AD1 Task 2: Assess opportunities to reduce risk and improve resilience

Sub tasks

1. Area/Catchment scale: assess opportunities for strategic management of high temperatures
2. Area/Catchment scale: assess opportunities to promote green infrastructure development
3. Area/Catchment scale: assess opportunities to help habitats and species adapt to high temperatures
4. Neighbourhood/Building scale: assess opportunities to deliver new developments that manage high temperatures
5. Neighbourhood/Building scale: assess opportunities to retrofit existing developments to help manage high temperature

Approach

You should now have an understanding of the probability of high temperatures and the adaptive capacity of people and assets in your area. This stage is about scoping adaptive measures that will help manage high temperatures. The opportunities should be considered according to a spatial scale (see defining spatial scale) and may include design measures which minimise the need for a physical adaptation measure.

Section 4.1 of TCPA’s Climate Change Adaptation by Design Guide will help you scope adaptive measures to manage high temperatures as part of sub task 1; it provides a number of case studies for reference.

Sub-task 2 will overlap with sub-tasks for other policy objectives, including flood risk management and water availability and quality management. In this context, green infrastructure may include tree-lined avenues for shaded connectivity or shaded outdoor space. For guidance on the development of green infrastructure at a strategic and site specific scale please refer to Natural England’s guidance which includes a range of case studies.

Blue infrastructure such as open water and water features also provide relief from high temperatures and should be considered alongside green infrastructure opportunities, to manage this and other risk areas.

For sub-task 3 consider using Biodiversity South West’s pages to help identify opportunities to help biodiversity to adapt to climate change.

For sub-task 4 you may wish to refer to the adaptation checklist for development.

For sub-task 5 you may wish to carry out a study which assesses the opportunities to retrofit housing with adaptive measures in your area. These measures cannot be delivered through planning alone as it relies on existing development coming forward for other work, such as extensions or change of use. However, the findings can be used to inform activities in other departments, such as community services.

For guidance on how to develop your evidence base into policy see translating evidence into policy. This includes some examples of potential adaptation measures. Below are two case studies for managing high temperatures. For further resources and examples of good practice please see the good practice and case studies section.