THE BOROUGH council has outlined ambitious plans that will see it become carbon neutral within four years.

Basingstoke and Deane's climate change strategy sets out actions that the authority will take following the declaration of a climate emergency in 2019.

It sets out six key areas that it will target: action by all; buildings; transport; zero carbon electricity; waste and consumption; and natural environment.

Buildings

The council have pledged to use low carbon and renewable sources of energy to power and heat its building, whilst also increasing energy efficiency.

It aims to set ambitious targets in planning policy, allowing it to shape new development in Basingstoke and Deane, and work with partners for the "wide scale retrofit of commercial and domestic properties to reduce energy consumption".

Another goal is: "[To] facilitate the shift to low carbon heating sources, to include heat pumps, district heating and future technologies such as hydrogen, both for new and existing developments."

Transport

The council's document says: "Transport accounts for around half of the greenhouse gas emissions in the borough and significant air pollution."

BDBC will promote efficient travel of council staff, as well as transitioning the council fleet to ultra-low emission vehicles, reducing mileage where possible.

It will work with Hampshire County Council and others on this, including facilitating a move to electrified public transport and active transport.

Zero carbon electricity

The council will develop new renewable energy potential on its building, whilst working with infrastructure providers within the borough to ensure it is "supporting national decarbonisation".

It will also support local and community energy projects.

Waste and consumption

The borough council acknowledges that whilst recycling rates are improving, they are "still short of the ambitions of a sustainable economy".

It will aim to work with the county council to promote a reduction in waste and increasing recycling, whilst supporting 'buy local' projects.

Natural environment

The famous green spaces of Basingstoke and Deane lock up thousands of tonnes of carbon every year, but there is a need to using this as effectively as possible.

The council has pledged to effectively managed council-owned green spaces to improve carbon lock-up, whilst promoting the improvement of natural environment in the borough.

Through the upcoming local plan update, it will develop policies for the natural environment in climate change adaptation and resilience, whilst supporting natural offset within the borough.

Action by all

The authority also aims to enable others, including residents, to play their part, with leader Cllr Ken Rhatigan declaring at Tuesday's cabinet meeting: "Everyone can do something, it doesn’t rely on someone doing everything."

Cabinet member Cllr Tristan Robinson added: "This is a major milestone on the start of a journey. The really important part is ensuring we work with partners.

"This issue needs a wider solution, it is much bigger than Basingstoke and Deane.

"It is great to see the signs of progress, but in the future we must look to work with a range of bodies and stakeholders, including residents, so that we can all play our part."

It will be reviewed by the authority annually.

Reaction

The plan was labelled a "starting point" after members of campaign group Basingstoke Transition Network asked for more to be done.

Miranda Chubb asked for performance indicators to be added to all parts of the plan, whilst Martin Heath labelled the strategy as "adequate, but only just".

He told a meeting of the authority's cabinet of ruling councillors on Tuesday: "Tonight is one of those nights that cabinet can take a decision to mitigate risks, or seize an opportunity.

"That is the opportunity to create well-paid jobs, opportunities for the council and make Basingstoke the vanguard of the climate emergency.

"And not least it is an opportunity to build back better. We don’t need to readdress the issues we face, we all know it is an emergency.

"The paper can be described as adequate, but only just. It only deals with the threat, and lacks ambition.

"It has little vision and has no costed action plan. It has little targets.

"It does nothing to look at how we would deliver a carbon neutral Basingstoke by 2030."

But the plan did receive support, and constructive criticism, from two of the authority's opposition group leaders.

Leader of the Basingstoke and Deane Independents, Cllr Paul Harvey, said that he would "have loved it to be more ambitious", but acknowledged that it was a starting point.

Meanwhile, Cllr Andy McCormick, leader of the Labour group, reiterated calls for more performance indicators and regular reviews.

In 2019, the council pledged to become carbon neutral by 2025, with the goal of the wider borough becoming carbon neutral by 2030 - ahead of the national target of 2050.

The cabinet officially endorsed the strategy on Tuesday evening, and full council are expected to vote on its adoption at the end of February.