High carbon infrastructure and fossil fuel extraction planning

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Climate Emergency UK

Dear Reading Borough Council,

Please treat this as a Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulations request.

I would like information about your council’s planning in relation to climate action for the Council Climate Action Scorecards. This information is most likely to be held by a planning officer or similar.

In particular, please supply me with information relating to the following questions:
a. Has the Council approved any new *1 or expanded *2 roads or road junctions in its area from 1st January 2019 until 1st January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted.

*1 The intention of this question is to understand overall increases in road capacity, rather than recent housing developments. Please exclude minor roads built exclusively to connect new housing to the pre-existing road network.

*2 An expanded road or road junction is one that has increased capacity for motor vehicle traffic, not counting bus lanes, cycle infrastructure, or pedestrian infrastructure. Please include roads and junctions where new lanes have been added.

b. Has the council approved any new or expanded airport runways, terminals, measures to increase passenger numbers or other planning proposals that expand airport capacity in its area since 1st January 2019 until 1st January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted.

c. Has the Council approved any planning applications for fossil fuel extraction projects proposed in its area since 1st January 2019 until 1st January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted, including where relevant fossil fuel projects that were later ‘called in’ by central government.
By fossil fuel extraction projects we mean: any oil wells and fields (on or offshore), coal mines, fracking and shale gas, gas, natural (including liquified) gas (on or off shore) plants, and unabated fossil fuel generation and power plants well as related infrastructure such as pipelines and terminals for the fossil fuels.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours faithfully,

Hannah Jewell, Climate Emergency UK

FOI, CRT, Reading Borough Council

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1 Attachment

Reference: FOI-479069862
Date of request: 17/01/2023
Title of request: High carbon infrastructure and fossil fuel extraction
planning

Dear Hannah Jewell,

Please accept this e-mail as acknowledgement that your recent Freedom  of
Information request has been received by Reading Borough Council. You
should expect to receive a response within 20 working days from the date
your request was received.

 

Please note, if your request is received on a weekend or bank holiday your
request will be registered as being received on the next working day.

Kind regards,

FOI Team

The FOI Team, Reading Borough Council

Reference: FOI-479069862
Date of request: 17/01/2023
Title of request: High carbon infrastructure and fossil fuel extraction
planning
Information request:

Dear Reading Borough Council,

 

Please treat this as a Freedom of Information/Environmental Information
Regulations request.

 

I would like information about your council’s planning in relation to
climate action for the Council Climate Action Scorecards. This information
is most likely to be held by a planning officer or similar.

 

In particular, please supply me with information relating to the following
questions:

a. Has the Council approved any new *1 or expanded *2 roads or road
junctions in its area from 1st January 2019 until 1st January 2023? Please
list which ones were accepted.

 

*1 The intention of this question is to understand overall increases in
road capacity, rather than recent housing developments. Please exclude
minor roads built exclusively to connect new housing to the pre-existing
road network.

 

*2 An expanded road or road junction is one that has increased capacity
for motor vehicle traffic, not counting bus lanes, cycle infrastructure,
or pedestrian infrastructure. Please include roads and junctions where new
lanes have been added.

 

b. Has the council approved any new or expanded airport runways,
terminals, measures to increase passenger numbers or other planning
proposals that expand airport capacity in its area since 1st January 2019
until 1st January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted.

 

c. Has the Council approved any planning applications for fossil fuel
extraction projects proposed in its area since 1st January 2019 until 1st
January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted, including where
relevant fossil fuel projects that were later ‘called in’ by central
government.

By fossil fuel extraction projects we mean: any oil wells and fields (on
or offshore), coal mines, fracking and shale gas, gas, natural (including
liquified) gas (on or off shore) plants, and unabated fossil fuel
generation and power plants well as related infrastructure such as
pipelines and terminals for the fossil fuels.

 

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Hannah Jewell, Climate Emergency UK

Dear Hannah Jewell,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

 

Thank you for your recent request received by the Council on 17 January
2023.

 

You have requested the following information under the provisions of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000:

 

1. Has the Council approved any new *1 or expanded *2 roads or road
junctions in its area from 1st January 2019 until 1st January 2023? Please
list which ones were accepted.

 

The intention of this question is to understand overall increases in road
capacity, rather than recent housing developments. Please exclude minor
roads built exclusively to connect new housing to the pre-existing road
network.

 

An expanded road or road junction is one that has increased capacity for
motor vehicle traffic, not counting bus lanes, cycle infrastructure, or
pedestrian infrastructure. Please include roads and junctions where new
lanes have been added.

 

2. Has the council approved any new or expanded airport runways,
terminals, measures to increase passenger numbers or other planning
proposals that expand airport capacity in its area since 1st January 2019
until 1st January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted.

 

3. Has the Council approved any planning applications for fossil fuel
extraction projects proposed in its area since 1st January 2019 until 1st
January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted, including where
relevant fossil fuel projects that were later ‘called in’ by central
government.

By fossil fuel extraction projects we mean: any oil wells and fields (on
or offshore), coal mines, fracking and shale gas, gas, natural (including
liquified) gas (on or off shore) plants, and unabated fossil fuel
generation and power plants well as related infrastructure such as
pipelines and terminals for the fossil fuels.

 

Our response is as follows:

 

 

1 Has the Council approved any new *1 or expanded *2 roads or road
junctions in its area from 1st January 2019 until 1st January 2023? Please
list which ones were accepted.

 None during this period.

 

2. Has the council approved any new or expanded airport runways,
terminals, measures to increase passenger numbers or other planning
proposals that expand airport capacity in its area since 1st January 2019
until 1st January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted.

 Answer: NONE

3. Has the Council approved any planning applications for fossil fuel
extraction projects proposed in its area since 1st January 2019 until 1st
January 2023? Please list which ones were accepted, including where
relevant fossil fuel projects that were later ‘called in’ by central
government.

Answer: NONE

On the Reading Borough Council Website there is a publication scheme where
you can [1]search previous Freedom of Information requests that have been
responded to, to locate an answer to a future FOI request.

If you are unhappy with this response to your request for information
under the Freedom of Information Act then you may ask for an internal
review. Please make a request in writing to the Information Governance
Team at [2][email address]. If you request such a review and are not
content with its outcome, then you have a right to apply directly to the
Information Commissioner for a decision.  The Information Commissioner can
be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Kind regards,

FOI Team

References

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