero date. The age group most supportive of 2030 was 35 – 44. The age group most supportive of 2050 was 16-24 (Figure 10).   

Each section of the Plan identifies key outcomes and priority actions. Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to indicate if they agreed with these. 

There was a feeling from some respondents that there are too many actions identified as a priority and that it would be more helpful to identify a smaller number for everyone to implement together immediately. Attached to this is a desire for it to be easier for different types of organisation and person to see which actions they could be helping to implement. 

“There are too many priority actions in the Plan generally. Need to rationalise these and develop a pipeline of investment ready opportunities” 

Energy Supply

Q4.1 The Energy Supply section of the Interim Carbon Plan highlighted 4 key anticipated outcomes. Please indicate whether you agree with these outcomes. 

The responses show that there is broad support for the Energy Supply key outcomes, with over 83% of respondents indicating they supported the following outcomes:  

• (87%) Devon’s installed renewable energy and storage capacity increases substantially, creating jobs and skills opportunities  
• (83%) Innovation opportunities have been created to test offshore renewable energy technologies and hydrogen infrastructure  
• (90%) Communities become more engaged in local energy issues and energy investment  
• (80%) New developments are expanding Devon’s expertise in the use of district heating systems 

Q4.2 If you do not support one or more outcomes, please tell us why in the text box below.  

Reasons why people did not support one or more of the Energy Supply outcomes included: 

• Concerns about the reliability, efficiency, and source of energy for district heating systems (9) 
• Concerns that the wildlife, landscape, seascape and resource impacts of renewable technologies need to be managed, including the impacts from manufacturing them (16) 

“I’m suspicious of biofuel as a sustainable resource – what about tidal power in the Taw/Torridge estuary which has one of the highest tidal differentials in the world? I think that there needs to be a huge emphasis on reducing our energy consumption, above energy generation and storage. The bottom line is that we all demand too much energy.” 

Q4.3 The priority action to achieve these outcomes is outlined below. Please indicate whether you agree with these actions. 

Respondents showed a high level of support for the single priority action for Energy Supply – ‘Develop an energy strategy for Devon to deploy renewable energy generation’. Ninety-two percent supported the action. 

Q4.4 If you do not support this action, please tell us why in the text box below.  

Whilst levels of support were high for the priority action reasons given for not supporting the priority action for Energy Supply included: 

• Wanting greater emphasis on reducing energy demand (3 responses) 
• Concern about the potential environmental impact of renewable energy projects (3 responses)  
• Concern about how realistic and reliable approaches using Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) are or will be at reducing emissions (1 response) 
• Disbelief in the climate agenda (6 responses) 
  
  9.2 The Built Environment 

Q4.5 The Built Environment section of the Interim Carbon Plan highlighted 5 key anticipated outcomes. Please indicate whether you support these outcomes. 

The responses show that there is high level of support for all the Built Environment key outcomes, with at least 88% of respondents indicating they supported them:  

• (88%) Devon and the Greater South West develops its reputation as a centre of excellence in low carbon buildings  
• (92%) The energy efficiency of Devon’s existing buildings is significantly improved  
• (89%) People have retrained with the skills required to retrofit our buildings with new technology and the supply chain is benefiting  
• (92%) We all change our behaviour to run our homes and businesses energy-efficiently  
• (93%) New homes are built to net-zero standards with green, tree-lined streets  

Q4.6 If you do not support one or more outcomes, please tell us why in the text box below.  

Reasons given for not supporting the Built Environment key outcomes included: 

• Will the construction industry be able to upskill quickly enough? (2 responses) 
• The outcome of developing Devon’s reputation as a centre of excellence in low carbon buildings was seen to be less important than the achievement of low carbon buildings themselves (5 responses) 
• Concern over the mechanisms used to incite behaviour changes (3 responses) 

• Concerns about the cost and effectiveness of retrofitting buildings, including whether the carbon embodied in the new energy-efficiency technologies gets repaid (12 responses) 

Q4.7 The priority actions to achieve these outcomes are outlined below. Please indicate whether you agree with these actions. 

The responses showed a high level of support for the Built Environment priority actions, with over 83% of respondents supporting them:  

• (88%) Expand whole house retrofit trials in Devon, such as Energiesprong, by working with social landlords to aggregate their housing stock and collectively procure retrofit, targeting houses most in need first 
• (87%) Establish a Devon-wide energy advice service that links homeowners, landlords and tenants with independent energy assessors, skilled installers and market offers 

• (87%) South West to promote its status to government as the leading region on low-carbon buildings, including embodied carbon, founded on the low-carbon buildings already here and “anchor institutions” commitments to zero-carbon, nature-friendly new build and retrofit 
• (83%) Demonstrate the viability of building net-zero carbon homes by reviewing the opportunity for local authorities to partner with a developer to test the building of net-zero houses off-site, at scale in Devon to reduce costs 

Q4.8 If you do not support one or more actions, please tell us why in the text box below.  

Concerns raised in response to the Built Environment Priority Actions include: 

• Whether we need a new Energy Advice Service and that it is seen to be independent and trustworthy (4 responses) 

• Positioning Devon as a leading region on low-carbon buildings was seen as a vanity project (5 responses) 
• Doubt over the need for demonstrations of net-zero housing viability, which is seen as a form of delay (3 responses) 
  
  9.3 Transport 

Q4.9 The Transport section of the Interim Carbon Plan highlighted 4 key anticipated outcomes. Please indicate whether you support these outcomes. 

The responses show that there is a high level of support for all the Transport key outcomes, with at least 87% of respondents supporting them: 

• (90%) Relocalisation of services and technology and to reduce the need to travel   
• (92%) Access to village, town and city centres is enhanced for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport 
• (89%) All benefit from the relocalisation of facilities and services, including the local economy, particularly small businesses 

• (93%) We are all feeling fitter and healthier from being more active outdoors 
• (95%) Wider environmental benefits, including reduced pollution and improved biodiversity  
• (87%) Ultra-low emission vehicles are used for travel in rural areas and between rural and urban areas where the distances are prohibitive for active travel and existing commercial models for public transport are not viable  
• (93%) A great proportion of people travelling by sustainable modes of transport  

Q4.10 If you do not support one or more outcomes, please tell us why in the text box below. 

Concerns over the key outcomes of the Transport section include: 

• Doubt over how practical active travel is for rural communities in Devon and the supporting infrastructure needed. People said Devon’s weather and hills are barriers to active travel (2 responses) 
• The cost of transitioning to ultra-low emission vehicles is a worry, as is the current availability of charging infrastructure (5 responses)  
• There was confusion and concern over the definition of ultra-low emission vehicles (2 responses) 
• Concern over the environmental costs of low-emission vehicles (4 responses) 

• Disbelief that the desired outcomes are possible (3 responses)  
• Doubt over how realistic or acceptable it is to make services more local again to reduce travel (4 responses) 

Q4.11 The priority actions to achieve these outcomes are outlined below. Please indicate whether you agree with these actions.  

