Ards and North Down Borough Council Policy Title ......Document Control Number: ALL-POL-001-01 Document Name: Sustainability and Environmental Policy Date 1st Issued: 1st April 2015

Document Control Number: ALL-POL-001-01

Document Name: Sustainability and Environmental Policy

Date 1st Issued: 1st April 2015 Latest Issue Date: 1st April 2015

Issued By: P Mackey Approved By: Corporate Services Committee

Once printed this is an uncontrolled document Date Printed: 19-Apr-18

Ards and North Down Borough Council

Policy Title Sustainability and Environmental Policy

Policy Reference ALL-POL-001

Version 01

Policy Summary The Sustainability and Environmental Policy

gives a commitment that the Council will

carry out its activities and functions a manner

which minimizes any potentially negative

environmental impact and states that the

principles of sustainable development will be

integrated throughout all Ards and North

Down Borough Council activities.

Source/Author(s) Sustainable Development Officer

Date of Equality and Sustainability

Screening Panel

28th May 2015

Date of Council Approval 12th May 2015

Implementation Date 27th May 2015

Last Review Date 31st March 2017

Next Review Date 1st April 2018

Officer Responsible for Review Sustainable Development Officer

Any Other Information This policy can be provided in alternative

formats if required in relation to language or

disability.

Revision History:

Date Changes Made Version






Sustainability and Environmental Policy

Policy Summary The Sustainability and Environmental Policy gives a commitment that the

Council will carry out our activities and functions a manner which minimise any potentially negative environmental impact and states that the principles of sustainable development will be integrated throughout all Ards and North Down Borough Council activities.

Requirement for Policy

Ards and North Down Borough Council has an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System which requires us to have an Environmental Policy. The Council is also required to demonstrate compliance with the Duty for Sustainable Development and the Biodiversity Duty. This Policy has been devised to address all sustainability, biodiversity and environmental requirements.

Who does this policy apply to

This policy applies to all Council employees, Elected Members, external contractors, visitors, service users and all persons and organisations using Council’s facilities.

Contents

Topic See Page

Sustainable Development 3

Environmental Management 5

Communication of Sustainability and Environmental Policy 8

Appendix 1 Public Environmental Statement 9

Appendix 3 Other Relevant Council Policies and Procedures 11

Appendix 4 Sustainability Assessment Tool Procedure 12

Sustainability Assessment Toolkit (SAT) 13

Preliminary Sustainability Assessment 15

Comprehensive Sustainability Assessment 18






Sustainable Development

Our Commitment to Sustainable Development

Our economy and society depend on a healthy environment. To achieve this, the Council is committed to integrating sustainability throughout our operations. To deliver against this commitment the Council will: - Monitor and manage our own use of natural resources as an

organisation, as well as championing sustainability as a community leader;

- Consider the sustainability impact and environmental risks of all new policies and activities;

- Regularly report on progress in delivering our sustainability and environmental programmes;

- Ensure that Council Officers and Elected Members are regularly briefed on sustainability issues and environmental policies and practices; and

- Require contractors and others operating on our behalf to uphold the same sustainability and environmental standards.

Assessing Sustainability

Ards and North Down Borough Council is committed to screening our activities for their social, economic and environmental impacts. The assessment of sustainability will identify when significant adverse impacts may occur. If issues are identified during the screening process the activity may be reviewed, revised or have mitigation measures applied to it before it can proceed. Screening for sustainability will be applied across the organization. A procedure (see Appendix 4) will be applied to determine when an activity should be screened for its sustainability impact as well as the potential consequences from sustainability screening. Activities with higher potential for negative impacts will be screened more rigorously that those with potential for minor or relatively insignificant impacts.

Integrating Sustainability

Ards and North Down Borough Council will demonstrate its commitment to sustainability by including sustainability principles within all corporate and service level documents. A sustainability framework will be used to identify cross-cutting issues such as climate change, fuel poverty, ecosystem services and how these are considered across various council services and functions. Appendix 2 contains examples of good sustainability practice.

