Agenda Document Pack - Climate Change and Sustainability Committee - 10/11/2025
Perth and Kinross Council · 10 November 2025
Back to Climate Change and Sustainability Committee — 10 November 2025 and its agenda
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Ambition | Compassion | Integrity Our vision is for a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Council Building 2 High Street Perth PH1 5PH 03/11/2025 A hybrid meeting of the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee will be held in the Council Chamber on Monday, 10 November 2025 at 09:30. If you have any queries please contact Democratic Services on (01738) 475000 or email Committee@pkc.gov.uk. THOMAS GLEN Chief Executive Those attending the meeting are requested to ensure that all notifications are silent on their device and other devices are in silent mode. Please note that the meeting will be broadcast online and recorded. The recording will be publicly available on the Council’s website following the meeting. Members: Councillor Richard Watters (Convener) Councillor Liz Barrett (Vice-Convener) Councillor Hugh Anderson Councillor Andy Chan Councillor Ken Harvey Councillor David Illingworth Councillor Noah Khogali Councillor Grant Laing Depute Provost Andrew Parrott Councillor Grant Stewart Councillor Jack Welch Page 1 of 110
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Climate Change and Sustainability Committee Monday, 10 November 2025 Agenda Members are reminded of their obligation to declare any financial or non- financial interest which they may have in any item on this agenda in accordance with the councillors’ code of conduct. 1 WELCOME AND APOLOGIES 2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 3 MINUTE OF MEETING OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE OF 20 AUGUST 2025 FOR APPROVAL (copy herewith) 5 - 8 4 OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (copy herewith 25/296) 9 - 10 5 PERTH AND KINROSS OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM ANNUAL REPORT 2024-25 Report by Strategic Lead - Housing and Communities (copy herewith 25/301) 11 - 20 6 ANNUAL UPDATE ON THE DELIVERY PLAN 2024-29 FOR PERTH AND KINROSS LOCAL HEAT & ENERGY EFFICIENCY STRATEGY AND LOCAL AREA ENERGY PLAN 2024-45 Report by Strategic Lead - Economy, Development and Planning (copy herewith 25/297) 21 - 56 7 PUBLIC BODIES CLIMATE CHANGE DUTIES COMPLIANCE REPORTING 2025 - CARBON EMISSIONS Report by Strategic Lead - Environment and Infrastructure (copy herewith 25/298) 57 - 68 8 THE FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 2009 PUBLICATION OF CYCLE 2 INTERIM REPORT Report by Strategic Lead - Environment and Infrastructure (copy herewith 25/300) 69 - 110 9 PERTH SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN Report by Strategic Lead - Environment and Infrastructure Note: This report has been withdrawn Page 3 of 110
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Climate Change and Sustainability Committee Minute of hybrid meeting of the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee held in the Council Chambers on 20 August 2025 at 10.00am. Present: Councillors R Watters, L Barrett, H Anderson, Bailie R Brock (substituting for Councillor D Cuthbert), A Forbes, D Illingworth, N Khogali, G Laing, A Parrott, G Stewart, J Welch; and Mr J Ferguson. In Attendance: C Mailer, Depute Chief Executive; F Crofts, Strategic Lead – Environment and Infrastructure; D Grant, P Leonard, O Law, A Harris and K Steven (all Environment and Infrastructure); D Stokoe (from Item 5 onwards) and M Smith (both Housing and Communities); S Watson (Strategic Planning, People and Performance); S Hendry, A Taylor, A Brown and M Pasternak (all Legal and Governance). Apologies: Councillor D Cuthbert. Councillor R Watters, Convener, Presiding. The Convener led on Items 1-7, with Vice-Convener L Barrett on Item 8. 1. Welcome And Apologies Councillor Watters welcomed everyone to the meeting. An apology for absence was noted as above. 2. Declarations Of Interest There were no Declarations of Interest made in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. 3. Minute Of Meeting of Climate Change and Sustainability Committee of 30 April 2025 The minute of meeting of Climate Change and Sustainability Committee of 30 April 2025 was submitted and approved as correct record. 4. Outstanding Business Statement Resolved: The status of actions in the Outstanding Business Statement, be noted and completed actions removed accordingly 5. Annual Sustainable Development Progress Update There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Environment and Infrastructure (25/205) (1) providing members with an update on the Council’s progress towards delivering sustainable development to fulfil its reporting duties, in line with best value requirements; and (2) reviewing the overall performance and 3 Page 5 of 110
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progress in relation to the areas for improvement 2024/25, as detailed in the Sustainable Development Performance Report previously approved by the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in February 2023 (Report 23/45 refers). Resolved: The updated performance position for the Council’s compliance with the Best Value Sustainable Development duty and the continued contribution Perth and Kinross is making towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the Quality-of-Life Indicators Dashboard, be noted. 6. Green Living Fund – Round 2 There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Environment and Infrastructure (25/206) providing members with the proposed approach for delivery of Round 2 of the Green Living Fund for review and approval. Motion – Councillors R Watters and L Barrett To accept the recommendations as set out in the report. (There Followed a Brief Recess and the Meeting Reconvened at 11.05am). Amendment by Councillors N Khogali and A Forbes In accordance with the Motion, however, to modify Item 5.3 and Table 1, as follows: Create a 10% cross-ward pot for projects operating across multiple areas; reduce each wards allocation pro-rata to fund this pot. In terms of Standing Order 21 a roll call was taken. 7 Members voted for the Motion as follows: Bailie R Brock, Councillors L Barrett, G Laing, A Parrott, G Stewart, R Watters and J Welch. 4 Members voted for the Amendment as follows: Councillors H Anderson, A Forbes, D Illingworth and N Khogali. Resolved: In accordance with the Motion. 7. Perth Air Quality Action Plan There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Housing and Communities (25/207) (1) seeking agreement on the adoption and implementation of the updated Perth Air Quality Action Plan which details the current air quality within the Perth Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and outlines the improvement measures Perth and Kinross Council will deliver between 2025 – 2030 in order to reduce concentrations of air pollutants within Perth City. Page 6 of 110
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Motion by Councillors R Watters and L Barrett To accept the recommendations as set out in the report. Amendment by Councillors A Forbes and D Illingworth In accordance with the Motion, however, replace Recommendation 2.1 as follows: Agrees adoption of the Perth Air Quality Action Plan, subject to the following amendments: 1 (delete D.4) – Delete Measure D.4 (“Continue to Evaluate the Need for a LEZ in the AQMA”). Any future consideration of a LEZ requires a separate mandate and a full economic and rural impact assessment. 2 (revise B.2) – Replace Measure B.2 - delete the words “incentivise parking out with City Centre hotspots” and substitute “this Committee recommends that parking be managed to reduce circulating traffic and support city-centre footfall.” 3 (evidence link to CTLR before demand-suppression) – This Committee recommends that no new demand-suppression or parking measures are to commence until post-CTLR traffic and air-quality monitoring has been reported to Committee. (There Followed a Brief Recess and the Meeting Reconvened). The Convener, Councillor Laing as Leader and C Mailer, Depute Chief Executive all provided a commitment to the committee that no Low Emission Zone would be invoked by the Council without a report being submitted a future meeting of Full Council in order that it could be fully debated by all Elected Members. Following the commitment provided above, the mover and seconder of the Amendment confirmed they were happy for No. 1 to be removed from the Amendment. In terms of Standing Order 21 a roll call was taken. 7 Members voted for the Motions as follows: Bailie R Brock, Councillors L Barrett, G Laing, A Parrott, G Stewart, R Watters and J Welch. 4 Members voted for the Amendment as follows: Councillors H Anderson, A Forbes, D Illingworth and N Khogali. Resolved: In accordance with the Motion. Page 7 of 110
