Green tick for council’s environmental standards

South Derbyshire District Council is continuing to lead the way when it comes to going green, inspectors have ruled.

The authority has been certified with the flagship British Standard ISO14001, which recognises the efforts or businesses and organisations in managing and minimising their environmental impact.

The council was one of the first organisations globally to achieve the revised standard two years ago, with the re-certification acting as confirmation of its commitment to working innovatively and sustainably for the benefit of South Derbyshire residents.

Examples of such work include significant energy reduction and cost savings at its leisure centre sites, as well as facilitating the creation of a 3.5MW solar farm located on a once considered undevelopable brownfield site in Linton.

In 2016, more than 50 renewable air source heat pumps were installed in council-owned homes, helping to make heating them more affordable and dramatically reducing emissions.

Specifically commended was the delivery of the state-of-the-art Apex indoor climbing zone at Green Bank Leisure Centre in Swadlincote, while the successful adoption of the Local Plan Part 1 was hailed for setting the future vision for development in the district in a controlled and sustainable way.

Cllr Peter Watson, Chairman of South Derbyshire District Council’s Environmental and Development Services Committee, said: “At an uncertain time for local government, ensuring we are acting sustainably in everything we do is a priority.

“Enhancing environmental standards and planning for future risk are both key aims of our Corporate Plan. A changing climate has thrust issues like flooding and fuel poverty higher up the agenda and we must make sure that we’re delivering services that are both resilient and support our residents.

“The ISO14001 standard covers a whole range of areas, from energy consumption to the fuel use of our vehicles, and we’re delighted that the inspector recognised the efforts of our dedicated team to improve things further.

“A cleaner and greener South Derbyshire is to the benefit of us all.”

14 March 2017