Climate Change
Why it will transform the values, ambition and delivery of the planning system in Northern Ireland.

Climate change will have dramatic implications for all our cities and particularly those vulnerable to sea level rise. Increased risk of flooding will have a disproportionate effect on those on low incomes who cannot access insurance cover or afford to move away from higher risk areas. The planning system has a crucial role to play in reducing emissions and building the resilience of homes and communities. There is a growing realisation throughout the British Isles that the familiar regulatory planning system will become but one component of a wider spatial planning programme driven by a new sense of urgent purpose in delivery. The economic future of cities like Belfast will be directly related to success in developing low-carbon technology and in adapting to key climate impacts.

The seminar which is organised by Friends of the Earth and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) will explore the policy development on climate and planning in the rest of the UK and in particular the cross-sector coalition statement on planning and climate launched in Westminster in December. It will report on adaptation initiatives from across Europe, focus on the future challenges for Belfast and identify real solutions on issues such as energy which can lead us to a low-carbon economy.

Speaking at the event will be:

Dr Hugh Ellis, TCPA
Hugh Ellis will focus on the scale of the challenge facing us on climate change and what the planning system can do to find real solutions. It will focus on the work of a wide-ranging coalition which published a position statement for England on how planning can help communities reduce emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

Declan Allison, Friends of the Earth
Declan Allison will consider what climate change could mean for Belfast, should inland flooding due to high rainfall coincide with a spring tide and the sea level rises predicted by the Copenhagen science.

Dr Anna Watson, Friends of the Earth
Anna Watson will provide a socio-economic context for climate change, considering the impacts on the uninsured and those unable to move away from flood-prone areas.

Diane Smith, TCPA
Diane Smith is senior manager for the Europe-wide GRaBs project which is exploring how we can respond to the climate adaptation challenge. There is particular focus on the positive European experience of creating ‘green and blue urban space’ to make communities more resilient and create better places to live.

Prof Greg Lloyd, University of Ulster
Greg Lloyd will expand on how spatial planning is key to delivering practical and effective responses to the demands of climate change and why thinking on spatial planning in the rest of UK and Europe will inevitably transform the values, ambition and delivery of the planning system in Northern Ireland.

Rob Shaw, AECOM consultancy
Rob Shaw has extensive private and public sector experience of planning for energy and was a major contributor to the planning and climate position statement for England. His presentation will focus on possibilities for energy planning including heat maps and maximising the potential for decentralised energy networks.

Directions and a map to the venue can be found by following the link below:
http://tinyurl.com/ycdzrgf

On-site car parking is available at the Odyssey complex. Parking costs are charged at £0.80 per hour, although there is a pre-pay option available where cost for up to six hours is charged at £3.00.
Please enter via the main Pavilion doors of the Odyssey complex.

Please RSVP for the event including any special requirements before Monday 8thFebruary 2010by email to stephanie.kerr@foe.co.ukor by fax to 028 9024 7556.