Islington Council wants your help to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies

Online public consultation on Vision 2030: Building a Net Zero Carbon Islington by 2030 and the Biodiversity Action Plan began on the council’s website today (Wednesday, 1 April) and will continue until further notice.

The council is determined to press ahead with its commitment to tackling the climate and ecological emergencies while also ensuring the response to the current public health outbreak is managed effectively.

Originally, a series of workshops and public meetings were planned to engage with local residents as part of the Vision 2030 consultation, but as a result of the serious escalation of the Covid-19 situation, these plans have been revised.

Cllr Rowena Champion, executive member for environment and transport, said: “We are facing a climate and ecological emergency, and these two important blueprints reflect our commitment to taking the necessary action to tackle climate change in our borough.

“In light of the severe pressure on the council caused by the grave public health situation, social distancing and the restrictions on movement, we have had to alter our original plans for a series of public and partner engagement sessions around the Vision 2030 document.

“We are aware of the urgency of the climate and ecological emergencies that we are facing, and we have devised an alternative plan so that we can hear the views of our residents and local organisations.

“In due course, once the public health situation becomes clearer, we will reassess what steps we can take to help residents engage further and to set an end date for the consultation.”

Since declaring a climate emergency and setting the goal of achieving net zero carbon status by 2030, Islington has added a second energy centre to the Bunhill heat and power network to enable the heating of more than 1,350 homes, delivered more School Streets than any other UK borough, and outlined plans for its first Liveable Neighbourhoods, which aim to cut traffic while boosting walking and cycling.

Vision 2030: Building a Net Zero Carbon Islington by 2030 sets out how the council can build on this work by improving the energy efficiency and reducing the level of carbon emissions of all the council’s buildings and infrastructure.

Other measures outlined include halving road journeys made by petrol and diesel vehicles in the borough by encouraging active transport and securing cleaner transport for residents.

The blueprint also sets out ambitions to deliver reliable, affordable energy to residents through the development of smart energy networks, and to reduce consumption emissions by ensuring that the council’s new developments meet the highest emissions reduction targets.

The council’s work to tackle the climate emergency goes hand-in-hand with its work to tackle the ecological emergency, and an online consultation on the Biodiversity Action Plan for 2020 to 2025 also opened on Wednesday.

This document sets out how Islington’s vast diversity of wildlife can be sustained by maximising soft landscaping of trees and shrubbery to support wildlife habitats, by working to ensure that new build developments are greener, and by increasing access to green spaces.

Click these links to access the consultations for the Vision 2030 document and the Biodiversity Action Plan.