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Prior to the formal discussion on the next Item of business, the Committee heard a short Presentation by Marie-Louise Burman, Head of Corporate Communications & External Affairs and Emily Bond, Head of Sustainability at Highland Spring Group which provided an overview of their sustainability strategy and the circular economy. Following the Presentation, Ms Burman and Ms Bond answered Members’ questions. 8. Waste Management Plan Update and Draft Circular Economy Strategy Consultation Document There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Environment and Infrastructure (25/208) providing members with a final update on the Council’s Waste Management Plan 2010-2025 and tabling a draft Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan consultation document for review and approval. Resolved: (i) The update on the Council’s Waste Management Plan 2010-2025, and as the plan comes to an end this year, that this will be the final update, be noted. (ii) The draft Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan consultation document as detailed in Appendix 1 to Report 25/208, be approved. (iii) It be noted that, following a period of public consultation in the autumn, a final Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan will be brought back to a future meeting of the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in early 2026. ~~~~~~~~ Page 8 of 110
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (OBS) (Report No. 25/296) Please note that this statement sets out outstanding decisions of this committee along with an update and estimated completion date. Actions which are overdue are shaded for ease of reference. Where an update reflects that an action is complete then the Committee’s agreement will be sought to its removal from the OBS. No Minute Reference Subject Title Outstanding Action Update Lead Officer /Service Action Due / Complete Action Expected 6. 30 April 2025 Item 5 Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy Arrange a follow-up all Elected Member briefing session/presentation/Q& A on the approach being taken to decarbonising the Council’s fleet based on the (now approved) recommendations in the report and also an update on the wider EV charging infrastructure landscape for both Council vehicles and the public more generally. EM Briefing Session arranged for Monday 29 September 2025 at 9.30am. Pat Taggart COMPLETE 10 November 2025 7. 20 August 2025 Item 5 Annual Sustainable Development Progress Update Provide further details on the amount of officer time and therefore costs involved in implementing the updates detailed in the report. Update provided by Angela Harris, Sustainable Development Officer forwarded to Committee Members via email on 21 October 2025. Angela Harris COMPLETE 10 November 2025 4 Page 9 of 110
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No Minute Reference Subject Title Outstanding Action Update Lead Officer /Service Action Due / Complete Action Expected 8. 20 August 2025 Item 7 Perth Air Quality Action Plan Once received from Scottish Government, provide Members with details of the intended changes to the air quality objectives for Local Authorities. Update provided by Oliver Law, Land & Air Quality Officer forwarded to Committee Members via email on 6 October 2025. Oliver Law COMPLETE 10 November 2025 9. 20 August 2025 Item 7 Perth Air Quality Action Plan Provide details / data on the health impacts on a population basis to better understand the cost to NHS Tayside which shows what levels of reduction in air pollution do in terms of reducing the cost, specifically looking at the Perth and Kinross area. Oliver Law, Land & Air Quality Officer has raised the query with NHS Tayside and is currently waiting on a response. Will update Committee Members once information is received. Oliver Law DUE 10 November 2025 Page 10 of 110
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Climate Change & Sustainability Committee Date of Meeting: 10 November 2025 Report Title: Perth and Kinross Outdoor Access Forum Annual Report 2024-25 Report Number: 25/301 Report Author: Dave Stubbs – Greenspace Coordinator – Communities/Andy Clegg – Community Greenspace Manager Organisational Lead: Elaine Ritchie, Strategic Lead – Housing and Communities ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 This report summarises the activities and progress of the Perth and Kinross Outdoor Access Forum over the last year and recommends the appointment of two new members to the Forum. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background/Main Issues 4. Proposals 5. Conclusion 6. Impact Value Assessment 7. Appendices 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Confirms the appointment of two new members for a period of four years. 2.2 Notes that the remaining members are retained in their appointments for at least a further year as set out in Appendix 1. 5 Page 11 of 110
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2.3 Delegates to the Strategic Lead (Housing & Communities) the filling of any casual vacancy arising in this period through recruitment by Forum members, as detailed within the Forum’s Terms of Reference. 2.4 Notes the contribution of one retiring member, the activities and progress of the Forum since October 2024 and the ongoing commitment to maximise effective partnership working to make the best of the exceptional landscapes, paths networks and access rights for all within Perth & Kinross. 2.5 Notes the progress in reviewing the working relationship between the Council and Forum and possible need to bring proposals for any formal changes to a future committee. 3. Background/Main Issues 3.1 This report follows on from the previous report (Report No. 24/285 refers) to the Economy and Infrastructure Committee on 21 October 2024. It was subsequently decided that future reports would go to the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee. 3.2 Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 requires local authorities to set up at least one local Access Forum and to appoint members to it. The Act states that the functions of a Forum are to advise the local authority and any other person or body consulting the Forum on matters having to do with: • the exercise of access rights • the existence and delineation of rights of way • the drawing up and adoption of a plan for a system of core paths. • the offer of assistance in disputes about access rights etc. 3.3 The Perth and Kinross Outdoor Access Forum (the Forum) was established in 2004, and their statutory role is as advisors to the Council and others on public access matters. Whilst the main service contact is with the Community Greenspace Service, the Forum can work directly with other services covering legal, planning and infrastructure projects, on matters relevant to them. Key topics the Forum have been advising the Council on over the last year include obstructions to access, path diversions and level crossings. 3.4 The Forum has capacity for sixteen members. Twelve members are voluntary and represent the interests of landowners/managers, the community and recreation equally. These members are elected at an open Forum meeting and their appointments confirmed by the appropriate Council Committee. The remaining members represent agencies and other bodies and are invited onto the Forum by the Council. The list of members and prospective new members is shown in Appendix 1. 3.5 Four ordinary meetings took place over the last year including the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and an open meeting on 15 May 2025 at Pullar House in Perth and online. Page 12 of 110