Continued on next page






Sustainable Development, Continued

Legal Requirements (Sustainable Development)

Duty for Sustainable Development contained within Section 25 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006.

Monitoring Sustainability Compliance

Compliance with this policy will be monitored using the performance measures contained within the Sustainable Development Framework and the Sustainability Assessment Tool Procedure. A record of mitigation measures to improve the overall sustainability of Council activities will be maintained.

Indicators of Sustainability

To ensure effective integration of sustainability throughout the Council and all Directorates, 15 KPIs, developed by council departments to monitor other aspects of performance, will be identified and also used as Sustainability Indicators for Ards and North Down Borough Council. The 15 Sustainability Indicators chosen will each link directly to 15 elements of sustainability used within the Sustainability Assessment Tool form to assess the sustainability impact of an activity. Indicators will be identified for the following:

Economic Sustainability

Social Sustainability Environmental Sustainability

Public Use of Funds Health and Wellbeing Energy

Competiveness of local businesses

Equality and Poverty Climate Change

Innovation and Job Creation

Sustainable Communities

Waste

Economic Efficiency Culture and Community Cohesion

Biodiversity

Attracting Investment Cleaner, Safer, Greener

Resource Efficiency

Related Information

Compliance with the Duty for Sustainable Development will be assessed via the Council’s:

- Sustainable Development Framework - Sustainability Assessment Procedure






Environmental Management

Required ISO 14001 Environmental Performance

Ards and North Down Borough Council is committed to continual improvement and prevention of pollution by reducing the environmental impacts that arise from our business activities and delivery of our services. Through the implementation of our Environmental Management System the Council will:

1. Set realistic and measurable objectives and targets together with an Environmental Management Programme to ensure continual improvement in environmental performance; and

2. Regularly review this policy to ensure it continues to be effective and representative of our activities and services.

We endeavor to:

1. Minimise the amount of waste generated internally and disposed of to landfill. Where reduction is not practical, seek to reuse or recycle waste and ensure the safe disposal of all waste;

2. Introduce measures to ensure good practice and the responsible use of natural resources such as water, fuel and energy;

3. Investigate and introduce, where possible, measures to minimise the release of pollutants which cause damage to land, air and water due to our activities,

4. Reduce the environmental impact of goods purchased at the same time encouraging suppliers and contracted services to improve their environmental performance

Legal Requirements (Environmental)

Ards and North Down Borough Council will comply fully, and where possible exceed, the requirements of applicable legislation and regulations and any other environmental requirements, through the application of good practice techniques. NOTE: An Environmental Legal Register is maintained within the accredited Environmental Management System

Monitoring Environmental Compliance

Environmental compliance will be monitored using the Environmental Management System auditing procedure, via the collection of environmental data and via the recording of any incidents of non-compliance. The system will be externally audited in line with the requirements of ISO 14001 verification by an appropriately qualified company.







Environmental Management, Continued

Related Environmental Information

Within the environmental management system the following documents exist which help support the implementation of this policy:

- Environmental Legislation Register - Environmental Aspects Register - Environmental Audit Reports - Environmental Corrective Action Database - Environmental Monitoring Information

Management of Environmental Aspects

This Policy applies across all of the Council’s estate, including premises and land outside the scope of the Environmental Management System. Appendix 3 contains a list of other Council policies and procedures which are relevant to our environmental aspects. The most significant environmental aspects associated with Council operations and activities include (but are not exclusive to):

Energy Energy use has a major economic and environmental

impact on both the Council and the wider North Down and Ards District.

It is the Council’s Policy to: - Promote the efficient use of energy; - Maximise economic savings through efficient

use of energy and installing low energy technology; and

- Prioritize the use of renewable energy across our entire Council estate.

