People across West Sussex are being asked how the county should respond to longer heatwaves, an increasing risk of flooding and growing pressure on water supplies.
People across West Sussex are being asked how the county should respond to longer heatwaves, an increasing risk of flooding and growing pressure on water supplies.
A countywide consultation has opened on draft plans designed to cut carbon emissions and help communities prepare for the effects of a changing climate.
West Sussex County Council and the county’s district and borough councils have drawn up the proposals through the West Sussex Joint Climate Change Board.
The plans have two main aims.
The first is to reduce the amount of carbon released by transport, homes and businesses.
The second is to make communities, infrastructure and the natural environment more resilient to extreme weather that may now be unavoidable.
Proposed measures include helping to make buildings more energy efficient, supporting greener forms of transport and encouraging community solar-energy projects.
The councils are also considering greater use of sustainable drainage systems to help manage heavy rainfall and reduce the risk of flooding.
Councillor Natasha Davie, chair of the West Sussex Joint Climate Change Board, said residents and businesses were already experiencing the effects of a changing climate.
She said working together could help create better homes, cleaner air, lower energy costs and healthier natural habitats.
Although the councils already have their own environmental commitments, the new plans are intended to create a shared approach to challenges affecting communities across West Sussex.
Responses will be used to decide whether the proposals focus on the right local priorities and where residents believe action is most urgently needed.
The consultation is open to anyone who lives or works in West Sussex and closes on Sunday the 27th of September.
People can respond through the West Sussex County Council website.
Paper copies can also be requested by telephone or completed at a West Sussex library. Printed copies of the draft plans are due to become available at libraries in Chichester, Crawley, Horsham and Worthing.
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