NPF4 planning guidance: policy 2 - climate mitigation and adaptation

5. Determining planning applications: climate adaptation

5.0.1 This section sets out advice to applicants on how to approach adaptation, including the steps that can be taken to inform and support their application. Additionally, this information will help inform planning authorities in their consideration of whether the application is adapted to current and future risks from climate change. This includes consideration of whether there are climate risks requiring adaptation and, if so, whether those adaptation measures have been integrated into the development proposal.

5.0.2 Adaptation includes the actions and solutions taken to respond to current and future climate impacts. Integrating adaptation measures into the siting and design of development can benefit the development, and collectively can benefit our places, increasing our resilience to a changing climate. There are a wide range of opportunities to build-in climate adaptation, with no single approach. This allows for a high degree of innovation and diversity of approaches taking into account the individual circumstances of the development proposal. See also Chapter 3 which gives guidance on climate adaptation in the local development planning process.

5.1 A proportionate approach

5.1.1 All development types can benefit from integrating, in a proportionate manner, adaptation measures into proposals, whether that be creating resilient designs, constructing with resilient materials, installing rainwater collection tanks or establishing a new drainage network. The decision-maker (usually the planning authority) will determine, in dialogue with the developer, whether and what information is needed to accompany a planning application to demonstrate that a project has been sited and designed to adapt to current and future risks from climate change.

5.1.2 Taking action at the early phases of the project design increases the availability of options to address and minimise climate impacts, whilst also supporting the principle of early planning and preparation rather than late response and recovery.

5.1.3 Crucial to adapting our built environment is ensuring the process is place-based, evidenced, and centred on the Place Principle. In line with the approach for LDPs (see Section 3.1) the sequential process that enables adaptation measures to be identified and integrated into development includes gathering evidence from existing information sources on:

• the baseline or observed climate;
• the future climate and how it may change over time; and
• the climate risks and impacts.

Relevant information sources are set out in Section 7 – Annex.

5.1.4 The adaptation needs of a project can be informed by the LDP, for instance where the LDP states that an adaptation issue needs to be addressed or identifies a lack of information. Discussion with statutory consultees will help in identifying which effects of climate change are relevant to the proposal and where further information may be needed. This may include for instance, flood risk assessment or further consideration of water availability/scarcity, wildfire or overheating risks.

5.1.5 The gathering of evidence enables the selection of adaptation measures and solutions to create well-adapted places. The following guidance focuses on the process of selecting adaptation measures at the project level. Additionally, the resources in Section 7 - Annex include specific projects, reports, plans or approaches that can be used to aid the process of identifying appropriate adaptation measures.

5.2 Adaptation by siting

5.2.1 Adaptation by siting includes responding to those climate risks and impacts that can be addressed spatially. For example this may include avoiding risks from coastal erosion, sea-level rise, flooding from a local river or urban heat islands by placing important and vulnerable aspects of the proposal remote from these risks, or integrating nature-based solutions and planting to alleviate them where relevant or applicable.

5.2.2 Adaptation by siting can also ensure a development contributes to the wider climate resilience of a place, by for example, linking up with a sustainable drainage network or supplementing local green and blue infrastructure services that have been identified by the LDP, other adaptation plans, or collaborations.

5.3 Adaptation by design

5.3.1 Adaptation solutions that apply for the duration of the project lifespan can be integrated by design. Adaptation measures most appropriate for a proposal will differ in each case and respond to the context, mitigating potential impacts that would affect the vulnerability of those who will occupy the development proposal.