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In terms of the membership, existing members John Andrews, Nick Cole and Sarah Walker stood down, but in the absence of new nominations, indicated a willingness to continue in their roles and were duly elected. Mary Conacher indicated that she would step down once a suitable replacement had been found. 3.6 After that meeting, two new candidates, Jonathan Love and Richie Neill, put themselves forward as members and Karen Inkster confirmed that she wished to continue in her role. 3.7 As such there are changes to the membership which require to be confirmed by the Committee: • In the Recreation Group, Mary Conacher stood down to be replaced by Richie Neill. Existing members Karen Inkster and John Andrews were re- elected to serve for up to a further four years. • In the Communities Group, existing members Nick Cole and Sarah Walker were re-elected to serve for up to a further four years. • In the Land Managers’ Group, a longstanding vacancy is to be filled by Jonathan Love. • No changes were made in the Agencies and Other Bodies Group. 3.8 Founder member of the Forum, Mary Conacher, stood down from her role after 21 years’ service. Mary has been an active member of the Scottish Canoe Association, now Paddle Scotland, and as such her knowledge and experience has been invaluable to managing access to our lochs and rivers. Her replacement, Richie Neill, is Paddle Scotland’s River advisor for the Tay, ensuring continuity in this important area. 3.9 The Forum is carrying two vacancies for the Agencies and Other Bodies Group. Officers are working with the Forum to identify suitable replacements. The Forum will fill any casual vacancies which may arise as per the Terms of Reference. 3.10 Also to note, Peter Pearson, founder member and former Vice Convenor of the Forum 2004-19, passed away in August 2025 after a lengthy illness. Peter made a very valuable and much appreciated contribution to the work of the Forum and the Council pass on their sincere condolences to his family and friends. 3.11 The Forum has an active subgroup which provides advice and assistance to the Council on exemptions and obstructions to access. During August 2024 to September 2025, the subgroup assisted with 152 alleged obstructions. The Forum was able to close off 54, with 33 cases resolved, 12 cases closed as unresolved and 9 closed as out of the Forum’s scope. Another subgroup provides advice to Scottish Forestry and the forestry industry in relation to forestry proposals. During 2024-25, the Forum responded to 42 consultations and engaged positively with the industry to achieve better outcomes. This work involved on-site investigation, cross referencing existing guidance and forging good working relationships with forestry agents. Page 13 of 110
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3.12 In July 2024, the Scottish Government wrote to Perth & Kinross Council, directing the Council to review the Core Paths Plan in relation to private level crossings. Following legal advice, consultation with other access authorities and with the Forum, officers wrote back in October 2024 stating that the Council did not intend to amend the Plan to exclude private level crossings. No further action is planned on this currently. 3.13 Wild camping, or more specifically irresponsible vehicle-based camping, has been an ongoing concern for rural communities across Perth & Kinross during 2024-25. Council Members wrote to NatureScot seeking an urgent review of the Access Code and associated legislation in August 2025. Going forward, the Access Forum’s advice and support is being sought to build a case for changes at a national level and on the further measures the Council may wish to take to address these concerns. 3.14 As reported at the previous Economy and Infrastructure Committee, a review of the relationship between the Council and Forum is underway to fully address the changes to roles and budgets over the last 20 years. Meantime, support to the Forum remains the same but this is unsustainable in the longer term. Discussions with the Forum will continue to try and reach an agreement and any changes to the Terms of Reference. A further report will be brought to a future committee as appropriate, depending on the scale of the changes and requirement for resources. 4. Proposals 4.1 It is proposed that the appointments noted above and detailed in Appendix 1 are confirmed and that any casual vacancy arising is filled by the Forum as detailed in the Terms of Reference. 4.2 It is also proposed to continue to seek ways to work with the Forum to maximise the effective use of collective resources. This will include consideration of the NatureScot draft Guide to Good Practice and changes to the Terms of Reference, as required. 5. Conclusion 5.1 The Council’s Community Greenspace Service manages the statutory functions in relation to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and values the partnership relationship with the Forum and the advice it has to offer. There is a wide range of activities undertaken in relation to the management of core paths and access rights more generally. Opportunities to involve the Forum in these, with their agreement, will continue to be sought. This will help to make the best of the exceptional landscapes, paths networks and access rights for all within Perth & Kinross. 6. Impact Value Assessment 6.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. Page 14 of 110
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7. Appendices 7.1 Appendix 1 – Candidates for Appointment to the Forum. Page 15 of 110
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APPENDIX 1 CANDIDATES FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE FORUM New members recommended for immediate appointment. Recreation Group Name Organisation/ Interest Geographical knowledge/ home area Notes/ profession Richie Neill Coopted 2025 (subject to confirmation by this committee) Paddle Scotland. River Adviser for the Tay Perth area, Kinross-shire and Highland Perthshire Freelance Outdoor Instructor Landowner/Manager Group Name Organisation/ Interest Geographical knowledge/ home area Notes/ profession Jonathan Love Co-opted 2025 (subject to confirmation by this committee) Scone Estates Perth area, Lowland and Highland Perthshire Estate Factor. Former role with land-owning education charity. Keen walker, runner, shooter and horse rider The following tables list current members who will continue in their roles on the Forum for up a further four years Recreation Group Name Organisation/ Interest Geographical knowledge/ home area Notes/ profession Colin Young Elected 2024 Dunning Community Council and Dunning Community Trust Perth and Strathearn Broad outdoor and community interests. 5 Page 17 of 110
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Karen Inkster Member since 2017 Re-elected 2025 (subject to confirmation by this committee) British Horse Society, Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society (Scotways) Perth Area 20 + years in the outdoor industry. Hillwalker, climber, horse rider and mountain biker. John Andrews Member since 2009 Re-elected 2025 (subject to confirmation by this committee) Ramblers, Scotways, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Luncarty Redgorton & Moneydie Community Council, National Trust for Scotland Perth Area/Luncarty Former member of County Access Liaison Committee – retired. Community Group Name Organisation/ Interest Geographical Knowledge/ home area Notes/Profession Nick Cole Member since 2004 Re-elected 2025 (subject to confirmation by this committee) Strathmore and the Glens Rural Partnership. Meigle Community Trust. Next Steps & Stride for Life Walking Groups. Highland & Lowlands/ Meigle Electronic Systems Engineer is now a private consultant & runs an outdoor training business. Involved in local groups inc. Blairgowrie & Rattray Access Network & the Blairgowrie & District Next Steps walking group. He also represents Local Access Forums on the National Access Forum. Page 18 of 110
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Jennifer Herd Member since 2015 Re-elected 2023 Member of British Horse Society, Strathearn Rural + Riders Access Group Highland and East Perthshire. Perth area Broad experience particularly in negotiating equestrian access and representing the interests of horse riders. She is also a keen mountain biker and walker. Joyce Carnegie Elected 2022 Comrie Millennium Footpath Association Strathearn Wide range of community interests inc SWI. Farming background Sarah Walker Co-opted 2021 Re-elected 2025 (subject to confirmation by this committee) Kinglands Hall, Soroptimist International, Cornhill MacMillan, British Horse Society & ByCycle Perth area 25 years local knowledge through work with a variety of voluntary organisations. Landowner/Manager Group Name Organisation/ Interest Geographical Knowledge/ home area Notes/Profession Councillor Hugh Anderson Member since 2004 Re-elected 2022 Scottish Rights of Way & Access Society. Perth & Surrounding area/Scone Land & River Management. Retired Estate Factor. Sandy Simpson Member since 2005 Re-elected 2023 Royal Highland Educational Trust, Rural Services Scotland, Perth and Kinross Agricultural Forum Perth Area Farm Manager Interested in all environmental issues. Mark Thomson Elected 2022 National Farmer’s Union, Scotland (former chair West Fife & Kinross) Kinross Farmer Woodland, arable & livestock Page 19 of 110
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Agencies & Other Bodies These members are not elected but have been invited to sit on the Forum by the Council. Officers will work with the Forum to identify suitable candidates to fill the two remaining places. Member Represents Job Title Office Base/other interests Councillor John Duff Appointed 2022 Perth & Kinross Council Councillor Ward 4 Highland Ward Councillor. Leader of the opposition. Retired Police Superintendent. Mike Strachan Member since 2007 Scottish Forestry Operations Manager Scottish Forestry, Upper Battleby. Extensive forestry experience and involvement in Big Tree Country Vacant Vacant Page 20 of 110
