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Fields of the Cotswold Way

The West of England is an amazing place to grow up and grow old in. But we are living in the midst of a deadly climate and nature emergency. Many of our people and businesses are struggling to afford escalating energy bills during the current cost of living crisis. We are making progress to support our people, reduce emissions and restore habitats across the region. However, we need to come together across society and sectors in responding to these emergencies.

OUR ACTION PLAN

Working with partners across the region (including our Unitary Authority partners, the region’s Climate Action Panel, the Local Enterprise Partnership and others) we have identified six core areas that we must focus on to achieve our ambitions.

Bus driving through greenery

STRATEGY FOR TRANSPORT

Our strategy is to decarbonise the transport system; reduce car dependency; manage demand; increase cycling, walking and public transport; and embed nature recovery within transport projects.

Our strategy for transport

Short term actions

Next year with our partners we will aim to:

  • Review our Joint Local Transport Plan to confirm the policies which will substantially cut greenhouse gas emissions to prioritise options progressed in terms of their carbon and environmental impact, by Autumn 2023.
  • Increase the pace of transport decarbonisation by progressing plans and start to implement demand management measures.
  • Support councils in their efforts to strengthen car parking policies and prioritise accessible locations and sustainable travel in new development through their Local Plans
  • Develop detailed plans for a liveable neighbourhood in Bristol and confirm areas to deliver liveable neighbourhoods in B&NES and South Gloucestershire with a view to rolling out a programme of delivery across the region to reduce reliance on cars.
  • Launch and trial Mobility as a Service scheme – a one-stop-shop to deliver a regional digital journey planning, booking, ticketing, payment and information solution
  • Explore and secure investment in further innovative transport solutions and services to reduce car and freight trips (including alternative fuels such as electricity, hydrogen and biofuels) as well as social and planning innovation.
  • Deliver 16 (Transforming Cities Fund, Active Travel Fund and City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements) walking, cycling & wheeling schemes and work with partners to submit applications for additional schemes to future active travel fund (round four).
  • Deliver 30 cycle hangars in Bristol, and explore feasibility of wider regional rollout.
  • Deliver walking, cycling and wheeling routes within new strategic transport corridors being delivered under the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, integrated with delivery of green infrastructure.
  • Deliver improved walking, cycling and wheeling facilities across Yate Station, Ralph Allen School in Bath, Concorde Way and Clapton Road in Midsomer Norton; and subsidising rental schemes and training, including Bristol Family Cycling Centre via £680k investment.
  • Support councils and regional partners in their walking and cycling initiatives including working with employers and communication campaigns, and in traffic management schemes.
  • Run ‘WEST Link’ fleet of ‘on demand’ minibuses to connect people to our bus corridors (Demand Responsive Transport).
  • Deliver Dynamic Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT) trial in north Bristol to connect people to major employment opportunities and other key destinations such as Southmead Hospital.
  • Build 15 green roofed solar-powered bus stops this year, as well as improving wildlife areas around them this year, and deliver a further 300 in subsequent years under City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements
  • Implement fare capping in place for adult single trips and develop a single ticket solution to simplify residents’ journeys across the region through Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
  • Improving frequency and accessibility of trains through delivery of new train lines and stations (via MetroWest Phase 1a, Phase 2 and CRSTS)
  • Deliver around 300 new electric vehicle chargepoints and 400 charging bays by investing £5m (informed by EV charging strategy).
  • Commence a new contract for micro-mobility to enhance e-scooter hire provision and introduce on-street e-bike hire in the Bristol and Bath areas.
  • Deliver our sustainable urban freight trials, introducing e-cargo bikes in university and hospital campuses, ‘parcels as passengers’ on trains and ‘local high-street aggregator’ to consolidate local neighbourhood deliveries.
  • Support our councils in maintaining Clean Air Zones and in their electrification and decarbonisation of their fleet by publicly backing them.
  • Build our region’s hydrogen economy by exploring opportunities for green hydrogen electrolysis and piloting application of hydrogen as a transport fuel in sectors difficult to electrify (including HGVs operating locally, such as buses and in goods distribution).
  • Agree a regional framework for how transport projects will minimise their impact on nature, through interventions such as nature-based solutions to road run-off, wildlife kerbs, and regular and targeted cleaning of gullies.
  • Agree regional priorities for retrofitting of existing transport infrastructure to reduce its impact on nature.
Our strategy for transport

