Runnymede's Runway to Net Zero
Lead Participant:
RUNNYMEDE BOROUGH COUNCIL
Abstract
**How do you decarbonise a community in the presence of a nationally significant hard-to-decarbonise asset/industry?**
**PLACE:**
Runnymede is a small Borough in Surrey, measuring only 30 square miles with approximately 79% of its area within the Metropolitan Green Belt. Despite this idyllic sounding location, Runnymede is hampered by multiple proximate carbon producers outside its control:
\*Both the M25 and M3 bring significant traffic through the borough.
\*Runnymede is five miles from the UK's largest and busiest airport-- Heathrow.
Accessibility to Heathrow makes Runnymede a highly desirable business location. However, this also creates significant economic dependence on a hard-to-decarbonise industry and nationally significant asset. As a core member of the Heathrow Strategy Planning Group (HSPG), Runnymede is part of an "Airport Community" that covers 11 Local Authorities all facing a similar dependence.
**DECARBONISATION NEEDS:**
Runnymede Borough Council (RBC) has a 2030 Net Zero target and has recently refreshed its climate change strategy. However, powerful outside influences ensure considerable challenges remain in decarbonising the borough.
This project addresses RBC's critical needs and other HSPG authorities to:
\***Work at a "Whole System" geography.** Runnymede is a "part player" in a much larger system, best viewed at the "Airport Community" level. Local strategies (e.g. Local Area Energy Plans - LAEPs) are currently in geographical silos insufficiently joined-up.
\***Increase Influence over Externally Produced Carbon.** e.g., addressing the challenge of decarbonising through-traffic, alongside reducing the need to travel within a borough with significant out-commuting.
\***Economics/Offset-Markets.** While there is significant investment by Heathrow and local businesses in Net Zero, economic benefits (e.g. international offsets) are largely flowing out of the region.
**OUR PROJECT:**
Our project takes a "whole system" view of Runnymede, conceptualising the Borough as part of a wider HSPG Airport Community to tackle how to influence currently uncontrolled actors through:
\***Coordination/Governance:** Improving coordination, scenario-planning, prioritisation and investment within the Airport Community context.
\***Behaviour Change and Influence:** Developing mechanisms to improve influence and coordination with external regions where carbon emissions originate.
\***Delivering Local Benefits:** Working with Heathrow and large international businesses to enable decarbonisation funding (insets/offsets) to be recycled locally to maximise change.
**INNOVATION:**
Our project innovates by considering levers of influence within the concept of "functional carbon areas" and developing new co-operative approaches and synergies to unlock key barriers and maximise mutual benefits within the Heathrow Community. Our innovations cover joint governance, interoperability (e.g. of LAEPs), facilitating behaviour change, developing policy, and promoting offset-finance.
**PLACE:**
Runnymede is a small Borough in Surrey, measuring only 30 square miles with approximately 79% of its area within the Metropolitan Green Belt. Despite this idyllic sounding location, Runnymede is hampered by multiple proximate carbon producers outside its control:
\*Both the M25 and M3 bring significant traffic through the borough.
\*Runnymede is five miles from the UK's largest and busiest airport-- Heathrow.
Accessibility to Heathrow makes Runnymede a highly desirable business location. However, this also creates significant economic dependence on a hard-to-decarbonise industry and nationally significant asset. As a core member of the Heathrow Strategy Planning Group (HSPG), Runnymede is part of an "Airport Community" that covers 11 Local Authorities all facing a similar dependence.
**DECARBONISATION NEEDS:**
Runnymede Borough Council (RBC) has a 2030 Net Zero target and has recently refreshed its climate change strategy. However, powerful outside influences ensure considerable challenges remain in decarbonising the borough.
This project addresses RBC's critical needs and other HSPG authorities to:
\***Work at a "Whole System" geography.** Runnymede is a "part player" in a much larger system, best viewed at the "Airport Community" level. Local strategies (e.g. Local Area Energy Plans - LAEPs) are currently in geographical silos insufficiently joined-up.
\***Increase Influence over Externally Produced Carbon.** e.g., addressing the challenge of decarbonising through-traffic, alongside reducing the need to travel within a borough with significant out-commuting.
\***Economics/Offset-Markets.** While there is significant investment by Heathrow and local businesses in Net Zero, economic benefits (e.g. international offsets) are largely flowing out of the region.
**OUR PROJECT:**
Our project takes a "whole system" view of Runnymede, conceptualising the Borough as part of a wider HSPG Airport Community to tackle how to influence currently uncontrolled actors through:
\***Coordination/Governance:** Improving coordination, scenario-planning, prioritisation and investment within the Airport Community context.
\***Behaviour Change and Influence:** Developing mechanisms to improve influence and coordination with external regions where carbon emissions originate.
\***Delivering Local Benefits:** Working with Heathrow and large international businesses to enable decarbonisation funding (insets/offsets) to be recycled locally to maximise change.
**INNOVATION:**
Our project innovates by considering levers of influence within the concept of "functional carbon areas" and developing new co-operative approaches and synergies to unlock key barriers and maximise mutual benefits within the Heathrow Community. Our innovations cover joint governance, interoperability (e.g. of LAEPs), facilitating behaviour change, developing policy, and promoting offset-finance.
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| RUNNYMEDE BOROUGH COUNCIL | £7,646 | £ 7,646 |
Participant |
||
| CITY SCIENCE CORPORATION LIMITED | £74,400 | £ 52,080 |
| LONDON BOROUGH OF HOUNSLOW | £11,900 | £ 11,900 |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Marcel Steward (Project Manager) |