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Climate Change & Sustainability Committee Date of Meeting: 10 November 2025 Report Title: Annual update on the delivery plan (2024-2029) for Perth & Kinross Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy and Local Area Energy Plan (2024-2045) Report Number: 25/297 Report Author: Stuart McLaren, Shelley McCann, Divindy Grant Organisational Lead: Serge Merone, Strategic Lead – Economy, Development and Planning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to note progress in implementing the Delivery Plan (2024-2029) for the Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) (2024-2045) and to approve priorities for the next 12 months. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background/Context 4. 2024/2025 Priorities Summary 5. Annual Progress Update 6. Detailed thematic updates 7. Priorities for the next 12 months 8. Monitoring and Review 9. Conclusion 10. Impact Value Assessment 11. Appendices 6 Page 21 of 110
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1.3 Abbreviations BAR Building Assessment Reports CATCH Climate Action Through Community Heating DESNZ Department of Energy Security and Net Zero DFES Distribution Future Energy Scenarios DNO Distribution Network Operators EPC Energy Performance Certificate EV Electric Vehicle EVIF Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund HEEPS ABS Home Energy Efficiency Programmes Scotland Area Based Scheme HiBs Heat in Buildings Bill HNSU Heat Network Support Unit HNZ Heat Network Zoning KPI Key Performance Indicator LAEP Local Area Energy Plan LDP Local Development Plan LENZA Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator LHEES Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy MPV Multi-Purpose Vehicle NESO National Energy System Operator RAG Red, Amber, Green RESP Regional Energy Strategic Plan SEP Strategic Energy Partnership TCD Tay Cities Deal tRESP Temporary Regional Energy Strategic Plan 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Notes the progress made during the last year towards the outcomes set out with the Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) (2024-2045). 2.2 Approves the LAEP priorities for the next 12 months, listed in Section 7. 3. Background/Context 3.1 In accordance with the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (Scotland) Order 2022 and in fulfilment of its statutory obligations, Perth and Kinross Council approved the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) for the period 2024-2045, along with the corresponding Delivery Plan for 2024-2029, on 27 November 2023 (Report Ref 23/330). 3.2 The LHEES provides a long-term strategic framework aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings within the local authority's jurisdiction and reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating these buildings. 3.3 Recognising the importance of a whole energy system approach, a Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) for 2024-2045 was developed concurrently, with the LHEES at its core. The LAEP offers insights into the scope, scale, pace, and timing of the changes necessary for transitioning to a net-zero energy system. Page 22 of 110
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It adopts a whole energy systems approach, addressing the complex interdependencies among various energy vectors from generation to consumption. 3.4 The following figure illustrates the components of both the LHEES and the LAEP, as well as their interactions: 3.5 Both the LHEES and LAEP are firmly aligned to the priorities and vision of the Corporate Plan 2022/23 – 2027/28 (approved by Council in December 2022) for a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality. The priorities and outcomes reflect what our communities, elected members, stakeholders, and partner organisations believe are the most important for Perth and Kinross. They are also fully aligned with local strategies, policies and plans including the: • Perth and Kinross Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan • Perth and Kinross Local Outcomes Improvement Plan 2022-2032 • Perth and Kinross Local Development Plan 2019 • Perth and Kinross Local Housing Strategy 2022-2027 • Perth and Kinross Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026 • Perth and Kinross Mobility Strategy and Action Plan • Tay Cities Regional Economic Strategy and Perth and Kinross Economic Action Plan 4. 2024/2025 Priorities Summary 4.1 In Report No. 24/286 (LHEES annual report 2024/25), Members approved the following delivery priorities for the year November 2024 – October 2025 and progress updates are provided below. Page 23 of 110
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4.2 Improving buildings’ energy efficiency aiming for affordable warmth and regulatory compliance 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Develop One Stop Shop for Home Energy Retrofit Innovate UK funded project completed in July 2024, next phase in planning Utilise HEEPS ABS funding to deliver energy efficiency measures £503,524.11 worth of improvement works was carried out in 24/25, with 86 properties getting insulation measures and 9 solar panel systems. Campaign developed with Home Energy Scotland and energy savings trust Heat pump comms campaign developed, launched October 2025. Estate decarbonisation - Explore how the approach of categorising buildings by types for building decarbonisation can be rolled out across the rest of the non-domestic and domestic stock to prioritise retrofit and clean heating system transition. Utilising council data and categorising the buildings allows the transition to be more efficient and more focused. Building categorisation has shown that there is not one solution to fit throughout the PKC estate. Every building needs to be treated separately in relation to decarbonisation to make sure that it can be as efficient as possible. Engage with Scottish Enterprise to stimulate supply chain Through energy efficiency and retrofit & skills and supply chain delivery groups 4.3 Decarbonising heat within a transitioning energy system focusing on heat networks and heat pumps 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Undertake Perth City heat network feasibility study (Heat Network Support Unit (HNSU) funded) Technical and Commercial feasibility complete, next phase of heat network design and delivery to be investigated. Further HNSU funding being explored. Work to ensure the approach developed through this work can be replicated in other potential heat network zones in rural areas. Feasibility studies for small scale rural heat networks looking at hard to decarbonise Council sites where we have non-domestic properties in close proximity to social housing Decision taken with Development Plans team to adopt a phased approach to Heat Network Zoning, Page 24 of 110
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signposted in LDP3 local planning policy to a live web resource to enable reactive approach to emerging national policy. Complete Building Assessment Reports (BAR) for Council owned buildings Returns received from several stakeholders. Further action is awaiting decision from the Scottish Government regarding funding for national approach to data collection and publishing via the Scottish Government, Improvement Services and Spatial Hub. Engage with SSEN to explore impact of low carbon heating solutions on grid capacity through Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator (LENZA) Perth and Kinross to pilot process to utilise SSEN's LENZA to plan decarbonisation pathways, which in turn drive SSEN Distribution’s longer- term strategic network planning that will power local net zero ambition 4.4 Reduce transport 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Align PKC’s Mobility Strategy with LHEES and LAEP Ongoing with new lead mobility officer in post from June 2025 Innovate UK project on connecting regional travel - Aberfeldy Project completed in July 2025 4.5 Decarbonise transport 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Align Mobility Strategy with LHEES and LAEP Ongoing with new lead mobility officer in post from June 2025 Finalise and deliver the public charging EV infrastructure strategy EVIF project ongoing with Angus Council as a partner. Procurement for private partner ongoing and expected to be completed by Spring 2026. Expansion of recharging network throughout Perth and Kinross Continued growth of public charging EV infrastructure Continually assess air quality across Perth and Kinross to assess any necessary mitigation measures The Perth Air Quality Action Plan has been created and has been approved by the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in August 2025. Page 25 of 110