Medium term actions

In the medium term, 2024-2028, we will aim to:

  • Open six new railway stations by 2026, increasing access to rail for more people across the region. In 2024 we will see Ashley Down station, and in 2025 having stepfree access at Lawrence Hill Station. Then in 2026 we shall see the new Portishead Line and new stations at: North Filton, Henbury and Charfield.
  • Increase use of rail by 1,300,000 new rail journeys per year by 2025/6 by developing our regional rail network (delivering measures outlined in our City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements programme and Rail Delivery Plan).
  • Increase bus travel from 48,000,000 in 2021/22 to 70,000,000 bus journeys per year by 2025/6 (to pre lockdown levels) by developing our regional bus network through the delivery of measures outlined in our City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements programme and Bus Service improvement Plan.
  • Develop the walking, cycling and wheeling network in line with the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements programme.
  • Limit the increase in emissions of new development by designing and implementing planning policy to deliver reduce dependency on cars and increase use of sustainable public transport.
  • Work with Unitary Authorities to design and implement demand management measures within the region.
  • Work with government and Unitary Authorities to build a case for further devolution to enable more strategic decisions to be made on public transport in the region.
  • Expand car-share / car club services to offer services across the region, working with Unitary Authorities and private operators to shape and deliver.
  • Build on the success of the Green Futures pilot to help educate young people on the benefits of transport decarbonisation, adopting green practices and pursuing green jobs.
  • Invest in nature-based solutions to limit pollution caused by the road network.
  • Reduce ecological severance caused by the existing transport networks and new infrastructure, for example through wildlife tunnels and wildlife kerbs.
Our strategy for transport

Longer term actions

Our longer term vision, 2028-2030, for transport.

  • Create a network of 15-minute liveable neighbourhoods that will contribute to the longer-term reduction in emissions.
  • Achieve a 40% reduction in car usage through the successful implementation of demand management frameworks.
  • Have an affordable, convenient, sustainable and easy to use alternative to the car for all our rural and urban residents.
  • Support industry partners to develop future transport fuels or energy systems for transport including the aviation industry.
  • Have a road network that makes space on roads for cyclists, walkers and wheelers as standard.
  • Commence delivery of a new, state of the art public transport mode – Future4West – along four strategic corridors.
Buildings in Bath

STRATEGY FOR BUILDINGS AND PLACES

Our strategy for buildings and places is to increase the energy performance, climate resilience and environmental benefits of buildings and places.

Our strategy for buildings and places

Short term actions

Next year with our partners we will aim to:

  • Run the Retrofit Accelerator Phase I Homeowner Advice Service to increase the scale and pace of retrofit, creating a hub for homeowners to access information on retrofit. Forecast to advise 10,600 households, resulting in 5,250 homes being surveyed and delivering 4,200 measures in 1,400 households over the next 2 years.
  • Expanding the domestic retrofit supply chain via the £2m Retrofit Accelerator Phase IIa, supporting a minimum of 350 small and micro businesses, and Phase IIb (£200k) to integrate retrofit understanding and awareness into our Future Bright coaching service, and other skills offerings.
  • Deliver the Innovative Housing Retrofit Scheme, insulating 50-75 hard-to-treat homes within the region; and seek funding to expand the scheme to further demonstrate new approaches for wider roll out (e.g. offsite manufacturing).
  • Carry out up to 400 free carbon surveys for small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to help them understand and reduce their energy use, carbon footprint and other environmental impacts.
  • Provide c 225 SMEs with grant funding to make energy saving improvements and install renewable energy via a new £2m Green Business Grant fund.
  • Promote grant-funded domestic retrofit programmes in our region including those via the South West Net Zero Hub , Warm & Well in South Gloucestershire, Energy at Home in Bath & North East Somerset and City Leap domestic retrofit in Bristol.
  • Work with public sector partners and the South West Net Zero Hub to secure funding, develop strategy and deliver decarbonisation projects on public land and buildings.
  • Develop a range of sustainable funding mechanisms for retrofit and the transition to non-fossil fuel reliant heating within the region to secure private and government funding.
  • Develop our retrofit approach by improving our knowledge on existing housing and retrofit requirements – working with funders to collect data needed in securing investment.
  • Publicly support Local Councils and the South West Net Zero Hub in adopting and enforcing net zero and BNG new build standards for new developments across the region through local planning policy.
  • Review and coordinate regional development and adoption of innovative environmentally-positive design and construction approaches (such as Bristol Housing Festival establishing a Regional Centre of Excellence in Housing Innovation; and Design Codes incorporating wildlife habitats such as swift boxes).
  • Coordinate rollout of heat pumps with local councils and National Grid Electricity Distribution, to accelerate rollout and maintain electricity grid resilience to accommodate transition.
  • Develop a heat pump engagement and collective buying scheme, with corresponding local supply chain support, targeting delivery of an additional 1000 heat pumps across our region over 2 years.
  • Agree cross-border collaboration agreements to support expanding the Strategic Heat Main within City Leap and other heat networks across the West of England.
Our strategy for buildings and places

