Councillors voted unanimously to adopt a new climate change document that will be taken into account when considering planning matters.

East Cambridgeshire District Council agreed to implement its new climate change supplementary planning document (SPD) following a unanimous vote by members at the council’s finance and assets committee.

Now that the climate change SPD has been adopted by the council it will become a material consideration to be used by the council’s planning department in all future planning decisions.

The council says the climate change SPD will "help the planning system achieve developments which have a lower impact on the climate and will encourage developers to do their bit to help mitigate their impacts on our environment".

The document seeks to "ensure that developers have the environment at the forefront of their application".

It also includes guidance relating to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, increasing the energy efficiency and adaptability of buildings as well as safeguarding renewable energy infrastructure.

Councillor David Brown, chairman of the finance and assets committee, said: “We all have a role to play to protect the environment and reduce climate change and, as a council, this is something we take very seriously.

“The climate change SPD aims to make the environment a priority consideration and, alongside our natural environment SPD, will allow us to make sure developers take steps to reduce their impact on our climate and boost the natural environment across the district.

“These two documents complement each other and I would encourage everyone who hasn’t seen them already to read them to further understand the steps being taken by the council to safeguard the environment for future generations.”

To view the climate change SPD, as agreed at committee, visit the SPD homepage.