Net zero carbon target survives vote at council committee

Councillors on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council's Environmental Services Committee have backed a target of net zero carbon emissions on any new build projects.

A document presented to councillors indicated an extra 18% cost to ensure the target is met on any new builds, a figure that caused DUP coucillor Adrian McQuillan to baulk.

“This sounds good and it's where we all want to get to, but I just don't think the market conditions are right at this time for us to travel on down this road,” he said.

“18% extra cost is cutting it very fine; I think it would end up far more on to the price of a building. If it was only 18% I think we could live with it, but I reckon it would end up 40-50% at least.

“I'd prefer we leave it open in the meantime and then we price it building as normal and price it with this here and see if we can afford it.

County Derry groups to share youth development funding

The money will be used for a Personal Youth Development programme.

Cllr McQuillan proposed that the Council did not commit to the plans and instead left them open for councillors to chose, a proposal seconded by Cllr Alan McLean.

However, Bann councillor Sean Bateson felt the proposal went against the spirit of the original objective.

“While I understand market conditions are not ideal and for us to achieve net zero carbon emissions we're going to have to spend more, I don't think it is unrealistic,” he said.

“It is only going to be new builds. There have been motions come into this council regarding climate change and the impact it is going to have from all political parties. For us to turn round and say we don't want to make a building net zero, it reads as if we are saying we want it but not actually having to implement it.”

Current Mayor, Cllr Richard Holmes, felt councillors were bringing negativity into what was a positive move.

“2050 isn't that far away. Anything we build now, I would like to think it would still be around in 2050 and a long time beyond that,” he said. “While 18% to fit it out at the start may be expensive, it would be a lot cheaper than trying to retro-fit some of the buildings that we currently have.

“Anyone sitting in 2050 would look at any buildings that went up in the previous 30 years that weren't build to net zero and wonder what on earth we as a council were doing.

“I think we sould keep this as our ambition, rather than sending out the signal now, from a government body, that we are backing away from net zero commitment.

“Once government bodies start backing away from it, you'll see the private sector saying 'why would we bother?'

“We should lead on this. We are not committing ourselves to it when the quotes are sitting in front of us, but we would be sending out a negative signal that we don't have to do.”

An amendment tabled by Cllr Bateson that Council accept the proposal to ensure all future new builds are of Net Zero Standard was passed by councillors and will go to full council for ratification.

Derry district has highest homeless rate in the North

Department for Communities data showed the rate per 1,000 of population for each district.