Waste The Council will lead by example to help ratepayers shift the balance of waste they produce from being landfilled to being recycled.

It is the Council’s Policy to: - Promote sustainable waste management; - Minimise the amount of waste generated as a

result of Council activities; and - Follow and promote the waste hierarchy of

reduce, reuse and recycle to both internal and external stakeholders.







Environmental Management, Continued

Management of Environmental Aspects, Continued

Table continued from previous page

Pollution Pollution of air, water and ground can cause significant environmental problems due to its ability to travel outside of its initial contamination zone.

It is the Council’s policy to: - Ensure all infrastructure is suitable to prevent

pollution from occurring or from dispersing to other areas;

- Implement and communicate procedures to ensure the correct disposal (or release) of substances that council cause pollution; and

- Minimise the use of all substances that could cause pollution.

Resources Resources are purchased, used and disposed of within the Council on a daily basis. Excessive use of resources can have a negative environmental impact which in turn can negatively affect people and economic performance.

It is the Council’s policy to: - Closely monitor consumables purchased and

ensure only those items that are necessary are ordered;

- Consider the whole-life-cost of items purchased and reuse items rather than purchase new ones where possible; and

- Minimise the amount of Council documents to be printed and use electronic methods of dissemination where possible.

Biodiversity Biodiversity is essential for life as it provides use with essential goods and services that we could not live without, such as the oxygen we breathe, water we drink and food we eat.

It is the Council’s policy to: - Consider the impact of planting schemes on

wildlife and where possible choose pollinator friendly plants;

- Reduce the use of artificial fertilizer and pesticides; and

- Plan our activities to reduce disturbance to nesting birds and mammals.






Communication of Sustainability and Environmental Policy

Communication and Awareness

This policy shall be communicated in an effective and accessible manner so as to be understood and practiced by all our employees. We shall raise awareness of sustainability and environmental management among all those working for or on behalf of the Council through appropriate training and relevant dissemination of information. This Policy is actively promoted and is readily available to our employees, the public and other stakeholders.

Environmental Statement

An abridged version of this policy (see Appendix 1) will be on public display within all Council buildings. This version of the policy will help enforce our environmental and legal responsibilities, demonstrate our commitment to environmental improvement as well as enforcing our desire to publically communicate with our stakeholders.

Reporting Compliance

Compliance with legal requirements will be reported biennially in the form of a Sustainability and Environmental Progress Report. Reports on our compliance with the Statutory Duty for Sustainable Development and the Biodiversity Duty will be submitted to the relevant government departments as requested.

Consequences of Not Following this Policy

Failure to follow this policy may be considered misconduct and formal disciplinary steps, in line with the Council’s Disciplinary Policy, may be taken against person or persons deemed to be in breach.






Appendix 1 Public Environmental Statement

Public Environmental Statement

Below is a copy of the Environmental Statement on display in all Council owned and maintained buildings.






Appendix 2 Examples of Good Practice

Examples of Sustainable Good Practice in Ards and North Down Borough Council (By Directorate)

Below is a list of activities that Ards Borough Council, North Down Borough Council and Ards and North Down Borough Council have been involved in. These have been listed according to the relevant new Directorates.

Chief Executive’s Office - Community Planning - Communication

Environment Directorate - Binnovation App. - Micro-generation activities to reduce

energy use across council estate - Accredited ISO 14001 Environmental

Management System

Organisational Development and Administration Directorate

- Adoption of Sustainability Assessment Tool (SAT)

- Minute-less agendas - Employee Development Scheme

Regeneration, Development and Planning Directorate

- The STEM Project worked with businesses in the Ards and North Down area to improve environmental performance and increase resource efficiency

- Capital Projects such as Bangor Aurora, Waste Transfer Station and Recycling Centre

Finance and Performance Directorate

- Energy monitoring software installed on computers and printers

- Monitoring of energy and water use across the Council estate

Community and Wellbeing Directorate

- Civic Endeavour Awards - Community Charter - Green Flag for Kiltonga Nature Reserve - Biodiversity projects via EU funding - Natural Heritage room in North Down

