Residents, businesses and community groups are invited to share their experiences of extreme heat, drought and flooding to help the council prepare and respond to the increasing risks posed by extreme weather events.
Peterborough is expected to face continuing impacts from climate-related hazards and the authority is actively working to help protect residents, businesses, buildings and infrastructure.
As part of this work, the council was awarded a grant from the Shared Prosperity Fund to develop a Climate Adaptation Plan to assess the city’s vulnerabilities and outline a strategic approach to improving resilience. The plan sets out a vision for a resilient city, with actions including enhancing green infrastructure, highlighting weather risks to residents, using sustainable drainage systems to better manage flood water, protecting vulnerable residents during extreme weather, and ensuring future development is designed to cope with a changing climate.
To help shape our approach, residents are being asked to share their views as part of a public consultation which launches today and runs until Monday 19 October.
The consultation explores extreme heat, drought and flooding and aims to gather local experiences, identify organisations already helping communities adapt, and understand which adaptation measures people value most.
Councillor Wiggin, Cabinet Member for Environment said: "Many people across Peterborough have experienced flooding, heat stress or drought in recent years and just this summer we have had an extended drought followed by widespread flooding. As a council, we are fully committed to helping protect residents now and in future.
"By taking part in this consultation and sharing your experiences, you'll help us better understand local challenges and opportunities to build a more resilient city. I would urge everyone to complete our survey to highlight local groups doing great work, suggest who we should be speaking to, and tell us which adaptation measures matter most to you. This will only take a few minutes of your time and your feedback will be vitally important."
The plan takes a proactive, evidence-based approach to reducing climate vulnerabilities while supporting sustainable development and community resilience. It includes recommended actions to protect against the impact of climate events. It is proposed that the adaptation measures and their respective prioritisation scores are used to guide the climate adaptation programme. The Climate Adaptation Plan will be updated following the consultation and will be considered for adoption by Peterborough City Council. If supported, projects will be scoped, and funding sought to deliver the actions suggested. The council would establish the adaptation programme and its Steering Group, seeking to build a more resilient Peterborough together.
A series of short videos and online polls focusing on extreme weather will also be released throughout the consultation, helping residents learn more about the impacts of extreme weather and share their views.
Have your say by visiting: Peterborough Climate Adaptation Plan Consultation