Medium term actions

In the medium term, 2024-2028, we will aim to:

  • Support retrofitting of over 1,400 additional homes through the Retrofit Accelerator, advising early adopter homeowners through the Homeowner Advice Service and supporting early adopter supply chain businesses through the Supply Side Market & Capacity Building Programme.
  • Build the Retrofit Accelerator Green Skills programme to support residents to identify new green skills provision and access to it. This will facilitate progressions into and within work as well as support young people into green careers and pathways.
  • Develop a range of sustainable funding mechanisms for retrofit and the transition to non-fossil fuel reliant heating within the region, including securing private and government funding and increasing community and regional purchasing schemes.
  • Support new low emissions developments that maximize the use of onsite renewable heat and energy and are linked with biodiversity objectives including increasing wildlife abundance and new habitat creation (through local and regional planning policy).
  • Test viability of setting requirements of achieving BNG requirements exceeding national 10% targets and carbon neutral (or reduced) construction and decomissioning for new buildings and infrastructure in the region.
  • CA and UA using their unique position as strategic planning and housing authorities to raise awareness and understanding of retrofit options for various building types.
  • Stimulate the market for non-fossil fuel heating systems encouraging the transition from gas and oil boilers through encouraging behaviour change, the innovation of new technology, and improving supply chain capacity for new energy systems.
  • Increase the number of Energy Performance Certificates for both housing and commercial buildings in the region, up from the current position of 44% to raise awareness of energy performance and the improvement measures required to retrofit to achieve ‘grade C’ to help reduce emissions from buildings.
Our strategy for buildings and places

Longer term actions

Our longer term vision, 2028-2030, for buildings and places.

  • Increase the scale and pace of retrofit within the region to ensure that the majority of properties within the region achieving EPC C as a minimum, as a result of local interventions, improved national policy and access to funding.
  • Ensure new properties and buildings are carbon neutral across their lifetime, from construction and operation to decommissioning.
  • Deliver a widescale transition towards non-fossil fuel reliant heating systems across all buildings within the region.
  • Exceed 10% biodiversity net gain to increase wildlife abundance and protect green spaces across all new developments and infrastructure projects in the region where viable.
A dronefly on forget-me-not flowers

STRATEGY FOR NATURE RECOVERY

Our strategic objective is that wildlife and the natural environment are in recovery, with their decline halted and in line with the West of England Nature Partnership the abundance of wildlife has increased by 30%.

Our strategy for nature recovery

Short term actions

Next year with our partners we will aim to:

