Sustainability Appraisal of the Sandwell Local Plan 2024-2041

9 Climatic factors

9.1 Introduction

9.1.1 Anthropogenic climate change is predominantly the result of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHGs are emitted from a wide variety of sources, including transport, construction, agriculture and waste. Typically, development leads to a net increase in GHG emissions in the local area, although efforts can be made to help limit these increases.

9.1.2 Commitments to reduce GHG emissions have been introduced from the international level to the sub-regional level. The PPPs address policy development across all sectors and at all levels, combining both demand management (reduced energy consumption and increased efficiency of use) and supply-side measures (low carbon options and renewables). The Committee on Climate Change (CCC)'s latest progress report[74] discusses the need for further measures to be implemented by the government to ensure the UK meets the target of net zero by 2050. The West Midlands Combined Authority are aiming to achieve net zero by 2041, with key priorities identified in their Five Year Plan[75].

9.1.3 The Environment Agency (EA) provides guidance on flood risk for planners, developers and advisors in order to inform flood risk assessments and the plan-making process and stresses the importance of making allowances for climate change[76]. Adaptation measures proposed by the PPPs include a presumption against development in flood risk areas, appropriate design of new development, the promotion of new infrastructure such as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), measures to increase biodiversity, measures dealing with overheating and improved maintenance to help address the changes that are likely to occur as a result of climate change.

9.2 Baseline and key issues

Carbon emissions

9.2.1 The latest UK local authority emissions estimates[77] indicate that Sandwell has lower per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared to the average for the West Midlands and nationally (see Table 5.1). The dataset shows a general trend of reduced emissions over time; however, it will be an important role of the SLP to encourage sustainable development and construction and support low carbon energy sources and transport infrastructure to speed up this trend. Transport is the largest source of CO2 emissions in Sandwell, followed by domestic.

Table 9.1: Estimated CO₂ emissions in 2022^[78]

9.2.2 SMBC declared a Climate Emergency in March 2020 and have produced a Climate Strategy[79] which sets out the target to reach carbon neutrality by 2041, and includes an Action Plan to reach this, based on six delivery themes as follows:

• Council estate and operations;
• The built environment;
• Transport;
• Waste;
• Adaptation; and
• Natural capital.

9.2.3 The Climate Change Strategy and each of the six action plans sets out progress to date, future ambitions and immediate actions for each service area. In addition, a Net Zero Carbon Policy Support Offsetting Document[80] assesses various options to address climate change within the Local Plan policies through carbon offsetting. The principles set out in the Strategy and Action Plan, and the Net Zero Carbon Policy Support Offsetting Document should be embedded into emerging SLP policies.

9.2.4 The layout and design of future development can have benefits to achieving sustainable development and reducing contributions to climate change. The SLP could potentially help to encourage the development of more energy efficient homes to help reduce Sandwell's GHG emissions. Energy efficient homes can include Eco Houses, Zero Carbon Homes and Passivhaus[81].

9.2.5 The promotion of on-site renewable or low carbon technologies incorporated with new development in the SLP would help to decrease reliance on energy that is generated from unsustainable sources, such as fossil fuels.

Flooding

9.2.6 Climate change is anticipated to increase the risk of extreme weather events, leading to rising risk of flooding. Surface water flooding in urban areas may increase in particular in light of more torrential and frequent rainfall events, especially during winter. Extents of low, medium and high surface water flood risk are present across the SLP area (see Figure 5.1).

9.2.7 Some significant areas of Flood Zones 2, 3a and 3b can be found throughout Sandwell and particularly in the north, associated with the River Tame (see Figure 5.2).

9.2.8 Indicative Flood Zone 3b can be found in the central and northern areas of Sandwell (see Figure 5.2). This has been identified within the previous Black Country Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA)[82] which was the most up-to-date SFRA at the time site assessments took place. An updated Level 1 SFRA[83] for Sandwell now supersedes the Black Country Level 1 SFRA. This document identifies flood risk across the Sandwell, from all sources in the present and in the future. The assessment has identified potential increases in flood risk due to climate change and produced modelled outputs.

9.2.9 Careful consideration should be given to the level of flood risk new residents are exposed to, as well as the impacts of development on risk. It is good practice to make allowances for climate change in flood risk assessments[84]. Allowing for the impacts of climate change helps to minimise vulnerability whilst providing greater resilience to flooding by anticipating changes to peak river flows, peak rainfall intensities, sea level rise and offshore wind speeds. Climate change allowances can be based on climate change projections under different CO2 scenarios.

9.2.10 Increased naturalisation of watercourses and restoration of the flood plain, including the opening up of culverts where possible, would help to reduce the risk of flooding, as well as provide benefits to biodiversity, amenity and water quality.

Figure 9.2: Fluvial Flood Zones and Indicative Flood Zone 3b within the SLP area (source: JBA Consulting and Environment Agency)

Green and blue infrastructure

9.2.11 Sandwell's GI network has an important role to play in providing ecosystem services. A well-managed and robust GI network can provide many benefits including for human health, climate change adaptation and wildlife value. GI can play an important role in helping urban areas adapt to climate change, by filtering airborne pollutants, providing shade and local cooling, carbon sink functions, and reducing surface water runoff[85]. The water environment (such as canals, rivers and ponds) can also be referred to as 'blue infrastructure' (BI) and often works alongside GI to provide multi-functional benefits including building resilience to climate change and acting as wildlife refuges and corridors.

9.2.12 Sandwell's GI network includes natural and semi-natural features such as LNRs, SLINCs, SINCs, allotments, playing fields, parks, woodlands, field margins, hedgerows, golf courses and canals. These assets should be protected and enhanced where possible, to increase resilience to climate change as well as increasing wildlife and amenity value.

9.3 Impacts on climatic factors

9.3.1 Box 9.1 presents a plan-wide summary of the adverse impacts on climatic factors that have been identified through the SA process, prior to consideration of mitigation or implementation of adaptive technologies.

Box 9.1: Summary of identified impacts on climatic factors

9.4 Local Plan mitigation

9.4.1 Climate, infrastructure, flood risk, sustainable transport and GI policies within the SLP will be likely to help reduce adverse impacts of the proposed development within the SLP in regard to climatic factors. Policies which are anticipated to help mitigate the impacts identified in Box 9.1, are discussed in Box 9.2.

Box 9.2: Mitigating effects of the Local Plan policies on climatic factors

9.5 Residual effects on climatic factors

9.5.1 The SLP sets out several policies which aim to help mitigate the adverse impacts relating to climatic factors (see Box 9.2). However, the implementation of these requirements will not be expected to fully mitigate the adverse impacts associated with net increases in GHGs. Box 9.3 lists the likely residual effects of the Plan in relation to climatic factors.

Box 9.3: Residual effects for climatic factors

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