Draft Minutes
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- Attendees
- 1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
- 2. Update on Follow-up to the DCE x Carbon Trust Workshop
- 3. Project Progress Report
- 4. Energy and Cross-Cutting Themes Progress Update
Attendees
- Emily Reed Devon Climate Emergency (Chair)
- William Jackson-Nichols Devon Climate Emergency
- Mark Burton Southwest Net Zero Hub
- Aaron Harverson Active Devon
- John Amosford Public Health Devon
- Adam Williams South Hams and West Devon Councils
- Alice Gent Exeter City Council
- Collete Germon Devon Partnership NHS Trust
- Louise Sawyer Devon and Cornwall Police
- Jacqui Warren Torbay Council
- Honey Green Dartmoor National Park Authority
- Andy Seaman University of Exeter
- William Elliot Teignbridge District Council
- Jason Ball Mid Devon District Council
1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Reviewed and accepted.
2. Update on Follow-up to the DCE x Carbon Trust Workshop
Emily updated the group on recommendations arising from the workshop in April which the group discussed.
Strategic Prioritisation and Response Group Role
- Andy Seaman emphasised the need for transformational, high-impact projects and questioned the effectiveness of current efforts.
- Emily Reed acknowledged the challenge of refining priorities and agreed on the importance of strategic focus.
- John Amosford supported the need for prioritisation, noting that many current actions should now be considered “business as usual.”
- The group discussed aligning with the Combined County Authority (CCA) and focusing on major themes such as housing, employment, transport, planning, and health.
- John Amosford emphasised the need to align with the CCA’s advisory groups and avoid duplication of efforts. Emily Reed noted the importance of establishing a formal link between the DCE partnership and the CCA.
- Jacqui Warren proposed that the Tactical Group should proactively recommend 3–5 strategic priorities to the Response Group, rather than waiting for top-down direction.
- Jacqui Warren shared a successful prioritisation exercise used by her council involving impact and deliverability matrices.
- Emily Reed agreed and suggested revisiting outputs from previous tactical workshops to inform this process.
- Specific project ideas discussed included:
- Solar Together schemes for residential retrofitting.
- EV charging collaboration to support emergency response fleets.
- Bike-sharing schemes and other shared mobility initiatives.
Community Engagement and Governance
- John Amosford suggested engaging new Devon County members and possibly using Devon Libraries Unlimited funding to gather community input.
- Emily Reed emphasised the need for agile collaboration to avoid process fatigue.
- Mark Burton highlighted the importance of governance structures to enable effective collaboration and implementation.
Planning and Transport Collaboration
- William Elliott proposed a collaborative project on transport planning in new housing developments, aiming to set a benchmark for shared and active transport.
- Emily Reed supported the idea of forming task-and-finish groups to focus on such initiatives.
- John Amosford mentioned related work with NIHR and UNESCO and suggested coordination.
- Mark Burton and William Elliott discussed how to initiate and involve others in new collaborative projects. A suggestion was made to circulate a brief to the partnership to gauge interest.
ACTION: Emily Reed to revisit outputs from previous tactical workshops to inform priority setting.
ACTION: Jacqui Warren to share her council’s prioritisation tools and methodology with the group.
ACTION: William Elliott to draft a brief for his proposed transport planning collaboration project.
ACTION: Emily Reed to explore establishing a formal link between the DCE partnership and the CCA.
3. Project Progress Report
- Website traffic and social media engagement increased slightly in April.
- Notable updates:
- Torridge District Council received £20M for community regeneration.
- Torquay to receive 55 electric buses.
- Devon and Cornwall awarded £33M for flood schemes.
- Woodland Trust using drones for temperate rainforest restoration.
4. Energy and Cross-Cutting Themes Progress Update
Heat Networks and Energy Projects
- Andy Seaman reported on a £42M Green Heat Network project in Exeter, highlighting procurement issues and arguing that the public sector needs to be more proactive in shaping heat network development.
- Emphasis on the need for collective strategic planning to avoid ad hoc responses to private sector initiatives.
- Jacqui Warren shared updates on Paignton Library and a primary school heat pump installation funded through PSDS.
- Emily Reed noted the importance of documenting and sharing case studies, especially for schools.
Offshore Wind and Hydrogen
- North Devon granted planning permission for cable landfall from a floating offshore wind project.
- Emily Reed mentioned the £300M national investment in offshore wind via the Great British Energy Bill.
- North Devon and Wales and West are exploring environmental constraints and water usage implications of green hydrogen production.
Local Plan and Evidence Base
- Torbay to consult on its Regulation 18 draft local plan in autumn.
- Jacqui Warren shared that Exeter University is developing an updated evidence base on the cost and feasibility of net-zero building standards for Torbay.
Community Energy Fund
- A new £1M South West Great British Energy Community Fund has been announced.
- Mark Burton confirmed it will likely follow the same model as the previous Community Energy Fund.
ACTION: Jacqui Warren to share case studies and evidence base from PSDS-funded projects and Exeter University’s research.
ACTION: Mark Burton to share the Community Energy Fund webpage link when available.