  • Deliver improvements to existing natural green spaces such as through Common Connections, Chew Valley Lake, developing investable business cases for improvements at Bath Riverline and Waterspace Connected.
  • Deliver access improvements to existing water (blue) spaces including investment at Chew Valley Lake and developing business cases for improvements at Bath Riverline and Waterspace Connected.
  • Develop a Local Nature Recovery Strategy that provides a coherent regional vision and map for nature’s recovery, building on the West of England Nature Recovery Network, and helps direct investment effectively into the natural environment.
  • Develop a regional agreement for public sector bodies to reduce the use of pesticides on their estates, with an aim of eliminating use altogether.
  • Provide residents access to volunteering opportunities in nature recovery projects and the natural environment jobs market via Pollinator Fund, Green Futures, Community Support Fund and other grassroots skills programmes.
  • Plant more trees and create habitats along strategic corridors and rivers (incl. City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements and strategic nature recovery networks).
  • Develop a monitoring framework (data platform and ecological baseline) for the regions natural environment to enable us to measure progress towards our ambitions, including the possibility to use a wildlife index to measure abundance and diversity of wildlife amongst the current ecological network.
  • Set up a region-wide project that aims to understand the health of, and management approaches applied to the region’s protected sites.
  • Create capacity that will enable UA and partner priorities (West of England Nature Partnership prospectus) to be developed into investment ready projects, and source varied and innovative funding options.
  • Launch the second round of the Community Pollinator Fund to increase the number and quality of habitats for pollinators and bees across the region.
  • Provide evidence to support councils’ local plans and planning policy to create new spaces for nature and wildlife and protect existing spaces linking in with regional biodiversity objectives, including those set out in Joint Green Infrastructure Strategy and the Tree and Woodland Strategy.
  • Ensure that transport and planning projects delivered by the Combined Authority positively contribute towards nature’s net recovery, including delivering at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain.
  • Together with West of England Nature Partnership and the Forest of Avon Trust, renew and continue to accelerate action in delivering the Forest of Avon Plan. Includes investment of £730,000 for the Forest of Avon Trust for woodland creation, including 50,000 broadleaf trees in diverse habitats.
  • Work with Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership to identify actions and investment required to deliver the Bristol Avon Catchment Plan and the Bristol Avon Fish Recovery Strategy to improve the health, biodiversity and resilience of our water courses, wetlands and river catchments.
  • Promote and embed the West of England Placemaking Charter for creating high quality, biodiverse places that support access to nature and encourage health and wellbeing.
  • Develop and promote the biodiversity footprint concept, to engage and inform businesses about how they can make changes to their supply chain to support nature.
  • Hold further Bee Bold Awards and create targeted business campaigns to support businesses to create habitats and support pollinators.
  • Work with West of England Nature Partnership (WENP) and Natural History Consortium (NHC) to raise awareness of and engagement with the natural environment, and encourage conservation volunteering and pro-environmental behaviours (City Nature Challenge, Team Wilder, Festival of Nature).
  • Support the development of platforms that enable businesses to invest in the natural environment (e.g. Bristol and Avon Catchment Market).
  • Develop innovative new ways of observing and monitoring the natural environment.
  • Using regional skills programmes including Multiply and Workforce for the Future to build skills required for ecology and natural environment sector.
  • Work with the agricultural community to understand needs and land use options to unlock investment for nature, aiming to create a coalition of agricultural partners signed up to support nature recovery.
  • Develop an approach to enabling and collecting citizen science data, to engage people with nature and support decision making.
Our strategy for nature recovery

Medium term actions

In the medium term, 2024-2028, we will aim to:

  • Deliver over 375ha of improved natural green spaces by 2025/6.
  • Provide strategic guidance and support (including via Skills Connect, skills interventions and joint initiatives with delivery partners) to develop regional relevant skills required for nature recovery.
  • Work with the Unitary Authorities to develop and implement planning policy to deliver a coordinated strategy on climate change adaptation and mitigation, including the management of natural capital and ecosystem services.
  • Seek further public and private investment to support upscaling of measures to increase the abundance and distribution of species and quality and quantity of habitats.
  • Develop a natural capital approach to evidence and support the development of investment ready projects and inform decision making across the region.
Our strategy for nature recovery

Longer term actions

Our longer term vision, 2028-2030

  • Support the ambitions of the West of England Nature Partnership to:
  • Increase the abundance of wildlife from 2020 levels by 30% by 2030.
  • Increase our semi-natural broadleaved woodland cover by 2500ha (from 8,000 to 10,500 ha, or by 31%).
  • In addition to woodland, create 2000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside the protected site network.
  • Close at least 40% of the Nature Recovery Network connectivity gaps through the creation of new habitat.
  • Ensure all water catchments are in at least moderate ecological status, with half in good ecological status by 2030.
  • Ensure 70% of designated sites are in favourable condition by 2030.
Person speaking at event

STRATEGY FOR BUSINESS & SKILLS

Our strategic objective is to help all businesses become more sustainable and resilient to meet our 2030 objectives; and help low carbon sector businesses and ensure local people benefit from growth in the green economy.

