MD to hear of Decarbonising Zone for Cavan Town area

Cavan County Council is in the process of assessing a suitable Decarbonising Zone (DZ) in the county as part of the Government’s Climate Action Plan 2019.

The requirements for a decarbonising zone are urban areas with populations no less than 5,000, or rural areas with an area of not less than four square kilometres.

The local authority has identified that the area incorporating Cavan Town does include the required population, and a number of public buildings and commercial sector elements.

It is intended Cavan County Council will submit the appropriate map of the identified decarbonising zone to the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage by the end of April 2021.

Cavan County Council policy will consider: transport, public and civic buildings, green spaces and biodiversity, land and environmental value, air quality, waste management, infrastructure, community and social infrastructure, and renewable energy infrastructure.

The Government’s Climate Action Plan 2019 requires local authorities to identify and develop plans for one Decarbonising Zone. The Government sees such zones as an important part of local energy planning and policy development. A Decarbonising Zone is an area identified by the local authority where a range of climate mitigation measures can exist to address local low carbon energy, greenhouse gas emissions and climate needs.

This can include a range of technologies and measures addressing electricity, heat, transport, building energy efficiency, carbon sequestration and energy storage. In noting the issue on the agenda, councillors were told that a detailed presentation would be given on the matter at the next meeting of the Cavan Belturbet Municipal District Meeting.