Democracy in Crawley

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Decision details

Water Neutrality Off-Setting Programme

Decision Maker: Cabinet, Full Council

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Cabinet is requested to consider a revenue budget and procurement arrangements for implementing a retrofitting programme to address water neutrality requirements.

Decision:

Exempt Paragraph 3

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

 

 

RESOLVED

 

1.         That the Cabinet:

 

a)      approves the required budget necessary to implement a retrofitting programme of Council-owned housing stock aimed at reducing water consumption to provide sufficient water off-set to support selected new-build affordable housing developments, as detailed in Section 5.2 of report CH/197.

 

b)      delegate authority to the Head of Crawley Homes, the Head of Corporate Finance, and the Head of Governance, People & Performance; in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Housing, to enter into the necessary contracts, and complete all relevant legal documentation to achieve the above recommendation

 

(Generic Delegation 2 and 3 will be used to enact this recommendation).

 

 

2.         That the Full Council is recommended to approve the transfer of £170,000 from existing capital budgets, using existing capital funding, to create a new budget for water neutrality works on Crawley Homes properties as outlined in paragraph 5.2 c) in report CH/197.

 

 

Reasons for the Recommendations

 

The requirement for new-build schemes to achieve water neutrality has resulted in all developments in the affected region being stalled until water savings can be found to off-set the water consumption of each respective development. This situation is unprecedented and requires bespoke measures at a significant scale to find the water savings necessary for the identified schemes to achieve water neutrality.

 

This recommendation follows on from a small pilot that is currently underway with a particular water saving measure, which has the potential of being rolled-out at pace, and if successful this budget request will enable this initiative to be rolled out further to provide the necessary off-set to support the identified schemes in achieving water neutrality prior to occupation.

 

In the event that the particular water saving measure that is currently being piloted does not satisfy expectations, it is then intended to pursue alternative water saving measures, with this requested budget being available to explore and implement alternative measures as may be required.

 

This initiative aims to pioneer a passage through the water neutrality blockage, as a pilot approach that will provide valuable evidence of the associated costs of achieving water neutrality, both in terms of the costs for new-build schemes to achieve water consumption at c.85 L/pp/pd, as well as the costs of finding sufficient water savings to off-set this consumption, which will help to strengthen the wider strategy being developed across the affected region.

 

Report author: Russell Allison

Publication date: 07/07/2022

Date of decision: 06/07/2022

Decided at meeting: 06/07/2022 - Cabinet

Effective from: 13/07/2022

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