Our strategy for business and skills

Short term actions

Next year with our partners we will aim to:

  • Carry out up to 400 additional free carbon surveys using £416k funding to help small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs) understand their energy use and low carbon solutions; and seek funding to widen the scope and number of businesses eligible for a survey.
  • Deliver a new £2m Green Business Grant fund to help approx.225 SMEs to make energy saving improvements and install renewable energy, based on findings from a low carbon business evidence base.
  • Increase our understanding of the scale of the challenge and support needed to decarbonise small & medium sized enterprises in the region, through commissioning a low carbon business evidence base and intelligence gathered from the Growth Hub.
  • Pilot a Rooftop Generation Grant to encourage the use of larger business premises to boost solar PV generation capacity.
  • Deliver more carbon & nature literacy support for businesses to improve their understanding of climate and ecological emergencies and actions they can take to help decarbonise and build resilience through website resources and 4 events per year.
  • Develop a focussed net zero Growth Hub route to sit alongside the embedded activities already in place, to advise SME businesses on net zero journeys with a year-on-year increase in the number of businesses supported.
  • Investigate the benefits and ways in which the Combined Authority could support a regional transition towards circular economy principles.
  • Explore opportunity to recognise businesses’ positive actions through green digital badging, aligned to our Good Employment Charter (which has sustainability running through each of its pillars).
  • Develop a peer-to-peer support programme to promote innovation and environmental transition, including becoming nature positive, via mentoring, sharing best-practise and networking events.
  • Deliver green careers advice universally to school aged children and young people via the Careers Hub and seek funding to build on the Green Futures Fund pilot.
  • Use business engagement to understand what skills / knowledge they need in place to meet the 2030 ambitions to inform our skills provision including Skills Connect, Good Employment Charter and Skills Bootcamps.
  • Use Skills Connect to support individuals to access information, advice and guidance on green jobs through the Retrofit Accelerator Phase IIb, FutureBright, Skills Connect and Green Skills Bootcamps.
  • Deliver Workforce For The Future, aiming to support over 450 SME businesses and 1000 residents access skills and training including green skills.
  • Deliver Green Skills Bootcamps for residents as part of our £5.1m Wave 4 programme, focusing on retrofit; green transport; and organisational sustainability.
  • Publish and use the findings from the South West Skills Study from the South West Net Zero Hub to build on the West of England Green Skills Analysis Report to inform our provision of retrofit and green skills.
  • Support 350+ domestic retrofit small and micro businesses through the Retrofit Accelerator Phase IIa, to raise awareness, train and increase accreditation.
  • Leverage national funding for large scale initiatives (such as demonstrators, networks, living labs) and support manufacturing and engineering industries to innovate new sustainable technologies and supply chains.
  • Support SMEs to innovate new sustainable technologies through delivery of the Business Innovation Fund and Made Smarter programmes.
  • Develop innovative green financial and delivery models, including those unlocking investment in nature-based solutions and supporting organisations in the West of England FinTech Strategy.
  • Revise our regional procurement strategy to include environmental weighting alongside social value in procuring sourced goods and services.
  • Use Invest Bristol & Bath to create a campaign to attract new green businesses to the region, targeting a third of new businesses attracted to the region via Invest Bristol & Bath to be focused on green jobs
Our strategy for business and skills

Medium term actions

In the medium term, 2024-2028, we will aim to:

  • Deliver multi-million-pound infrastructure projects to support our 2030 objectives and grow the economy including flood defences to protect and enable 19,400 jobs and £3.8bn of GVA.
  • Develop programmes to re-skill and up-skill existing trades/ industries (especially fossil fuel reliant) that will be implemented by 2025.
  • Work with all schools and colleges within the region to green their curriculums and ensure work experience and training opportunities aligned with identified green skills gaps, Building upon Skills Connect and the West of England Employment and Skills Plan.
  • Grow innovative climate and environment-related research and development businesses in the region.
  • Deliver Digital Transformation Programme by April 2025 to support green skills development and business growth through the improvement of digital infrastructure and capacity within the region.
Our strategy for business and skills

Longer term actions

Our longer term vision, 2028-2030, for business and skills

  • Ensure that it is common practice for businesses in the region to operate sustainably, including through low carbon practices and recruitment, and in ways that protect and restore nature and that they are prepared for climate change.
  • Enable low carbon sector businesses to develop new sustainable products and services that support the delivery of renewables and domestic/commercial retrofit. This will include adoption of greener job descriptions and functions as per the Good Employment Charter.
  • Ensure that the region has the workforce and skills to deliver our 2030 objectives by providing training and reskilling opportunities to new green jobs, particularly targeting fossil-fuel reliant sectors and engineering.
  • Prepare our regional economy for a lack of energy security and local climate risks – including key regional infrastructure such as transport/buildings/IT infrastructure, health care, food, water.
Large wind turbine on the coast

STRATEGY FOR NET ZERO ENERGY

Our strategic objective is to decarbonise the energy system and increase local renewable energy production.