The responses showed a high level of support for the Transport priority actions, with at least 84% of respondents supporting them.  

• (84%) Provide up-to-date digital information and advice on reducing the need to travel and the most sustainable travel choice 

• (86%) Review opportunities to reduce vehicle capacity, particularly where it can support other objectives (i.e. urban centre regeneration, street cafes, active travel routes) 
• (86%) Promote development which will assist in relocalisation in all settings (rural through to urban), including mixed use development, development meeting local needs and creating opportunities to live, work and use services locally 
• (91%) Improve strategic cycle routes within and between settlements 
• (84%) Ensure provision of mobility hubs in new developments of appropriate size, where modal change can occur easily 
• (91%) Promote Total Transport, integrating various transport services (school transport, public bus services, patient transport etc.) to enable more efficient use of vehicles and reduce dead mileage 

• (84%) Enhancement of bus priority measures, including bus lanes and bus-only streets, to make bus travel relatively more attractive than driving 
• (88%) Protect and seek to enhance funding for local bus routes, to ensure people can continue to access services, employment and events without requiring access to a car 
• (92%) Through the Peninsula Sub-National Body work with government to pilot and implement a low carbon fuel solution for rail travel in the South West 

Q4.12 If you do not support one or more actions, please tell us why in the text box below.  

Reasons given for why respondents do not support one or more actions include:  

• Concerns over the unintended consequences of reducing vehicle capacity e.g. congestion and air pollution (4 responses) 
• Concern about digital inclusion when providing travel information digitally (1 response)  
• Disbelief in the climate agenda (3 responses) 
• Doubt over the extent to which bus services can replace private car use due to the high cost of providing services, particularly in rural areas (13 responses) 

4. Food, Land and Sea 

Q4.13 The Food, Land and Sea section of the Interim Carbon Plan highlighted 5 key anticipated outcomes. Please indicate whether you support these outcomes.  

The responses show that there is a high level of support for all the Food, Land and Sea key outcomes, with at least 81% of respondents indicating they supported them: 

• (94%) The landscapes of Devon are enriched by actions to increase the sequestration and storage of carbon through carefully located tree planting, habitat restoration for wildlife and a more diverse farmed environment   
• (94%) Actions to aid carbon sequestration and storage are located appropriately to greatly aid adaptations to climate change, such as flood control measures 
• (94%) People are enjoying nutritious, healthy, high standard food, sourced locally where this provides a carbon benefit 
• (87%) Rural businesses are enjoying a renewed focus on food quality and rural materials and a new market in carbon offsets linked to the delivery of other environmental services  
• (81%) Devon leads the UK in engaging with natural capital approaches and developing carbon-offset standards for marine and terrestrial habitats 

Q4.14 If you do not support one or more outcomes, please tell us why in the text box below. 

Themes in responses included: 

• Objections to natural capital approaches, particularly the monetisation of nature (5 responses) 
• Concerns about the impact of outcomes on rural communities (2 responses) 
• Concern over positioning Devon as a leading region, some people were keen for action in Devon to support and work with national approaches (3 responses) 
• The need for more information on how those with lower incomes will be supported to choose healthy, sustainable foods (2 responses) 
• Questions over how the carbon benefits of foods are calculated (2 responses) 
• Scepticism about offering the opportunity to invest in Devon’s natural environment for carbon offsetting purposes, particularly if it leads to slower emissions reduction activity in other sectors (19 responses) 

Q4.15 The priority actions to achieve these outcomes are outlined below. Please indicate whether you agree with these actions.  

The responses showed a high level of support for most of the Food, Land and Sea priority actions, with at least 82% of respondents supporting the following actions.  

• (90%) Develop a Land Use Framework (LUF) for Devon to establish land use principles that embed carbon sequestration and storage and identifies opportunity areas for specific outcomes to guide land use decisions  
• (82%) Support the development of carbon sequestration accreditation systems locally for a range of carbon rich habitats and the creation of a Devon Carbon Investment platform  
• Work with government to ensure the effective delivery of carbon sequestration, alongside other public goods, through the design of ELMS, by engaging in public consultations and Devon Test and Trials 
• (93%) Work with the NFU and other representatives of the farming community to encourage approaches to conserve and rejuvenate soil carbon (organic matter) e.g. through ELMS  
• (83%) Establish a Devon Farm Advisory Service 
• (86%) Develop a South Devon Marine Natural Capital Plan, learning from the experience of the North Devon Natural Capital Plan 

Some expressed uncertainty over the priority action to ‘Work with government to ensure the effective delivery of carbon sequestration, alongside other public goods, through the design of the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), by engaging in public consultations and Devon Test and Trials.’ Five percent of respondents did not support the action and a further 16% were unsure, possibly due to a lack of understanding of the term ‘ELMS’, which had not been expanded in the questionnaire.  

Q4.16 If you do not support one or more actions, please tell us why in the text box below.  

The reasons submitted for not supporting one or more priority actions include:  

• Belief that national farming policy will determine the direction for farming (3 responses) 
• Concern that developing a Farm Advisory Service would duplicate existing services (6 responses) 
• Concern that local reductions in livestock farming could have unintended consequences of more severe environmental impact elsewhere (1 response) 

5. Economy and Resources 

Q4.17 The Economy and Resources section of the Interim Carbon Plan highlighted 8 key anticipated outcomes. Please indicate whether you support these outcomes. 

The responses show that there is a high level of support for most of the Economy and Resources key outcomes, with at least 89% of respondents indicating they supported the following: 

• (95%) Better understanding and reduction of household and commercial waste flows   
• (96%) A circular economy – we reuse and recycle more, creating business efficiencies 
• (91%) Retain more value locally 
• (89%) The creation and use of green finance and investment products  
• (90%) A reskilled workforce redeployed into low-carbon sectors, e.g. renewable energy, low-carbon aviation, electricians, energy assessors, agroeconomic advisors, carbon sequestration accreditors, circular economy equipment engineers, cycle technicians, electric vehicle maintenance and robotics and artificial Intelligence   

However, the outcome that ‘Net-zero and social value outcomes accelerated through anchor institution procurement’ was not so widely supported, with 7% of respondents unsupportive and a further 20% unsure, likely to be due to the questionnaire not explaining the term ‘anchor institution’. 

Q4.18 If you do not support one or more outcomes, please tell us why in the text box below. 

Comments and reasons given for why people do not support one or more outcomes included: 

• Concern about how quickly we can change (2 responses) 
• Unsure about some outcomes due to the need for Plain English, particularly ‘Anchor Institution Procurement’  (15 responses) 

Q4.19 The priority actions to achieve these outcomes are outlined below. Please indicate whether you agree with these actions.  

The responses showed a high level of support for the Economy and Resources priority actions, with at least 83% of respondents supporting them.  

