Westmeath County Council has started the process of assessing a suitable Decarbonising Zone for the county. A public consultation to contribute to the decision to designate a town or area will commence on Tuesday the 11th of May 2021.
A Decarbonising Zone (DZ) is defined as a spatial area in which a range of climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity measures and action owners are identified to address local low carbon energy, greenhouse gas emissions and climate needs to contribute to national climate action targets.
The Decarbonising Zone (DZ) shall be either (i) an urban area or agglomeration with a population not less than 5000 persons, or (ii) a rural area with an area of not less than 4km2.
The nomination of a Decarbonising Zone (DZ) for the county of Westmeath is a specific duty on the Local Authority and comes from the 2019 Climate Action Bill. The DZ will become an important testbed for the various strategies plans and ideas, that will contribute to the overall target for the country to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Westmeath County Council invites the various community groups throughout the county to engage in this exciting process, as we hope to capture the ideas, energy and enthusiasm of all. All submissions received will be reviewed by the Council and will inform the decision. The DZ nomination will be completed and announced publicly by the 30th June 2021.
Full details on preparing a submission are available through the Westmeath County Council consultation portal at consult.westmeathcoco.ie. The closing date for submissions is the 24th May 2021.
Content Last Updated/Reviewed: 10/05/2021