Our strategy for net zero energy

Short term actions

Next year with our partners we will aim to:

  • Deliver £1.5m funding for Sustainable Innovative Finance Foundations for Wind Turbines (SIFFFT) to bring 10 sites to landowner agreement and 3 sites securing planning through a community led model across the region, providing a pipeline of up to 70MW of investable onshore wind projects with shared learning for other communities.
  • Rollout rooftop solar, including £569k for Bristol Energy Co-Op to install over 2MW PV targeting rooftops of SMEs, schools and community buildings; piloting a Rooftop Generation Grant scheme encourage the use of larger SME business premises to boost solar PV generation capacity; and launching a second round of solar bulk-purchasing solar PV scheme open to residents and businesses.
  • Seek sustainable funding for free local energy advice provision for residents seeking help in coping with their energy bills.
  • Fund the Local Energy Scheme round 2 capital projects and launch a third round for development and capital funding of over £600k to support community led projects, including ‘smart’ energy systems.
  • Support public sector partners across the region developing major capital projects through the South West Net Zero Hub provision of free local technical assistance.
  • Work with National Grid Electricity Distribution and partners to bring forwards approved, but not yet operational, renewable electricity generation.
  • Work with the UK Coal Authority to expand investigations in South Gloucestershire and Bristol’s eastern fringe across the region’s former coal workings across Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset.
  • Explore innovative water sources of heating and cooling including from our harbours, rivers and sea
  • Input into Severn Estuary tidal energy commission via Western Gateway.
  • Increase energy innovation funding coming to the region, working with partners such as our region’s universities, R&D companies, Innovate UK and Energy Systems Catapult and National Grid (formerly Western Power Distribution).
  • Work with National Grid and our local councils to develop proposals to trial new flexible and other innovative solutions such as lower cost alternatives for grid reinforcement and to deliver additional renewable energy generation.
  • Investigate and support deployment of viable conjoined renewable electricity ‘private wire’ and virtual ‘synthetic’ networks connected to local communities.
  • Review and collect evidence to develop regional heat and electricity decarbonisation pathway scenarios to net zero and the role different interventions will play (e.g. energy storage, renewable electricity, heat pumps and renewably fuelled heat networks).
  • Develop a coordinated approach with National Grid and local councils to locate new homes, buildings and infrastructure linked with renewable energy generation and storage to overcome grid constraints.
  • Engage communities and energy groups on the roles they can play in delivering smart energy solutions and provide information to them on our green careers and opportunities programmes.
Our strategy for net zero energy

Medium term actions

In the medium term, 2024-2028, we will aim to:

  • Implement a community energy strategy for the region with appropriate financial and support mechanisms, including career and skills progressions, to empower communities’ role in net zero energy and retrofit rollout.
  • Grow the region’s hydrogen economy focusing research and investment efforts where electrification is difficult in the aerospace, shipping, industrial and heavy-goods vehicle sectors.
  • Drawing conclusions and progressing viable solutions on the region’s potential for tidal energy with pan-regional initiatives including Western Gateway Commission and the Severn Estuary Partnership.
  • Increase the amount of energy storage within the region by reflecting its strategic priority in decarbonising heat and facilitating renewable electricity generation, encouraging business innovation and seeking innovative funding to support installation of energy storage systems.
  • Exploratory and initial capital infrastructure works to capture clean energy from former mine works and industrial areas in Avonmouth & Severnside for heating and possibly cooling buildings.
Our strategy for net zero energy

Longer term actions

Our longer term vision, 2028-2030, for Net Zero Energy

  • Reduce reliance on the wholesale energy market, increasing self-sufficiency through demand reduction from retrofit and behavioural change, and the generation of more locally supplied renewable energy.
  • Make the West of England the national Community Energy Hub - Increasing community energy to 10% of locally generated renewables.
  • Increase proportion of renewable energy consumed locally through smart connected solutions.
  • Deliver infrastructure enhancement projects to facilitate the roll out of more renewable generation taking into consideration ecological impacts and regional place.