• (94%) Deliver ongoing, targeted communication and engagement to: empower all social groups in Devon to act on the impacts of how things are made and distributed, promote more sustainable consumption habits, the prevention of waste (particularly food) and shift to a culture of reduction, reuse and recycling 
• (85%) Achieve a 65% municipal waste recycling rate by 2035. To do so, local authorities and commercial waste carriers to separately collect a wider variety of materials for recycling (including food waste) and household waste collection systems to be harmonised across Devon as far as viable 
• (83%) “Anchor institutions” to embed social and environmental value further into tendering processes to effect meaningful change and sustainable procurement  
• (94%) Develop training and reskilling opportunities with higher education providers and the Local Enterprise Partnership to enable workers in carbon-intensive sectors to redeploy into emerging sectors to ensure the low carbon skills base is available 

Q4.20 If you do not support one or more outcomes, please tell us why in the text box below. 

Comments and reasons given for why people do not support one or more priority actions included: 

• Disbelief in the climate agenda (3) 
• The proposed recycling target of 65% by 2035 is not ambitious enough (26) 

10.1 Cross-Cutting Themes

Q5.1.1 Please rate the Cross Cutting Themes actions from very high importance to not at all
important.

Respondents were asked to rate six actions in the Cross Cutting Themes section from “Very high
importance” to “Not at all important”. As there are so few actions in this section, the responses to all
actions are described. For all but one action, over 66% of respondents rated the actions as “Very
High importance” or “High importance”. Fewer than 20% of respondents rated any of the actions as
“Low importance” or “Not at all important”. This shows a high level of support for the
implementation of the actions in this section of the Plan.

The action rated as having the most importance, with over 80% of people saying it was of “Very high
importance” or “High importance” was:

• Local Plans and Neighbourhood Plans to demonstrate how they will shape places in ways that contribute to radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions so facilitating achievement of net-zero Devon, as a primary planning objective. This must include the requirement for new development to provide tangible plans for its contribution to Devon’s net- zero future

A similarly high level of support was given for the following action, with 77% of people saying it was
of “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Foster innovation in technologies, institutions, business models, policy design and
behaviour to achieve net-zero

The next two actions with the highest importance rating, with 71% of people saying they were of
“Very high importance” or “High importance”, were:

• Support community groups and cultural creatives to develop local net-zero visions, to
imagine a decarbonised Devon collectively and in detail
• Work with government on greater guidance on how to shape places in ways that
contribute to radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

Sixty-six percent of respondents said the below action was of “Very high importance” or “High
importance”:

• Involve communities in an update to the landscape strategies and guidelines within
Devon’s Landscape Character Assessment to plan positively for change arising from the
Net- Zero challenge

However, the following action was perceived to be of the least importance with 47% rating it as
“Very high” or “High importance”:

• Seek funding to research the effectiveness of the Devon Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change to inform whether this approach could be applied to citizen participation in other decisions locally

For context, only 10 actions in the whole Plan, out of 159, were rated by fewer than 50% of
responses as being of either “Very high” or “High importance”.

Q5.1.2 Are there any actions that you think are important to reduce carbon emissions in this
sector that the Plan has not covered?

Actions suggested include:

Behaviour change

• Provide resources, networks and information to support people to act on climate change with their community (10 responses)

“An alliance of community support organisations such as Devon Communities
Together, Community Action Groups Devon and New Prosperity Devon would be
a good way of ensuring a wide, inclusive support structure that cover a broad
base … that will support behaviour change from the grass roots up.”

“We need a Community Action Group project in every district, with an officer in a
local authority dedicated to supporting it.”

• Enhance knowledge about climate change, sustainable lifestyle skills and our net-zero future through community organisations, schools, colleges and universities (32 responses)

Spatial planning

• Base the number of new homes that are planned on housing need, not demand, which should be accompanied by measures to discourage second home ownership and bring disused properties back into use (22 responses)
• Spatial planning should adopt the principle of 15-minute neighbourhoods to reduce the need for people to travel to access services (12 responses)
• The prohibition of building on greenfield sites (2 responses)

Q5.1.3 Should any of these additional actions be discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly?

Additional actions which the public would like discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly include:

• Several people felt all issues should be discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly (10 responses)
• How can we encourage the scale of behaviour change and attitudes required for net-zero? What’s the role of education, informal and formal, in this? (9 responses)
• The use of local planning powers and local plans in responding to the climate emergency (3 responses)
• Developing local leadership to inspire and motivate others (4 responses)

Q5.1.4 Do you have any additional comments you would like to be considered on this
section’s actions?

Additional comments people would like considered on the Cross Cutting Themes actions include:

• Faith groups could be approached directly to use their influence to help with behaviour change (1 response)
• Many of the actions have relevance to Local Planning Authorities. We wonder if it would be prudent to explore whether a supplementary document or summary is created capturing the spatial planning actions (1 response)

10.2 Economy and Resources

Q5.2.1 Please rate the Economy and Resources actions from very high importance to not at
all important.

Respondents were asked to rate 33 actions in the Economy and Resources section from “Very high
importance” to “Not at all important”. Given the number of actions in this section, only the actions
with the top three highest importance ratings and the lowest two ratings are discussed in more
detail.
All actions were rated by at least 66% of respondents to each question as between “Medium
importance” to “Very high importance”. For all but five actions, fewer than 10% of respondents
rated each action as either “Low importance” or “Not at all important”. Even the action with the
most responses indicating it as either “Low importance” or “Not at all important” had only 14% of
answers in these categories. Overall, respondents think it’s important the actions in this section of
the Plan happen.

The action shown as jointly most important by respondents was:

• Deliver ongoing, targeted communication and engagement to: empower all social groups in Devon to act on the impacts of how things are made and distributed, promote more sustainable consumption habits, the prevention of waste (particularly food) and shift to a culture of reduction, reuse and recycling.

It received 83% of responses rating it as “Very high importance” or “High importance”. As did the
following action:

• Work with government to support and incentivize businesses to comply with the new Environment Bill requirements on commercial and industrial waste separation to divert it from landfill.

One other action in the Economy and Resources section received over 80% of responses rating it as
“Very high importance” or “High importance”, with 82% of answers in these categories:

• Seize opportunities for wastes within the food supply chain to be used as a resource by other sectors of the supply chain

But only 48% of responses rated the following two actions as “Very high importance” or “High
importance”:

• Provide the South West Mutual with start-up funding
• Consider the use of mechanism to allow the community to invest in municipal infrastructure and share good practice about successful use of crowd-sourcing funds for civil society groups

Whilst 14% and 13% respectively felt they were of “Low importance” or “Not at all important”

Q5.2.2 Are there any actions that you think are important to reduce carbon emissions in this
sector that the Plan has not covered?