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4.6 Deploy local renewable energy generation 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Support community energy ideas through Scalable Cities project Scalable Cities project complete and was launched at PKC’s Big Energy Event on 20 September 2025. Develop a replicable approach for how investment from the public and private sectors in smart local energy systems can generate wealth for local communities and help meet net zero target. Through Scalable Cities community investment framework, commercial feasibility completed to identify delivery models, capable of leveraging substantial private investment, for the development and delivery of heat networks and pipeline low carbon Strategic Energy Partnership procurement and contract strategy being progressed Reassess suitability for renewable energy sites and opportunities aligned to the Local Development Plan 3 Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Planning Guidance is currently out for consultation. 4.7 Enabling actions 4.7.1 Developing green skills and the capacity of the supply chain 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Tay Cities Region Deal and Clean Growth Platform to identify existing skills and partnerships Through energy efficiency and retrofit & skills and supply chain delivery groups linking with the TCD Skills Programme, Skills Board and Skills Pathways project. Engage with Scottish Enterprise to use the LHEES and LAEP to stimulate supply chain development Through energy efficiency and retrofit & skills and supply chain delivery groups Through the Innovate UK funded Revitalising Homes project, quantify the market opportunities and risks for local suppliers Work completed and report published Page 26 of 110
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4.7.2 Working in partnership with communities to build community wealth and wellbeing 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Collaborate with Community Energy Scotland and partners SSEN, Bable and CATCH through the Scalable Cities project to identify and set up the pathway for the development of community energy schemes Completed through the scalable cities project. Further engagement and collaboration with CATCH through the Danish Board of District Heating mentoring scheme. 4.7.3 Mobilising partners and public and private investments for projects 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Through HNSU funding work with a legal advisor to produce a Delivery Options Appraisal and progress towards a Strategic Outline Case for delivery of the Perth city-wide heat network as a key anchor project for a wider energy projects investment programme. Commercial feasibility work completed by legal advisors to assess delivery model options and progress Strategic Energy Partnership procurement. Strategic Energy Partnership Board formed. Establish the Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) and develop a five-year investment programme. SEP Board now formed and meeting to progress procurement, but longer timescales to fit Competitive Dialogue procurement process. Page 27 of 110
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4.7.4 Data and scenarios building tools and platform 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Continue to work to evolve the LHEES/LAEP evidence base and tools to support whole systems energy planning with delivery partners and data providers. Work with SSEN to pilot development to support alignment with grid investment planning (e.g. Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES) and pathways for the Regional Energy Strategic Plan (RESP). Potential Heat Network zones updated. Work with SSEN, Ordnance Survey, Energy Savings Trust and additional delivery partners to map user access journeys to digital evidence underlying LHEES/LAEP including data sharing and licensing arrangements. We continue to work with our delivery partners as part of the LHEES/LAEP delivery groups. User access groups for stakeholders including community groups, commercial and contracted consultants, LAEP partners. Open data access supported. Onboarding of staff to facilitate continued use and update of data. CATCH onboarded. Prioritise and publish LHEES/LAEP and related energy projects data on corporate systems and develop a process for update and improvement with support from the Corporate Data Team. Corporate Data and Analytics Work Programme dedicated onboarding resource established to ensure LHEES and LAEP related data products are available to stakeholders using ArcGIS and establishing data management plans. Potential Heat Networks zones published corporately, and improved renewables pipeline data process established. Page 28 of 110
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4.7.5 Governance 2024/25 priority RAG status Comments Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan (MEP) building on and aligning with supporting strategies such as the Local Housing Strategy, Mobility Strategy and Action Plan and Climate Action Plan KPI framework developed Continually monitored and updated during coordination team meetings with associated KPIs. Develop a Communication and Engagement Plan through the delivery group setting out that the Council and Steering Group will conduct regular consultation and engagement with stakeholders Communication and engagement through delivery groups quarterly and events such as the energy event in September 2025. Communication and engagement plan for heat pumps and solar PV for owner occupied and landlords. 5. Annual progress update Overall Performance against LAEP Action Plan 5.1 Out of the 35 actions in the LHEES action plan, across seven themes, 22 of the actions are either complete, ongoing or moving into the next phase of the project that requires additional funding. The other actions are in progress but delayed due to lack of funding, lack of resources or require further policy updates from the Scottish Government to move forward. The graphic below shows the split of the actions in relation to RAG status. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Energy Efficiency Heat Decarbonisation - Heat Network Heat Decarbonisation - Heat Pumps Reduce Transport Demand Decarbonise Transport Local Renewable Generation Enabling Actions RAG status of actions Green Amber Page 29 of 110
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5.2 The performance of the actions and associated plan are monitored through the LHEES/LAEP Coordination group that meet every 2 months to discuss any actions that need progressed. The group consists of lead officers from all LHEES/LAEP themes so actions can be discussed and progressed if necessary. 5.3 Some of the challenges associated with delivering the action plan include: • Supply Chain, Skills and Staff Shortages: A lack of specific skilled workers and retrofit supply chain capacity slows down implementation, especially in rural or remote areas. This has been highlighted as a major issue in the roll-out of cleaner technology including heat pumps and solar PV. Working alongside agencies such as Perth UHI, Scottish Enterprise and Energy Skills Partnership we hope to identify the key areas where investment is required to develop or transition of existing trades into greener skills. • Grid Infrastructure Limitations: Many areas face grid capacity issues which means engaging with Distribution Network Operators (DNO) like SSEN is vital in planning the roll- out of solutions such as heat pumps. We are working alongside SSEN to identify areas that require development and investment through Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES) and the Regional Energy Strategic Plan (RESP). These projects will allow DNOs to see where energy users are looking to expand into and look at grid expansion and upgrades. Additionally, we continue to utilise and codevelop the SSEN LENZA tool which shows live grid capacity on the network and predicted constraints, enabling better decisions on the siting of new energy assets and roll out low-carbon programmes. It uses a traffic light system to show whether a new energy asset could be accommodated on the existing network or where further development is required. • Stakeholder Engagement: Efficient delivery requires collaboration across local authorities, communities, private sector, and national government. This can be challenging due to differing priorities and resources. Engagement is vital to deliver the LHEES/LAEP actions. PKC is engaging through delivery groups, steering group and focused events like the energy event that was held on 20 September 2025. In addition, PKC is part of groups that contain officers from a range of local authorities to collaborate and share ideas on the delivery of the LHEES and LAEP. • Financial and funding Constraints: There are funding limitations and there can be uncertainty around long-term investment which can delay key projects. PKC continue to seek and utilise funding opportunities to help push forward the actions outlined in the LHEES and LAEP. Challenges exist for the Council to provide the investment required to decarbonise at scale. We are progressing with a procurement to create a Strategic Energy Partnership with a private sector partner to bring needed capital investment into this area. Expected to be in place September 2026. Page 30 of 110
