Growing plans for Erewash’s future

Erewash Borough Council headquarters in Long Eaton. Photo by Eddie Bisknell.

Erewash Borough Council will consider how to improve biodiversity and local energy at a Council Executive meeting on 13th January.

A draft Biodiversity Report will be presented.

Residents can expect updates every 5 years from this report about how the council could conserve and enhance biodiversity. Biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal life in a habitat – the higher this is, the better!

A healthier more diverse habitat means better water and air quality, better soil nutrients, more pollinators and a better overall environment to live in.

A major achievement from efforts so far included management plans for 12 Local Nature Reserves in Erewash. The creation of Pewit Coronation Meadows, a new 25-acre space which opened in June last year, was part of these plans.

The borough council also successfully planted a targeted 2,250 trees across the borough, contributing to improved air quality, natural flood management, and green infrastructure.

Looking to the future, suggestions involve initiatives like considering eight council owned locations for “local habitat banking”. This would allow the council to restore or create habitats and support local developments where habitat creation isn’t feasible. Further projects include the creation of wet woodland and floodplain restoration, woodland planting, mixed orchards and food forests, and a review of urban green infrastructure and resilient planting.

The meeting will also consider a draft Local Area Energy Plan which has identified a possible road map for achieving net zero. Net zero means balancing greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide and methane, with the amount removed from the atmosphere.

This means a need to decarbonise where possible, as much as possible, and then enable our environment to handle the remaining carbon.

The plan has been created in collaboration with consultants, representatives from the council, the community and wider stakeholder engagement. Together, a pathway has been created towards achieving net zero by 2050 with local energy security, resilience and flexibility, plans to tackle fuel poverty and warmer, more affordable homes across the borough.

The borough council is working with South Derbyshire on the plan with an aim to support energy efficiency, improve electric vehicle infrastructure and more. Renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels for new electricity generation, so this work could help to save money in the future as well as protect the environment.

Councillor Mark Alfrey who is Lead Member for Environment at Erewash Borough Council said: “We rely on biodiversity for everything we need to survive – from food, energy and medicine to fresh water, pest control and more. That’s why we’re committed to carrying out initiatives to improve biodiversity in our borough.

“The Local Area Energy Plan is also an important step to support decarbonisation as part of our Climate Change Strategy to help protect our planet. If you’d like to get involved and share your concerns and ideas about tackling climate change, please visit our Let’s Talk Climate hub.”