A selection of the responses, including the themes of the actions most frequently suggested, are:

Economy

• Support a continued shift to flexible work patterns after the current pandemic, including greater homeworking by ensuring fast internet access (7 responses

• Provide education and training for net-zero skills (6 responses)

“We urgently need to upscale installation capacity for retrofitting homes. I think we need a training centre in every major town. It could also act as a centre of expertise with paid advisors offering advice to homeowners on retrofit…We need an army of retrofitters, and many of these jobs are high skilled good jobs.”

• Greater use of incentives and penalties to persuade organisations to progress towards net-zero (4 responses)

“Need for support to all businesses to analyse and report on their carbon footprint including embodied carbon in their supply chains, showing how they plan to get to net-zero carbon.”

• Provide tailored support for social enterprise start-ups aimed at reducing carbon emissions (2 responses)

• Prepare a Net-Zero Tourism Plan to help this important economic sector in Devon to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (8 responses)

Resources

• Assurances that recycling occurs locally or in the UK and is properly regulated (2 responses)

• Work with government to ensure manufacturers make products that are easily reusable, repairable and recyclable (1 response)

• Control the size of the population (2 responses)

• Improve procurement practices of anchor institutions to benefit the local area (2 responses)

• Plan to stop sending waste to energy from waste facilities (2 responses)

“My concern is around our waste, which is essentially a resource, being incinerated, and in this way lost to us and future generations for ever. I feel that there needs to be a way of preserving the waste that cannot be reduced, reused and recycled so that it is available in the future. For instance, creating landfill sites for specific clean plastics, i.e. not mixed waste, so that in the future we can mine this resource.”

• Customers need more information about how products are made and their impact on the environment, such as a rating displayed on packaging (1 response)

Q5.2.3 Should any of these additional actions be discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly?

A small number of the respondents indicated the following additional actions and issues for discussion by the Citizens’ Assembly:

• A number of people felt that all actions should be discussed at Citizens Assembly (9 responses)

• Provision of low-cost fast fibre broadband (2 responses)

• How to achieve greater financial equality within our community for example universal basic income (3 responses)

• How to support people with lifestyle changes (4 responses)

• Creating a circular economy for building materials (1 response)

• How to support change in industry (4 responses)

• How to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy from waste plants (2 responses)

Q5.2.4 Do you have any additional comments you would like to be considered on this section’s actions?

A selection of comments, including those most frequently provided are:

• Support for doughnut economics model of community wealth building and its use in designing policy (9 responses)

• We must encourage a culture of reduced consumerism (9 responses)

• Further address economic structures to make them more equitable, e.g. support universal. basic income (4 responses)

10.3 Energy Supply

Q5.3.1 Please rate the Energy Supply actions from very high importance to not at all important.

Respondents were asked to rate the 12 actions in the Energy Supply section from “Very high importance” to “Not at all important”. All actions were rated by at least 71% of respondents to each question as between “Medium importance” to “Very high importance”. Overall, people see the actions presented on Energy Supply in the Plan as important to achieve. Due to the number of Report on the Public Consultation of the Interim Devon Carbon Plan, June 2021 29 actions in this section, only the actions with the top 4 highest importance ratings and the 1 lowest rating are discussed in more detail.

The action with the highest importance rating, with 88% of respondents saying it was “Very high importance” or “High importance” was:

• Develop an energy strategy for Devon to deploy renewable energy generation

This supports the action’s status as the only priority action in the Energy Supply section of the Plan. More respondents (213) rated this action as “Very high importance” than any other action in the whole Plan. The action with the next highest importance rating, with 82% of respondents saying it was “Very high importance” or “High importance” was:

• Devon Climate Emergency partners to work with national government to request the reintroduction of support mechanisms for small-scale renewable electricity generation

This was followed by 78% of respondents rating the below action as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Devon Climate Emergency partners to work with national government to provide greater incentives for the use of renewable heat and waste heat from industrial and commercial facilities, including Energy Recovery Facilities

Similarly, the following action was rated by 77% of respondents as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Identify opportunities for large-scale renewable energy and storage deployment on land owned or managed by Devon Climate Emergency partners, and wider business community

The action on hydrogen was clearly seen to be of less importance. Only 47% of respondents said that it was “Very high importance” or “High importance”. It was also one of only two actions out of 159 in the whole Plan where 20% of respondents to the question (58 people) thought it needed to be discussed by the Citizens’ Assembly. Whilst 58 people still only represents 4% of all respondents to the consultation it shows there are concerns about hydrogen which need understanding. The action is listed below:

• Consider the potential role and feasibility of a hydrogen industrial cluster based around port and fuel storage facilities

Q5.3.2 Are there any actions that you think are important to reduce carbon emissions in this sector that the Plan has not covered?

A selection of the responses, including the themes of the actions most frequently suggested are:

• Provide support for sustainable, local biomass, e.g. coppice (1 response)

• Implement a clear and immediate replacement for the Renewable Heat Incentive (2 responses)

• The need for smart grid pilots, including vehicle to grid (3 responses)

• DCC to purchase suitable parcels of land for siting renewable energy installations (1 response)

Q5.3.3 Should any of these additional actions be discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly?

A small number of the respondents indicated the following additional actions and issues for

discussion by the Citizens’ Assembly:

• All Energy Supply actions should be considered by the Citizens’ Assembly (9 responses)

• Identify opportunities for offshore wind (2 responses)

• Identify opportunities for onshore wind (4 responses)

• The potential of low carbon heat networks (1 response)

• The role of bioenergy in Devon’s energy mix (2 responses)

• The role of small-scale and community owned renewables (2 responses)

Q5.3.4 Do you have any additional comments you would like to be considered on this section’s actions?

A selection of comments, including those most frequently provided are:

• Efforts to decarbonise energy supply must be coordinated with those of national government (3 responses)
• The Energy Strategy for Devon should include nuclear technologies (6 responses)
• The Energy Strategy for Devon should not include nuclear technologies (8 responses)
• The Energy Strategy for Devon should include onshore wind (2 responses)
• The Energy Strategy for Devon should not include onshore wind due to the impacts on health from noise (1 response)
• The Energy Strategy for Devon should include wave and tidal energy sources (11 responses)
• Support for renewables generally, particularly where the schemes are appropriately sized and providing benefit to the local community (7 responses)
• There should be a greater focus in the Plan on using hydrogen as a vehicle and heating fuel (7 responses)
• There should be a greater focus in the Plan on using hybrid heating systems that utilise low cost renewable electricity when available and green gas when not to reduce the amount of additional renewable electricity capacity required (1 response)
• Concern about the efficiency of manufacturing hydrogen and its safety in use (3 responses)
• Deploying energy storage and smart technology to enable flexible demand will be important to realise the full potential of renewable energy sources (6 responses)
• The Plan needs more focus on energy efficiency rather than just the transition to low carbon energy sources (14 responses)
• Concern about how realistic and reliable approaches at reducing emissions using technological Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will be (4 responses)
• Doubts about the environmental sustainability of the production of biofuels (5 responses)

10.4 Built Environment

Q5.4.1 Please rate the actions from very high importance to not at all important.