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The Council has recently agreed to sign the UK City Net Zero Declaration and network and use this platform to attract business and project investments at national and international levels. • Policy delays and uncertainty: Delays in policy reform from Scottish Government and uncertainty are impacting the delivery of certain actions. Lack of clarity on the timelines for the publishing of the Heat in Buildings Bill (HiBs) have led to delays in Heat Network Zoning designation and completion of supporting Building Assessment Reports (BARS). HiBs will include provisions to boost heat network development by developing requirements for large, non-domestic premises, including powers to require public sector buildings to connect to district heating when available and therefore, is considered a key policy mechanism for delivery of HNZs. The Council will adopt a phased approach to Heat Network Zoning as a way forward to ensure current work funded through the HNSU for Perth is considered in designation and where zones have been formally assessed to ensure a high-level financial viability has been established. 5.4 In addition, the delay to EPC reform from 2025 to 2026 is impacting the delivery of many of the housing actions relating to energy efficiency. This delay may impact local authorities in the delivery of net zero ambitions in relation to building energy efficiency and emissions. 5.5 Some of the opportunities for LHEES/LAEP delivery include: • Community Wealth Building: Energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects can stimulate local economies, create jobs, and build resilience. The creation of the Strategic Energy Partnership will allow PKC to work alongside a private partner that values community wealth and will help enhance the areas in which they invest and develop. The procurement process will be an opportunity to highlight that PKC want a partner to invest in local areas, including job creation and supporting local businesses. • More locally led planning: The LHEES and LAEP allows PKC to tailor projects and strategies to support local needs, enabling more relevant and impactful interventions such as supporting community energy projects through the scalable cities project. Updating of the renewable policy in line with the LDP 3 and prioritising local initiatives allows PKC to focus in areas that help the communities within Perth and Kinross. The procurement of a Strategic Energy Partner will allow us to collaborate with the private sector to decarbonise our energy usage for the benefit of communities, the environment and the wider economy. Helping residents and communities that are in fuel poverty is also a high priority as part of the LHEES. This can be focused on as part of a more local approach when planning projects and engaging with partners. Page 31 of 110
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Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 5.6 The LHEES/LAEP action plan has been developed to assign certain actions to designated teams and team leads so there is accountability to deliver. This year a KPI framework has been developed that is presented in Appendix II, with relevant KPIs selected for each of the priority themes. Where possible, the KPIs have been designed to align with those of the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan, Mobility Strategy and Local Housing Strategy. The associated KPIs will be monitored by the LHEES/LAEP coordination group and annually reviewed using a variety of PKC owned and other data sets. 5.7 Of the 23 KPIs, we currently have data for 16. Of the KPIs we have data for, 10 showed improvement. For some KPIs we have 24/25 data, while other datasets are published with a 1–2-year data lag, so data from 2023 is the latest data set available. 5.8 The KPIs across the LHEES/LAEP themes show that they are improving year on year, especially with regards to energy efficiency with CO2 emissions and energy consumption reductions and increases in the energy efficiency EPC levels of social housing within Perth and Kinross. 5.9 There is a decrease in overall consumption of heating oil throughout the non- domestic estate. Hopefully this will increase further with increased communication and engagement on alternative solutions e.g. heat pumps. 5.10 There has been a slight increase in percentage of households in fuel poverty. This has been impacted by global energy price rises and subsequent cost of living crisis, bringing more people into fuel poverty. Much of this is beyond PKC control but demonstrates the importance of all energy efficiency measures the Council is taking or promoting. 5.11 The Heat Networks Planning Database (HNPD) published by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) tracks the progress of both communal and district heat networks from inception, through planning, construction, operation and decommissioning. 5.12 The majority of the transport KPIs are heading in the right direction with an increase in the provision of electric vehicle charge points and a steady increase in the transition of fleet vehicles to electric and alternative fuel sources. There has been an overall reduction in emission caused by transport but a slight increase in total car miles. This increase could be caused by more workers having to travel into the workplace as work from home policies have changed. 5.13 There has been a slight reduction in renewable energy generated across the PKC estate. This decrease has been impacted as biomass boilers are out of commission, causing the reduction in energy produced. Significant investment is required to bring the boilers back into use, alternative solutions are being reviewed to help reach the Council’s net zero targets, with reduced risk. Page 32 of 110
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5.14 The Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) published by DESNZ tracks the progress of renewable projects, and electricity storage projects from inception, through planning, construction, operation and decommissioning. Perth and Kinross ranks tenth in Scotland for installed renewable energy generation capacity and eleventh in terms of the future the project pipeline. We are one of the lead authorities, fourth in Scotland, in terms of installed operational discharge capacity, and rank fifth nationally for the future project pipeline, largely due to a growth in battery storage. Risk register 5.15 The risk register is an evolving document and is continuously monitored to make sure that it is up to date as possible. Additional risks and mitigation measures are inserted to make sure it is a live document. 5.16 One of the major risks of delivery is the lack of internal capacity and resource within PKC. The Council does not have the technical skills or resources to develop and implement complex energy plans, leading to a reliance on external consultants. 5.17 Another major risk is the short-term nature of funding. We require sustained investment to support infrastructure upgrades, community engagement, and delivery mechanisms, but current funding models are often competitive and time-limited. This creates disparities between well-resourced and under- resourced Councils, potentially exacerbating regional inequalities. 5.18 The success of LHEES/LAEP delivery depends heavily on access to high- quality data and coordination with stakeholders such as Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), energy providers, and communities. Without clear governance structures and long-term policy support, PKC will struggle to attract private investment and deliver the systemic change needed to meet our net zero targets. 6. Detailed thematic updates 6.1 Please note that many actions across all LAEP themes will be reported on in more detail within other committee report updates, such as the Mobility Strategy. Theme 1: Improving buildings’ energy efficiency aiming for affordable warmth and regulatory compliance 6.2 HEEPS ABS: £503,524.11 of improvement works was carried out in 24/25, with 86 properties getting insulation measures and 9 solar panel systems. • External Wall Insulation: In the Hillyland area of Perth, a total of 23 private owner properties and 60 PKC properties had external wall installation installed. • Cavity Wall Insulation: A total of 3 installations were completed, all at privately owned properties. Page 33 of 110
