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Plans to make Dorset net zero by 2045 to be discussed at meeting next week

ELECTRIC vehicles, solar power on buildings and land, as well as retrofitting buildings are at the heart of plans to make Dorset a net-zero county by 2045.

Dorset Council has outlined ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions across the council and the wider county as a whole.

Targets, originally set in 2020, have been updated to make the authority net-zero by 2035 and the county by 2045.

They are outlined in the updated Dorset Council Plan 2024-29.

The plans to make Dorset Council net-zero include:

  • making all council vehicles electric by 2030
  • transitioning to low-carbon fuels for larger vehicles by 2026
  • offering more electric pool cars for business travel
  • retrofitting more eco-friendly heating systems in council buildings by 2028, as well as installing LED lighting upgrades
  • installing solar power on council buildings to deliver 5MW by 2030
  • consider more larger-scale renewable energy installations on council land

Members of the council’s Place and Resources Overview Committee will consider the proposals next week.

Cllr Nick Ireland, leader of Dorset Council and the cabinet member for climate, said: “As a rural, coastal county, it is crucial that we act now to address the climate and nature emergencies to protect the lives, livelihoods and ecosystems of Dorset’s current and future generations.

“Climate change and nature loss are huge global and national issues, but many of the solutions can be found locally. By acting now, we can build stronger, more resilient communities, drive growth in our local economy, and help nature thrive in Dorset.”

As well as the Dorset Council Plan, the meeting next week will also discuss the first draft of the Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which aims to ‘restore and enhance’ nature across the county.

For more details, and to see the documents ahead of the meeting, from 10am on January 30, see dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.

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I am the editor in chief of Blackmore Vale media, which includes the New Blackmore Vale, New Stour & Avon, Salisbury & Avon Gazette and the Purbeck Gazette, having been a reporter for some 20 years. In my spare time, I am a festival lover, with a particular focus on Glastonbury. I live in Somerset with my wife and two children.