Respondents were asked to rate the 16 actions in the Built Environment section from “Very high importance” to “Not at all important”. All actions were rated by at least 73% of respondents to each question as between “Medium importance” to “Very high importance”. This shows that overall respondents to the consultation feel the actions in the Built Environment section are important to complete. Due to the number of actions in this section, only the actions with the top three highest importance ratings and the two lowest rating are discussed in more detail.

Green space and tree planting in new developments is seen as highly important by respondents, with 88% rating the below action as “Very high importance” or “High importance”. Out of all the actions in the Plan, it received the highest percentage of responses (70%) identifying an action as “Very high importance”.

• Planning authorities to ensure green space and tree planting, and the necessary funds to maintain them, is included within new development to aid building energy efficiency

The two following actions had the next highest importance ratings for the Built Environment, with 80% of responses categorising them as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Expand whole house retrofit trials in Devon, such as Energiesprong, by working with social landlords to aggregate their housing stock and collectively procure retrofit, targeting houses most in need first
• Should the future homes standard consultation decide that net-zero homes will not be mandated until 2025, the Devon Climate Emergency Partners will express opposition to this and request it to be brought forward

However, two actions stood out as clearly receiving lower importance ratings. Only 55% of responses rated the below action as “Very high importance” or “High importance”. It was rated as “Low importance” or “Not at all important” by 15% of responses. Although, only 6% thought it was “Not at all important”, with 25% saying it was “Medium importance”.

• South West to promote its status to government as the leading region on low-carbon buildings, including embodied carbon, founded on the low-carbon buildings already here and anchor institutions; commitments to zero-carbon, nature-friendly new build and retrofit

The following action, on the role of carbon offset markets in funding building retrofit, had only 50% of responses rating it as “Very high importance” or “High importance. It was rated as “Low importance” or “Not at all important” by 14% of responses.

• Explore opportunities to use the carbon offset market to fund the retrofit of domestic and commercial buildings

Q5.4.2 Are there any actions that you think are important to reduce carbon emissions in this sector that the Plan has not covered?

A selection of the responses, including the themes of the actions most frequently suggested are:

• Support affordable, low-impact, simple and small homes (19 responses)
• Encourage the use of green walls and trees to provide insulation and reduce overheating (4 responses)
• Greater support for the transition to heat pumps, including financial support and the enhanced training of installers (3 responses)
• Protect green spaces and existing trees from development, and require developers to provide more (6 responses)
• Provide mechanisms, such as grants or subsidies funded from business rates, or green mortgage loans, to ensure all houses can be retrofitted regardless of ability to pay or tenure (10 responses)
• Provide advice and signposting for net-zero building retrofit and new build (6 responses)

“Post installation support to households of retrofitted homes is important.”

• Encourage domestic rainwater harvesting (1 response)
• Make it easier to get permission to retrofit energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies into Devon’s heritage buildings, where these allow the building to breathe (10 responses)
• All suitable domestic and commercial roofs to have solar panels installed (11 responses)
• Reduce street lighting (8 responses)

“Need to make sure that the removal of street lighting does not make residents feel unsafe or at risk of crime, or puts residents off active travel (particularly in winter months).”

Q5.4.3 Should any of these additional actions be discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly?

A small number of the respondents indicated the following additional actions and issues for discussion by the Citizens’ Assembly:

• All issues should be discussed at the citizens assembly (9 responses)
• How to fund building retrofit (2 responses)
• The public acceptance of the use of traditional building materials and techniques in carbon neutral buildings e.g. cob and timber (1 responses)
• How to make new developments carbon neutral, including embodied carbon (4 responses)

Q5.4.4 Do you have any additional comments you would like to be considered on this
section’s actions?

A selection of comments, including those most frequently provided are:

• Planning must require net-zero new build as soon as possible, including the embodied carbon of construction materials (30 responses)
• Desire for more and better protected greenspace and space for nature (3 responses)
• LED lighting needs to consider the impact on wildlife (1 response)
• The Plan needs greater incentivisation of workplace and school energy efficiency measures including retrofitting and behaviour change (9 responses)

“Much more focus could be paid to decarbonising the non-domestic sector within the Plan. Examples to explore replicating in Devon could include REFIT, West Yorkshire Energy Accelerator and support for businesses and SMEs to increase resource efficiency.”

10.5 Transport

Q5.5.1 Please rate the Transport actions from very high importance to not at all important.

Respondents were asked to rate the 49 actions in the Transport section from “Very high importance” to “Not at all important”. All actions except one were rated by at least 72% of respondents to each question as between “Medium importance” to “Very high importance”. This shows that overall respondents feel the actions in the Transport section are important to carry out. Due to the number of actions in this section, only the actions with the top four highest importance ratings and the five lowest rating are discussed in more detail.

Three actions were rated by 85% of respondents to the question as “Very high importance” or “High importance”. The first highlights the desire for improved cycle routes:

• Improve strategic cycle routes within and between settlements

Transport solutions for rural areas is an ongoing theme of concern for respondents, as supported by the second action which 85% of respondents rated as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Help develop innovative transport solutions in rural areas

The third action which 85% of respondents rated as “Very high importance” or “High importance” is about improving bus services:

• Take advantage of opportunities arising from the upcoming National Bus Strategy to deliver long-term, sustained improvements in bus services

Another action on buses was considered of almost equal importance, with 84% of respondents rating the actions as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Support operators to decarbonise bus fleet, e.g. through supporting applications for central government funding

By comparison, respondents saw the below actions as much less important. Only 49% of respondents rated the action on aviation as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Seize opportunities to trial low carbon propulsion for aviation

Similarly, just 48% of respondents rated both the actions on nodal car parks and car free days as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Create nodal car parks at strategic points to encourage onward car sharing

• Implement car free days in Devon’s urban areas

Two actions seeking to increase access to bikes and familiarity with cycling were the lowest rating Transport actions for their importance. Only 47% of respondents rated the following action as “Very high importance” or “High importance”. It was rated as “Low importance” or “Not at all important” by 21% of respondents.

• Enable schemes that would allow residents to trial different types of cycles

Finally, only 46% of respondents rated the below cycling action as “Very high importance” or “High importance”. Whilst 18% said it was “Low importance” or “Not at all important”.

• Provide support for bike rental schemes

Q5.5.2 Are there any actions that you think are important to reduce carbon emissions in this sector that the Plan has not covered?

A selection of the responses, including the themes of the actions most frequently suggested are:

• Incentivise home working through employer schemes and better internet provision (2 responses)

• Permit electric scooters and bikes on footpaths (1 response)

“Why are our children not allowed to use the practically empty footpaths to use scooters, bikes and other wheeled items to get around. Appreciating quiet and self-propelled items starts when you are young.”