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• Solar PV and Battery Storage: A total of 9 installations were completed, all at privately owned properties. SCARF energy advice contract 6.3 Over the 2024/25 financial year 1,788 residents received guidance over a wide range of topics, resulting in 108 participants being referred to trusted contractors for installation of energy efficiency measures. 6.4 In the 2024-25 financial period SCARF eradicated £3,360 in fuel debt for residents. As a result of the energy advice provided to residents, it is estimated that £51,660 was saved throughout the year. Innovate UK One Stop Shop Retrofit - Revitalising Homes 6.5 Revitalising Homes looked at a whole systems approach to retrofit through engagement with householders, local suppliers and installers, identifying green skills gaps, exploring and modifying a customer re-claim model for funding and creating a viable business model for a sustainable retrofit project. 6.6 The Council is currently working with project partners to develop this idea further, with the next steps being: 1) Create a Knowledge Hub as a central source of trusted information on the retrofit process and home improvement measures. 2) Implement a viable business model for a one-stop-shop for retrofit advice and support. Non-domestic improvements 6.7 Over the last year the PKC non-domestic stock has seen an overall 5% decrease in energy consumption, even though there was an increase in Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA). There has also been a reduction in carbon emissions, making it the lowest value since records began within PKC. Theme 2: Decarbonising heat within a transitioning energy system focusing on heat networks and heat pumps Perth City centre heat network report and commercial modelling 6.8 Funding from the Scottish Government’s Strategic Heat Network Support Unit (HNSU) was utilised to procure a consultant to assess the technical and commercial viability of the Perth City Heat Network and build a programme for procuring a partner to deliver heat networks within a wider energy system. The project focussed on identification of the build-out from the initial Perth City Centre network to the surrounding area to achieve a city-wide, large-scale, heat network. This will be a key anchor project in the wider pipeline of energy projects and be used in the procurement to establish a Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP). Page 34 of 110
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6.9 Work comprised of two separate work packages: 1. Technical Heat Network Design and Delivery supported by our technical partner (£100k – HNSU funded) 2. Commercial Delivery Models and Procurement supported by our commercial advisors (£35k – Council funded). 6.10 The technical report outlines a preferred option for the Perth City Heat Network which uses a combination of air source heat pumps (ASHPs) and sewer source heat pumps (SSHPs) to supply heat to the network. The first phase is located in Perth City Centre, extending from the west bank of the River Tay to the railway line west of the city, and from South Inch in the south to Balhousie North Inch care home in the north. It will serve 13 key Council- owned buildings such as Pullar House and Perth Playhouse (Cinema), with a southern extension to supply HM Prison Perth. Commercial Delivery Models and Procurement – Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) 6.11 The Council is committed to delivering net zero targets and to changing the energy system so that we can transition away from fossil fuels and deliver a resilient and clean local energy system supporting economic growth and tackling inequalities in the energy transition. To support these ambitions, PKC is establishing a Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) with a private sector partner. This work builds upon the Prior Information Notice for the SEP sent out in summer 2024. Work funded by the Council and supported by the HNSU involved legal advisors reviewing delivery models for heat networks and other energy projects. This resulted in a number of outputs including a Delivery Model Options Assessment and Preferred Option Delivery Model Report, an advice note on the procurement and contracting strategy, a procurement timetable and ‘route map’ for SEP highlighting options for moving forward and an indicative timetable for the procurement process. 6.12 A SEP Board has been established and has met monthly to continue to progress this work and a Procurement Strategy is being progressed. Additionally, the Council has agreed to join a network of UK local authorities that will share experience of developing SEPs. 6.13 The Council is currently seeking a continuation of funding through HNSU to further progress this work towards an Outline Business Case (OBC). Recommended next steps include additional technical feasibility work alongside financial modelling to support the economic and financial case for the Perth HN opportunity and Procurement and Contract Strategy support including the development of a Strategic Partnering Agreement (SPA) and assistance with financial bundling of additional pipeline energy projects including (renewable energy development and battery storage, private wire, hydrogen refuelling, and estate decarbonisation). Page 35 of 110
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Housing heat pump installs 2024-25 6.14 In the period of April 24- March 25, 58 heat pumps have been installed throughout the Council owned stock. From April 25 to date a further 29 heat pumps have been installed. As part of the planned installation programme up to March 2026, 35 additional heat pumps will be installed as part of a pilot project. Theme 3: Reduce transport Investigate the use of multi-modal transport hubs and of inner-city car parking to increase public transport usage 6.15 An options appraisal has been completed for the redevelopment of Perth’s Bus and Railway Station and improving connectivity with the city centre. It sets out preferred options for delivery including: • a redeveloped new bus station • a new public space in the existing railway station car park • an enhanced the pedestrian connection between the station and the city centre • An active travel hub The outline business case will be complete by spring 2026, with the full business case complete in the summer. The allocated funding must be spent by March 2030. Deliver behaviour change initiatives to encourage active travel and public transport use 6.16 In 2024/25, Tactran allocated behaviour change funding to projects in Perth to encourage active travel in places where traffic-free active travel infrastructure has already been built or will be soon. Interventions included active travel promotion in schools and engagement in workplaces. Theme 4: Decarbonise Transport Decarbonising Bus Services 6.17 Further electric buses have been added to bus operator fleets in 24/25 and new electric bus services continue to be introduced. 6.18 Glenfarg Community Transport has purchased an electric minibus to pilot a demand responsive transport service in the Kinross-shire area and Ember are continuing to expand electric coach services. Ember have introduced their first electric service through Blairgowrie linking Dundee and Aberdeen daily in each direction. Page 36 of 110
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Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (EVIF) 6.19 In March/April 2025 in various locations across the Council area, 5 x 50kW Rapid chargers were replaced as they were not contactless payment compliant. 6.20 The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (EVIF) project funded by Transport Scotland is progressing well. A Prior Information Notice (PIN) has been uploaded to Public Contracts Scotland (PCS), and we have received around 14 submissions so far. 6.21 A project board has now been created with representatives from PKC and Angus Council. It is proposed that a contract will be awarded around April 2026 with migration of all chargers from the CPS back office to the new back office by August 2026. Hydrogen 6.22 A related Tay Cities Deal project (TCD008c – Perth Hydrogen Refuelling Station) is proposing a change request to TCD to change hydrogen proposal from a public access hydrogen station to an internal hydrogen refuelling station likely to be at Friarton Depot. Fleet transition 6.23 Over the last 12 months the fleet team has incorporated 17 Refuse Collection Vehicles (RCVs) that are powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) instead of diesel. 6.24 Three Electric Van Derived MPVs have also been added to the fleet through the year. The composition of the Council fleet also changed from diesel to more petrol and electric cars for its pool vehicle fleet. This has resulted to significantly less (98%) usage for all small, medium and large diesel cars. The Council has also purchased more battery electric vehicles, noting a 34% mileage increase for this reporting year. Theme 5: Deploy local renewable generation Scalable Cities project 6.25 This EU funded project explored how to involve communities in local energy generation and heat decarbonisation as part of a strategic approach to building a local and decentralised energy system in Perth & Kinross. The project focused on how local renewable energy projects could be funded through a Community Energy Investment Framework bring public, private and community finances together. Page 37 of 110