Museum - Work place health schemes - Wildflower planting schemes






Appendix 3 Other Relevant Council Policies and Procedures

Other Council Policies and Procedures relevant to Environmental Aspects

NDBC Energy Policy NDBC Procurement Policy (and separate Sustainable Procurement Policy) ABC Estates Management Plan Procedures associated with the Environmental Management System:

- Disposal of Hazardous Waste - Storage and Handing of Chemicals - Emergency Preparedness and Response - Energy Conservation - Monitoring Boiler Emissions - Oil Storage - Oil Tank Filing - Spill Response - Waste Management (Non Hazardous) - Sustainable Procurement - Waste Transfer Station (North Road, Ards) - Use of Rodenticide - Disposal of Spent Rodenticide and Pesticide Packaging - Managing of Contractors - Managing Environmental Complaints - Vehicle Washing






Appendix 4 Sustainability Assessment Tool Procedure

Introduction Sustainable development, or sustainability, offers a unifying and coordinated framework that ensures efficient delivery of council services for the benefit of all citizens. Operating within the principles of sustainability means that decisions are ‘future proofed’ and will have the greatest impact on, and benefit for, the council and its stakeholders. A Sustainability Assessment Toolkit (SAT) will be used to help justify the sustainability of Council activities.

Responsibility for this procedure

The application of this procedure is control by the Director and Organizational Development & Administration and the Sustainable Development Officer.

Who/what does this procedure apply to?

The SAT is relevant across all Council departments and functions. All significant activities, including policies, strategies and operational decisions, should be screened using the SAT. The Sustainable Development Officer, activity owner and at least one critical friend undertake the assessments as part of an “Equality and Sustainability Screening Panel”.

Criteria for Sustainable Development within a Council activity

Sustainability is the achievement of an appropriate balance between economic vitality, social equity and environmental quality. The following criteria should be applied to Council activities:

1. Supports (or does not prevent) economic growth 2. Encourages (or does not prevent) social well-being 3. Promotes (or does not prevent) environmental protection






Sustainability Assessment Toolkit (SAT)

Background Sustainability, or sustainable development, is about considering economic growth, social well-being and environmental protection collectively. The well-being of the environment, of the local economy and of people is inextricably linked. The purpose of using the Sustainability Assessment Toolkit (SAT) is to ensure that decisions taken by the Council are assessed against recognized sustainability criteria.

Deciding what to assess

The application of the SAT should be proportionate to the scale and nature of the activity that is proposed. Activities to be assessed should be determined based on the following considerations:

- Size and scale - Innovation and newness of idea - Newness of activity (also consider an amended activity) - Implication on other services or departments - Potential cost - Number of people, groups of people, organizations

involved/affected - Resources needed (energy, people and consumables) - Change in procedural arrangements

Relevant activities

All policies should be screened for their sustainability impact. Other activities that should be assessed using the SAT are:

1. New strategies 2. Events 3. Capital building projects 4. Activities affecting the public realm 5. Community consultation exercises 6. Community plan 7. New projects and initiatives 8. Choosing location for new infrastructure 9. Changes to service delivery 10. Management arrangements for the Council estate

The list above is not exclusive and other activities that do not fall within the above categories should also be considered and assessed for their sustainability impact.







Sustainability Assessment Toolkit (SAT), Continued

Structure of the SAT

There are two parts to the SAT: 1. A preliminary assessment 2. A comprehensive assessment

Everything should initially be assessed using the preliminary assessment form. This will identify potential Council activities that need to undergo a more rigorous assessment using a comprehensive assessment form.

Additional Guidance

A guidance manual with more detailed information on how to apply the Sustainability Assessment Toolkit is available on the intranet






Preliminary Sustainability Assessment

Purpose To undertake a quick assessment on all relevant activities to identify

those activities requiring a more comprehensive assessment.