• Increase active travel (27 responses) by providing more bike lanes, removing cars from some of Devon’s green lanes, keeping public toilets open and enhancing Bikeability training
• Provide grants, subsidies or tax breaks for all types of electric vehicles (shared, personal and public transport vehicles) (10 responses)
• Increase subsidies for public transport to run more services and reduce ticket costs (5 responses)
• Make more use of canals and waterways for freight and passenger transport (5 responses)
• Use disincentives, such as emissions zones, increased charges and reduced car parking capacity, to deter aviation and car travel (9 responses)
• Stop road building and projects that increase capacity for vehicles (6 responses)
• Reduce speed limits in urban areas to encourage active travel and on faster roads to reduce fuel consumption (3 responses)

Q5.5.3 Should any of these additional actions be discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly?

A small number of the respondents indicated the following additional actions and issues for discussion by the Citizens’ Assembly:

• Use a carrot and stick approach to encourage good quality active and public transport options combined with disincentives for private car use to achieve modal shift (8 responses)
• All the actions should be discussed at the citizens assembly (6 responses)
• Local plans and strategies to support low traffic neighbourhoods with local amenities and safer streets for active travel and priority over cars (6 responses)
• How do we ensure shared and active travel are inclusive, affordable, and accessible for all? (3 responses)
• Utilise green lanes for active travel by removing cars (4 responses)
• What opportunities are there to reduce the cost of electric vehicles? (2 responses)
• Transport for rural communities (1 response)

Q5.5.4 Do you have any additional comments you would like to be considered on this section’s actions?

A selection of comments, including those most frequently provided are:

• Reopen all the Beeching rail line closures (2 responses)
• Concern over the shared use of paths by cyclists and pedestrians (2 responses)
• The South West climate makes walking/cycling unattractive (1 response)
• Secure lockers should be provided in every town centre and transport hub (1 response)
• Concern about the environmental impact of electric cars (1 response)
• Concern that the Partnership is trying to tackle too much and should be focusing on more realistic projects rather than trialling low-carbon propulsion for aviation (6 responses)
• The Electric Vehicle Strategy should include charging points in rural areas and in on-street locations (4 responses)
• The need for transport options to be affordable and inclusive for everybody (37 responses)
• Rail needs to be zero carbon, more user friendly and the network extended (8 responses)

10.6 Food, Land and Sea

Q5.6.1 Please rate the actions from very high importance to not at all important.

Respondents were asked to rate the 43 actions in the Food, Land and Sea section from “Very high importance” to “Not at all important”. All actions were rated by at least 77% of respondents to each question as “Medium importance” to “Very high importance”. This sends a clear message that respondents feel it is important to achieve the actions in the Food, Land and Sea section of the Plan. Due to the number of actions in this section, only those with the top six highest importance ratings and the two lowest rating are discussed in more detail.

The highest rating Food, Land and Sea action related to pollution legislation, 88% of respondents to the question considered it as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Work with government to improve the effectiveness of and enforcement of pollution legislation

This was closely followed by action on fisheries waste, which 86% of respondents to the question considered as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Work with government for greater monitoring and enforcement of the dumping of fisheries waste at sea

Similarly, 85% of respondents considered an action on local food supply chains as “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Implement a Sustainable Food Devon initiative to develop demand and supply chains for local, healthy food

Two actions each received ratings of “Very high importance” or “High importance” from 84% of respondents:

• Work with the NFU and other representatives of the farming community to encourage approaches to conserve and rejuvenate soil carbon (organic matter) e.g. through the Environmental Land Management Scheme
• As part of the Land Use Framework (LUF), and underpinned by the Nature Recovery Network, identify opportunities to implement a Trees for Devon initiative

Respondents considered an action on fishing activities of almost equal importance, with 83% rating it “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Identify investment opportunities for, and work with government to trial a system that rewards environmentally sensitive fishing activities

Some actions were considered much less important by respondents. Below are the two actions with the lowest importance ratings. The first relates to funding shared agricultural machinery and was only felt of “Very high importance” or “High importance” by 51% of respondents to the question:

• Identify funding (through the Agriculture Bill) that can support the purchase / shared use of machinery for direct drilling

The lowest rating action was on low carbon burials, with only 48% saying it was “Very high importance” or “High importance”:

• Raise awareness of the options for low carbon funerals and burials

Q5.6.2 Are there any actions that you think are important to reduce carbon emissions in this sector that the Plan has not covered?

A selection of the responses, including the themes of the actions most frequently suggested are:

• Understand the extent of preventable supply chain food waste and reduce it (3 responses)

• Reconnect people with a healthy food culture through social prescribing, a joined up educational plan and grow, cook, eat programmes (1 response)

“Provide smaller communities with a local community kitchen hub to provide training, shared meals, emergency food bank and local mini markets with access to affordable, nutritious, seasonal and locally produced food.”

• Encourage allotment and small gardeners to supplement existing and future horticultural producers (2 responses)
• Raise awareness of the impact of littering on the environment (2 responses)
• Offer carbon offsetting schemes in Devon (2 responses)
• Create an initiative to support non-food agricultural products for construction or clothing (2 responses)
• Put emissions restrictions on all agricultural machinery and find UK based providers of electric agricultural tractors (1 response)
• Introduce mandatory carbon footprint labelling system for food products (1 response)
• Rewild parts of Devon (18 responses)
• Increase support for the development of productive and sustainable horticulture in Devon to provide local fruit and vegetables (2 responses)
• Reduce livestock emissions through supporting farmers to: implement farming techniques that increase soil carbon; move away from non-grazing, intensive livestock feedlots; and diversify out of animal husbandry (7 responses)

“It’s not all about people. More emphasis needed on giving space for nature. From fungi to top predators to reverse the decline of species. Connectivity is important as nature is not interested in human boundaries.”

Q5.6.3 Should any of these additional actions be discussed at the Citizens’ Assembly?

A small number of the respondents indicated the following additional actions and issues for discussion by the Citizens’ Assembly:

• All Food Land and Sea issues should be considered by the Citizens’ Assembly (4 responses)
• Proposals for a Land Use Framework and Nature Recovery Network with mapping, particularly with recommendations for Dartmoor and Exmoor and considering rewilding (6 responses)
• The role of diets in reaching net-zero (2 responses)
• How to encourage lower carbon livestock farming (3 responses)
• The protection of existing trees, hedges and woodland (2 responses)
• The role of culture and values in causing and tackling climate change (1 response)
• Local food retail and purchasing choices (2 responses)

Q5.6.4 Do you have any additional comments you would like to be considered on this section’s actions?