STRATEGY FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Our strategic objective is to take action to accelerate and ensure we are adapting to a changing climate and increase climate resilience across our region

Our strategy for climate resilience

Short term actions

Next year with our partners we will aim to:

  • Work with Met Office to develop a regional ‘Climate Pack’ – identifying the anticipated future climate change for the region.
  • Work with the local councils and Local Resilience Forum run by Avon & Somerset Police to strengthen regional public service resilience to climate change.
  • Coordinate regional review and application of West of England Sustainable Urban Drainage guidance for new buildings and infrastructure with unitary authorities.
  • Convene regional conversations and collect evidence to understand the impacts of climate change and adaptations needed, particularly focused on those communities most vulnerable and least able to adapt.
  • Establish a regional steering group overseeing development of an Adaptation Plan distilling West of England priorities for early action from National Adaption Plan 3.
  • Assess and ensure Combined Authority capital investments consider the impacts of and are integrating resilience to climate change impacts.
  • Identify and embed opportunities within advice to businesses (in particular, low carbon surveys and grants provision) to support them to build resilience to climate impacts.
  • Ensure the Retrofit Accelerator and other retrofit projects consider and improve buildings’ climate resilience
  • Deliver green and blue infrastructure and nature projects (in Nature Recovery section) to help address impacts of climate change.
  • Support regional climate change risk assessments across the region’s sectors to increase climate consideration & help standardise approach.
  • Work with National Grid, Wessex Water, Bristol Water and other local infrastructure providers to understand regional infrastructure resilience to the impacts of climate change.
  • Develop a regionwide heat vulnerability assessment to show how risks vary across the region - learning from Bristol’s approach to heat vulnerability mapping - to inform resilience-building measures [in communities, parks and green spaces, and through tree planting] to reduce the impact of heatwaves.
  • Build evidence on land used for food production in our region and how this could be impacted by climate change to develop a regional food production strategy.
  • Support the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy feasibility work completed in last two years, commencing delivery of Phase 1 of flood defences, and coordinating a regional approach to flood defences and mitigations.
  • Work with WENP and other partners to develop an approach to identify habitats and species at risk and the measures required to enable local threatened species to adapt.
Our strategy for climate resilience

Medium term actions

In the medium term, 2024-2028, we will aim to:

  • Collate evidence-base on the investment needed and economic opportunities arising from regional climate resilience – providing this in an accessible dashboard together with metrics and monitoring progress.
  • Work with public health practitioners (NHS, Local Councils, not-for-profit organisations, etc) and retrofit programmes/supply-chains in targeting preventative measures for health impacts associated with climate change building on our social value work.
  • Support development of regional emergency response plans for extreme climate events (flooding, droughts, heat waves, storms, etc).
  • Continue to support flood defence work in the region, helping to ensure the incorporation of climate resilience, including use of natural flood management solutions.
  • Work with partners to review coastal flooding threat and adequacy of current and planned defences to protect coastal communities.
  • Work with partners to deliver the Bristol Avon Catchment Plan to deliver resilience and nature recovery across our river catchments and wetlands.
  • Work to help ensure utility infrastructure in our region considers and is resilient to impacts of climate change.
  • Target nature-based solutions, green and blue infrastructure and tree planting works, linked to community volunteering and careers programmes such as Green Futures, to help protect people and the natural environment from the worst impacts of climate change.
  • Work with partners to explore the opportunities for carbon sequestration in natural habitats, including wetlands.
Our strategy for climate resilience

Longer term actions

Our longer term vision, 2028-2030, for Climate Resilience

  • Vulnerable people and businesses at most risk of catastrophic climate events (flooding and heat waves) are protected in emergency response plans.
  • Help create a climate ready economy - businesses having emergency plans & business continuity plans to deal with extreme events, adaptation plan address climate risks while also being adaptive to ongoing change and uncertainties.
  • Help create climate ready communities -West of England becomes a centre for excellence in climate resilience.

Read the full strategy

Thank you for reading our Climate and Ecological action plan. For more detail, please download a copy of our Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan (PDF).

In the full strategy document, you will find:

  • Out priorities at a glance
  • Last year's regional achievements
  • Our strategy: the challenge, and a green, just transition
  • Our approach: regional roles and collaboration needed, key asks of government, strategies and plans in the region
  • Understanding the scale of the problem, and what this evidence means for our plan
  • Our action plan
  • Governance, monitoring and measuring success

Download the Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan (PDF)