High carbon infrastructure and fossil fuel extraction planning

Dear Wirral Metropolitan 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