A selection of comments, including those most frequently provided are:

• The need to address the tensions between protecting landscapes and addressing the climate emergency (6 responses)
• Emphasise soil health to protect stored carbon, reduce erosion, improve water quality, and mitigate floods (2 responses)
• Action must be long term, with specific measurable targets, milestones and frequent monitoring (2 responses)
• Concern about the application and integrity of biodiversity net gain (4 responses)
• Avoid additional costs to businesses (1 response)
• There is a need to enhance the protection and stewardship of the sea through measures such as increasing Marine Protected Areas, supporting the diversification of fishermen into other activities, reducing bi-catch dumping and working to reduce fish-based foods for farmed fish (14 responses)
• Support for enhancing opportunities for the retail and purchasing of local food, but the food needs to be affordable (9 response)
• Support for the protection and enhancement of terrestrial habitats, including individual trees (26 responses)
• The Plan needs to encourage reduced meat and dairy consumption more strongly (10 responses)

“We may have, to the uninformed eye, a beautiful landscape in Devon but much of that lushness is down to ‘improved grassland’ – actually this means just two crops (Italian ryegrass and clover) – in the meantime we have lost 97% of our species-rich and biodiverse grassland and meadows.”

10.7 Issues for the Citizens’ Assembly

Q. The Plan identifies a set of opportunities for potential discussion by a Citizens’ Assembly in
2021 so that actions can be developed to overcome these that reflect the views of Devon’s
citizens. Which three would you prioritise?

The draft Interim Devon Carbon Plan proposed six controversial issues for potential deliberation at
the Citizens’ Assembly later in 2021. The consultation asked respondents which three issues they
would prioritise if the Citizens’ Assembly does not have time to deliberate all six.
There was an almost even spread of responses to which issues should be prioritised (Table 4).

11.1. Projects

Q7.1.1 If you are an individual or community organisation, are you aware of any community projects / schemes linked to one or more of the actions highlighted in the Plan?  

There was a great response to this question. Through 483 responses, 264 different projects were identified as linked to one or more of the actions highlighted in the Plan. We will use these responses to create a public directory to facilitate networking between projects and greater public participation. This will be made available through our website. 

The schemes identified have a good geographical spread, relating to rural areas, villages, towns and cities across Devon. They include projects by local authorities, community groups and commercial schemes. Projects were shared which relate to all the themes of the Plan: Cross Cutting Themes, Economy and Resources, Energy Supply, Built Environment, Transport and Food, Land and Sea.  

Q7.1.2 If you represent a business, are you aware of any strategies within your organisation which link to one of more of the actions highlighted in the Plan?  

Sixty-seven respondents answered “yes” (18% of people who answered the question) and provided a signpost to existing activity within Devon which can be built upon. Strategies were identified which relate to all sections of the Plan: Cross Cutting Themes, Economy and Resources, Energy Supply, Built Environment, Transport and Food, Land and Sea. This will help to inform future opportunities for collaboration and outreach.  

2. Governance 

Q7.2.1 The Interim Devon Carbon Plan proposes a structure for overseeing the delivery of the actions within the Plan. Do you think this will work?   

Respondents to the consultation were asked to comment on a proposed structure for overseeing the delivery of the actions within the Plan. They could choose from three multiple choice answers in response to the question. The multiple choice options and the number of people who chose them were: 

• “Yes”, 404 people (38%) 
• “No”, 125 people (12%) 
• “Don’t know”, 502 people (47%)  

Whilst more people thought the proposal for overseeing the delivery of the Plan would work than not, a greater percentage of people didn’t know either way. As well as answering the multiple-choice question, they were also able to explain their answer and make suggestions in a text box.  

Below is a summary of the most frequent comments. The number of people whose comments reflected the summary point is in brackets. In some cases the summary point has been expanded upon: 

• (64) Scepticism based on previous inaction on climate change, despite statements of intent and a belief that action in Devon is insignificant in a global context 

• (44) People didn’t feel qualified to judge and wanted more information  

Some people found the proposals hard to understand and wanted to see how it works in practice.  

• (36) Concerns the structure is too bureaucratic to respond with the urgency required to meet a climate emergency and the meetings too infrequent 

People were concerned that the structure is top down and bureaucratic which would slow down the speed of action. It was suggested that organising around specific projects might be more flexible and faster acting. However, others felt the structure of groups was logical to progress projects.  But several felt it may benefit from more regular but shorter meetings or using smaller, more manageable project groups alongside theme groups. The need for understanding how themes interact was also highlighted. 

• (31) National government needs to give Devon’s Local Authorities the required legislation, funding and powers in order for the Plan to be successfully implemented 

• (31) Respondents want “SMART” actions to aid delivery: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Recorded and Timed. It was felt that some of the actions are too vague still. More detail on who will achieve each action was also requested, as was greater prioritisation of the actions, monitoring of co-benefits of achieving net-zero and enforcement of the Plan 

• (21) Concern about representation on groups and vested interests 

 
This included the potential for “conflicting interests” and the need for a diversity of views and organisations, including the private sector, community representation and “a voice for young people”. It was raised that vested interests might continue the status quo if fresh faces are not included. One example of these comments referred specifically to rural areas: 

“I often find that in rural areas the spectrum of opinion is not well-represented.” 

• (20) Success is dependent on the commitment of individuals involved, the level of support they get to implement change and buy in at all levels of the participating organisations 

• (18) Concerns about who will lead the process and the need for significant leadership to drive it forward, including a single chairperson, champion or lead organisation 
   
• (14) People found the language of the Plan unclear and not “plain English” enough  

This made it difficult for them to say if the proposed governance groups would work.  

• (10) Unclear how behaviour change, including the need to inform the public would be delivered by the structure 
   
• (10) Doubt in the scientific basis of climate change and concern about what the Plan will do to the economy 
   
• (8) Concern that the successful implementation of the Plan is dependent on funding, including resources to support governance and that this is mostly unsecured 
   
• (8)  Need for regional, national and international collaboration to achieve net-zero  

One respondent commented that: 

”I think that people would act better locally if they felt connected to the rest of the world if they felt what they did would make a difference and if they could see the rest of the world acting too. Perhaps we should twin (like twin towns) with another area of the world that is experiencing significant effects of climate change already, and that might encourage us to do more and see it as an emergency.” 

• (6) Citizens’ assemblies should be used to oversee or inform the delivery of the Plan  

• (5) Concerns about implementation of the Plan continuing or worsening inequality in Devon 

Q7.2.2 If you represent a business or an organisation, would a representative from your organisation or business see value in getting involved?   

Ninety-five respondents answered “yes”, a representative from their organisation or business would see value in getting involved, whilst 23 answered “no”.  

Some respondents who answered yes indicated that their involvement was dependent on receiving more information and understanding more about the time commitment required. Several simply commented on the importance of supporting efforts to achieve net-zero as their reason for wishing to be involved.  

Expressions of interest in involvement were received from a range of organisations, including community groups, campaign groups, faith groups, Local Authorities of all levels including neighbouring authorities interested in regional collaboration and companies, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).   