Preliminary assessment form







Preliminary Sustainability Assessment, Continued

How to complete the preliminary assessment form

Read through each of the 15 issues used to measure sustainability impact. Consider each one and decide if your activity will have an impact on sustainability (this can be negative or positive). If your activity will have a negative impact, will this be a minor, moderate or major impact. More information on how to determine the degree of impact is on page 6. Is it possible to mitigate against any negative sustainability impact? Complete the mitigation table on page 2 of the preliminary assessment form and reassess the impact of the activity on sustainability. Use the process chart below to decide if a FULL SAT (comprehensive assessment form) is necessary. On page 1 of the form can you justify sustainability and give authorization for the activity to take place?

Process chart for preliminary screening







Preliminary Sustainability Assessment, Continued

Determining negative sustainability (none, minor, moderate or major)

To determine if the activity will have a minor, moderate or major negative sustainability impact requires the assessor to consider the following:

- The minimum acceptable standards Obligations that may already exist e.g. air quality, waste targets, social inclusions, equality or job creation

- Trends demonstrated by existing data sets Is this particular issue on the rise or is it decreasing? Has work been undertaken to deal with an issue and this activity will stop it from working?

- Scale of any negative impact How many people will be negatively affected by the activity, how negatively could one person (or a small number of people) be affected? What size of an area will be affected?

- Permanence of any negative impact What are the long term impacts of your activity? Will the negative impact last just for the duration of the activity or will is last longer? Is the negative impact permanent and irreversible?

Justifying sustainability

Does the activity comply with sustainability criteria? If the answer to the above question is yes, and no additional mitigation is required, immediate approval can be given. If mitigation may not address any potentially negative moderate or major sustainability impacts a full (comprehensive assessment form) SAT is required and approval for the activity cannot be given until the more comprehensive assessment is complete.






Comprehensive Sustainability Assessment

Purpose To undertake a comprehensive assessment as recommended on the

basis of a preliminary assessment.

Comprehensive Assessment Form







Comprehensive Sustainability Assessment, Continued

How to complete the form

If the preliminary assessment recommends a comprehensive assessment because mitigation may not address all the negative minor and moderate impacts of sustainability, the comprehensive assessment only needs to be completed for those specific issues. If any negative major sustainability impacts were identified during the preliminary assessment, the comprehensive assessment form must be completed in full. Read through each of the questions on the separate tables for economic, social and environmental sustainability. Identify all the questions that are relevant to the activity. Based on any potentially negative sustainability impacts can you justify the activity? Complete the mitigation table on page 5 of the form. Will mitigation reduce any negative impacts to acceptable levels? Use the process chart below to decide whether authorization can be given for the activity to proceed.








Process Chart for Comprehensive Screening








Mitigation Where possible all activities with a negative sustainability impact should

be mitigated against. Where the activity will result in a negative sustainability impact, but due to the other net positive benefits permission to proceed has been granted, this permission is on the condition that all mitigation measures will be rigorously applied and reported on at suitable intervals. If mitigation is not applied, or other negative sustainability issues are identified during the application of the activity, the activity can be stopped and permission recanted. If sustainability reporting on the implementation of the activity is not maintained, permission for the activity can also be recanted.








Justifying Sustainability

1. Does the activity meet with sustainable development criteria? 2. Can you justify the sustainability and need (economic, social and

environmental) of your activity? 3. Do you recommend that this activity proceeds (with mitigation

measures in place)? If the answer is yes to all three questions authorization for the activity to proceed (with mitigation and monitoring) can be given. In some cases it is possible that a recommendation will be made that an activity does not proceed on the basis of its unsustainability.

Documents

Ards and North Down Borough Council Policy Title ......Document Control Number: ALL-POL-001-01 Document Name: Sustainability and Environmental Policy Date 1st Issued: 1st April 2015