5.3.2 At all scales of development, design options that address climate hazards and impacts and help create well-adapted places can include architectural design measures that:

• are climate-conscious both in terms of their GHG emissions (e.g. embodied emissions) and contribution to adaptation outcomes.
• maximising passive gains; e.g. orientation, topography and incorporating natural features of the location/ site.
• incorporating blue-green features that can also support co-benefits for biodiversity, reduce pollution, and/or alleviate temperature extremes.
• resourcing efficient materials and designs that are resilient to weathering, or water ingress and which are easily maintained, replaceable or repairable.
• incorporating and integrating multifunctional Blue Green Infrastructure that provides effective surface water management and manages increases in volume and intensity of rainfall events/ offers cooling and shading, and supports strategic drainage needs.
• installing resilient, adaptable and sustainable services (water, waste water, electricity supply, communications, etc.).
• appropriate management, restoration and enhancement of natural and semi-natural habitats, including the design of landscaping that better copes with short and longer term weather extremes/ events.
• identifying ‘no-regrets’ solutions that help realise win-win social, environmental and economic outcomes.

5.3.3 Building Regulations: Existing building regulations include a set of measures that support the designing-in of adaptation measures, including:

• Building regulations: overheating risk - Scottish building regulations now include measures to address overheating in new homes and some other new residential buildings. Such buildings must be designed and constructed so that the risk to the health of the occupants from overheating is reduced, with developers asked to consider two of the key elements of design which can contribute to or mitigate overheating risk – management of excessive solar gain through glazing; and, the provision of ventilation to assist in cooling (Standard 3.28 Overheating risk).
• Building regulations: flood risk– a working group is reviewing and updating the guidance to Standard 3.3 (Flooding and groundwater) within the Building Standards Technical Handbooks. A particular focus is on property flood resilience (PFR) for new buildings and new building work. Any updated guidance will be applicable to all future new buildings at flood risk.

5.3.4 Additionally, for future reference, the Scottish Government is involved in UK-wide work to update climate data which informs resources such as wind-driven rain maps and to understand how this may provide a more informed approach to future building specification.

5.4 Designing for adaptability

5.4.1 Control or management of an impact or risk may require addressing it at the outset. However, in some circumstances, an approach that enables adaptations to be made in the future may be appropriate to deal with known risks that may increase with time, but don’t require a response at the outset. This could be the case where the following criteria can be answered positively:

a) the risk/ impact is at an acceptable level currently but it may or can be expected to develop and worsen in the future; and

b) options exist, and it is feasible, to design in flexibility, install / integrate an adaptation measure at a future point in time to manage the specific impact.

5.4.2 Such an adaptive management approach requires the monitoring of a climate risk and introducing the adaptation measure or approach as and when required. An appropriate point in time may be when a specific component of the development is due for maintenance or upgrade and a new adapted installation can be made to address the impact. Alternatively it may take place where a specific threshold has been reached that triggers the need for the measure (see for instance the Dynamic Adaptive Pathway in Coastal Change Adaptation Plan Guidance).

5.4.3 In taking the above approach a demonstration of the flexibility/ adaptability of the proposal to accommodate the required changes in the future should be demonstrated.

5.5 Environmental Impact Assessment

5.5.1 For developments that require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), a description of the likely significant effects of the development result from vulnerability of the project to climate change will be considered as appropriate in the EIA Report (see Circular 1/2017). IEMA provide best practice EIA guidance on Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation^[26], including on methods for undertaking climate risk assessments and responding with adaptation measures.

5.6 Reporting

5.6.1 Where relevant and appropriate, the developer can prepare a short report to support the application. This report can outline the measures that have been taken to adapt to a changing climate. The following prompts provide a template for presenting this information:

• Brief description of the development proposal (if not included as part of reporting on mitigation).
• Description of the climate trends and likely climate risks and impacts relevant to the project’s location, both currently and into the future, for the duration of the development.
• What measures or actions have been taken in the siting of the development proposal to ensure it is adapted to current and future climate risks? For example, is the development integrated with or introduce a functional blue and green infrastructure network that benefits site and area wide water management needs? Describe what avoidance has taken place to address flood risk or other climate risks, where relevant.
• What measures or actions have been taken in the design of the development proposal to ensure it is adapted to current and future climate risks? For instance, does it integrate measures to cope with intense rainfall and attenuating water onsite; make use of resilient materials and design to cope with strong winds or more intense heat; or include measures to cope with changes in water availability and periods of drought?