Reasons given for seeing value in getting involved included: 

• To share ideas 
• To give voice to communities, including rural concerns and groups specific to climate action and faith groups  
• To share sector-specific and professional experience, including representing businesses of varying sizes 
• To advocate for related issues, such as local housing or cycling 
• They see the value for the organisation they represent in participating 
• To better understand what individuals and organisations can do 
• They see the importance of achieving net-zero 

Expertise offered included: 

• Experience with public engagement, education and community action  
• Civil engineering expertise 
• Experience in the waste sector, waste reduction and the sharing economy 
• Procurement 
• Experience in the energy sector and community energy projects 
• Experience in the built environment sector, such as architecture and urban design, construction and community land trusts 
• Experience in the transport sector, such as accessibility in active travel and public engagement, including for leisure  
• Experience in the food, land and sea sector, including agroecological approaches, woodland management, protection of landscape character, natural burial, organic horticulture, public health and food 

3. Monitoring 

Some respondents provided additional comment on the approach to monitoring the Plan, highlighting the importance of a public record of progress towards key indicators and suggested indicators.  

One respondent said: 

“Would also like to see a website like the Leeds By Example site and for us to include a visible dashboard of key performance indicators that demonstrate progress towards the various targets and actions being adopted. We have admired the Leeds website for some time and would like to create something similar at a County or district level.” 

Another respondent said: 

“Progress could be measured in tangible milestones that may or may not be counting the carbon footprint, but rather the actions and progress made that supports the transition e.g. no. of registered air pump heat installers / solar panel etc in Devon, no. of installations, no. of active community groups focused on energy / waste / biodiversity / local food systems etc, no. of people reached through engagement, no. of pledges made and so on for all the areas.” 

Q8.1 How did you hear about the Interim Devon Carbon Plan consultation?  

The consultation responses show that one quarter of people heard about the Interim Devon Carbon Plan consultation via Facebook, indicating that the paid social media advertising undertaken was most successful in driving viewers to the consultation through Facebook. Community connections were influential in raising awareness of the consultation, with 19% of respondents hearing of the consultation via word of mouth and a further 14% through a community newsletter, such as Sustainable Tiverton. Offline advertising drew in significantly fewer respondents, with 1% hearing about the consultation through posters put up on Parish Council noticeboards and 2% in newspaper articles. See Figure 12.   

Your responses will be used to redraft the Interim Devon Carbon Plan for publication in autumn 2021.  

The recommendations from the Citizens’ Assembly will be also be published in the autumn. These will be considered by the Net-Zero Task Force and the Devon Climate Emergency partners to complete the Plan, following which there will be a further consultation opportunity in spring 2022. 

In the meantime, the Devon Climate Emergency partners are taking action. You can keep up to date on the website at https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/taking-action, join our mailing list at https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/join and follow our social media channels.

Action on Climate in Teignbridge CIC 

AONB joint response 

ARC Marine Ltd. 

Ashprington Parish Council 

Astley Media 

Balanced Energy Ltd 

Bampton Town Council 

Bideford Town Council 

Bishopsteignton Parish Council 

Blackawton Parish Council 

Blackdown Hills AONB 

Bloom Renewables 

Braunton Parish Council 

Broadclyst Parish Council 

Chardstock Parish Council 

Cheriton Bishop Parish Council 

Climate Emergency: Bovey & Heathfield 

Common Flora 

Cranbrook Town Council 

Dartington Parish Council 

Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust 

Dartmoor National Park Authority 

Dawlish Town Council 

Devon Countryside Access Forum 

Devon County Council 

Devon Energy Collective CIC 

Devon Hedge Group 

Devon Wildlife Trust 

Dittisham Parish Council 

Doddiscombsleigh Parish Council 

East Allington Parish Council 

East Budleigh Parish Council 

East Devon District Council 

Environment Plymouth 

Ermington Parish Council 

Exeter Cycling Campaign 

Exmouth Town Council 

Exmouth Wildlife Group 

Food in Community 

Forestry Commission 

Freetrike Rehab & Disability Cycling 

Fremington Parish Council 

Good Roots Barn Ltd 

Heart of Devon Community Energy 

Heart of the SW LEP 

Hoe Neighbourhood Forum, Plymouth 

Holbeton Parish Council 

HotSW LEP  

Ide Parish Council 

Kenn Parish Council, Penny Clapham 

Kingsbridge Town Council 

Kingswear Parish Council 

Langtree Parish Council 

LHC Design 

Lignum Designs Limited 

LOVE FOOD CIC 

Low Carbon Devon Project 

Mid Devon District Council 

Modbury Parish Council 

Moor Trees 

Moretonhampstead Action on Plastics 

Mortehoe Parish Council 

National Farmers Union 

New Prosperity Devon 

North Tawton Town council 

Okehampton Town Council 

Ottery St Mary Parish Council 

Pell Frischmann 

Petrockstowe Parish Council 

Plastic Free North Devon 

Plymouth Energy Community 

Public Health Devon 

Resource Futures and Community Action Groups Devon 

Sampford Peverell Parish Council 

Shillingford Organics 

Slapton Parish Council 

Snark limited 

South Hams Climate Action Network 

South Hams Society 

South Hams District Council 

South West Water 

St Peter’s C of E Primary School 

Sustainable Bishop 

Sustainable Blackawton 

Sustainable Bradninch 

Sustainable Crediton 

Sustainable Malborough and South Huish (SMASH) 

Sustainable South Brent 

Sustainable Staverton / Staverton Parish Council 

Sustainable Tiverton 

Tamar Energy Community 

The Ecological Land Cooperative 

The Ilfracombe Climate Emergency Community Action Team 

Torbay Climate Action 

Torbay Council 

Torridge District Council 

Totnes and Rural Community Transport 

Transition Tavistock 

Transition Town Totnes 

Uffculme Parish Council 

Ugborough Parish Council 

University of Exeter  

Wales and West Utilities 

Wembury Environment Group 

Wembury Parish Council 

West Devon Borough Council 

West Hill Parish Council 

Wolborough Residents Association 

Women’s Equality Party, Exeter branch 

XR Exeter 

XR North Devon 

Action on Climate in Teignbridge

CAG Devon

CEBH Workstream

Chagford Climate Action

Dart Communities

Devon Community Energy Network

Dorset CAN

Environment Plymouth

Exeter Community Energy

Extinction Rebellion Exeter

Extinction Rebellion North Devon

Extinction Rebellion Totnes

Extinction Rebellion South Brent

Green Party

Local Community Partnership

Lyn Climate Action

North Devon Climate Action

Northern Devon for Europe

Sustainable Crediton

Sustainable Staverton

Sustainable South Brent

Sustainable Tiverton

Teign Community Hub

Tiny House Community

Totnes Renewable Energy Society

Torre Abbey

Transition Exeter

Transition Exmouth

Transition Plymouth

Transition Tavistock

Transition Town Totnes

Turn Lyme Green

Uffculme Green Team