1. The purpose of this technical note is to provide Members with an update in relation to the Scottish Government’s consultation on their Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy.
2. Reducing emissions from buildings will be a crucial aspect of meeting Scotland’s 2045 target for net zero carbon emissions. The Scottish Government has drafted a Heat in Buildings Strategy, which sets out a vision for transforming more than 1 million homes and an estimated 50,000 non-domestic buildings to be using low and zero emissions heating systems by 2030, in line with Scotland’s updated Climate Change Plan. Full details of the consultation can be found on the Scottish Government website [opens in a new window].
3. The Council’s Sustainability Policy Team has coordinated a draft response to the consultation paper (Appendix 1), in liaison with the Council’s Housing, Land Planning Policy, Community Planning and Business Support teams. This draft response notes the environmental, social and economic benefits proposed in the draft strategy and makes recommendations on how these could best be achieved, based on local policy and delivery experience.
4. The consultation document is designed to seek input from a variety of stakeholders across several sectors, and the Scottish Government have emphasised that respondents are not expected to answer all questions. As such, several questions in the draft response have been marked ‘nil response’.
5. Please contact Sylvia Gray (ext. 8655) by 28 April 2021, should you wish to discuss the Council’s draft response or make any comments on it.