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6.26 Outputs include: • A template where local community groups can be engaged in the development of a smart local energy system supported by local and national governments and the private sector – Community investment framework. • Expands upon the LHEES/LAEP and climate change action plan on developing local energy projects such as district heating systems and renewable energy projects from Community Energy Scotland. • The report demonstrates how investment from the public, private and community sectors in smart local energy systems can generate wealth for local communities and help meet overall net zero targets. • During the project we have been engaging and working with all local stakeholders across the energy system to bring support and action. A stakeholder engagement event was held during the project where ideas on community energy projects were shared and the support from PKC and Community Energy Scotland was outlined to those community groups in attendance. 6.27 The overall impact of this project is to allow better collaboration and communication with communities in delivering the LHEES/LAEP actions across Perth and Kinross. SSEN LENZA 6.28 The Council has worked alongside SSEN and other partners to build evidence in the Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator (LENZA) platform which will utilise the outputs of our LHEES, LAEP and our live Delivery Plans to plan decarbonisation pathways by enabling low carbon technologies (LCTs) such as heat pumps to be sited in cost-effective locations whilst providing early warning to SSEN of additional demand on the network. 6.29 This will help us to ensure alignment with grid investment planning in the near to medium term, while helping to improve and shape longer term roll out and investment required up to 2045. Alignment of our investment planning with SSEN and other key delivery partners will support the development and triaging of a pipeline of low carbon projects through to delivery avoiding risks and barriers posed by grid capacity. Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESP) 6.30 Ofgem awarded National Energy System Operator (NESO) the RESP role in November 2023. Following their public consultation in July 2024, Ofgem published its final decision on the details of the RESP role on 2 April 2025. The RESP framework policy sets out the scope of the role and what NESO and its stakeholders will be doing to enable the development of RESPs across Great Britain. Page 38 of 110
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6.31 The RESP role has been set up to develop regional plans that span across all energy vectors – electricity, gas, and hydrogen networks – as part of one integrated energy system. The RESP for Scotland will be produced in full by the end of 2027 once it has been approved by Ofgem. 6.32 PKC has been selected as the pilot to test the process of how data streams from LHEES/LAEP and additional data within LENZA can be used to inform the SSEN Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES) and pathways for the Regional Energy Strategic Plan (RESP) going forward. Engagement has taken place both internally and externally with large energy users within Perth and Kinross to try and help inform the temporary regional energy strategic plan (tRESP). The tRESP is to consist of more granular level data and is due for completion in January 2026. More information on the RESP and tRESP can be found here. Enabling Actions 6.33 The delivery of the LHEES/LAEP priorities are supported by the following mechanisms: 6.34 Delivery groups Established the Council’s LHEES/LAEP delivery groups focussing on different themes including: • Energy efficiency and retrofit • Industrial and commercial (including heat networks) • Renewable energy generation • Skills and supply chain These groups focus on the specific theme and consist of internal and external stakeholders helping to drive and deliver the actions identified in the LHEES/LAEP. 6.35 Stimulate supply chain and skills – work with key partners including Perth UHI and Energy Skills Partnership (ESP) to assess priority green skills. The business case for the Sustainable Construction Skills Project funded under the Tay City Region Deal (TCRD) Skills Programme has had Tay Cities Joint Committee approval in June but is still being reviewed by the Scottish Government. Activities over the next 12 months will be focussed on further curriculum development and career pathways. 6.36 Engaged with Scottish Enterprise to use the LHEES and LAEP to stimulate supply chain development and explore how they can shape planning of upcoming events to articulate opportunities and raise awareness of potential solutions and innovation across the industry. Page 39 of 110
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Working in partnership with communities to build community wealth and wellbeing: Over the past year, we have: 6.37 Engaged with Kinross CATCH project providing access to LHEES and LAEP evidence via SSEN LENZA platform and tools to support Community Energy Potential Mapping. In addition, CATCH was given access to the Danish Board of District Heating mentorship through PKC, a forum to understand how to incorporate lessons from Danish district heating into Perth & Kinross. 6.38 Worked with SCARF to identify and target homes in Perth & Kinross that are eligible for ECO 4/ECO 4 FLEX funding for energy efficiency improvements. SCARF have sent letters to homes identified as EPC Bands E-G that require fabric first energy efficiency solutions. SCARF also offer funding to help eradicate fuel debt for households that have not been able to pay energy bills. 6.39 We held an energy event on 20 September 2025 in the Civic Hall to gain exposure to a wide audience, including potential customers and partners. The overall aims of the market were to educate the community, promote sustainable practices and hopefully show how the public could save money on energy bills. There were stalls, speakers, and energy themed workshops running throughout the day all covering different aspects of the energy market. Mobilising partners and public and private investments for projects: 6.40 Over the past year, we have consulted with the market and stakeholders through a series of workshops to evaluate a possible Strategic Energy Partnership to unlock delivery of, though potentially not limited to, heat networks and to improve delivery capability into large and complex energy projects. Data and scenarios building tools and platform: Over the past year, we have: 6.41 Continued to work to evolve the LHEES/LAEP evidence base and tools to support whole systems energy planning with delivery partners and data providers. Data sets have been uploaded onto the SSEN LENZA platform to better understand the connection requirements to help decarbonise all assets throughout Perth and Kinross. 6.42 Started a Corporate Data Team (CDT) supported data and analytics work programme targeted at identifying, prioritising and publishing LHEES and LAEP related datasets corporately, in ArcGIS and ensuring improved data processes, management and sharing plans are in place. Page 40 of 110
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7. Priorities for the next 12 months for LHEES and LEAP 7.1 Improving buildings’ energy efficiency aiming for affordable warmth and regulatory compliance by: Priority Actions Comment Deliver the HEEPS ABS programme for 2025/26 Grant funding has been awarded of £1,942,800. This will target support for areas of private homeownership where EPC Bands are low and will also align to assist and support our multi-storeys strategy. Continue with “quick win” projects for non-domestic properties aligning with LHEES. Target off gas grid and inefficient electric heat sources. Projects at Arngask and Glendelvine Primary schools to be progressed and continue to liaise with SSEN regarding potential network upgrades for other areas. Develop decarbonisation pathway for all PKC non-domestic properties aligning with the Scottish Government’s updated Heat in Buildings bill. Develop decarbonisation pathway for all PKC non-domestic properties aligning with the Scottish Government’s updated Heat in Buildings bill. Develop One Stop Shop Home Retrofit Advice service for Perth and Kinross together with the HEAT Project. 7.2 Decarbonising heat within a transitioning energy system focusing on heat networks and heat pumps by: Priority Actions Comment PKC has agreed an approach of phased heat network zoning (HNZ) and link to a live web resource to include a web map and completed HNZ proforma for zones as they are designated. There is an opportunity for knowledge sharing in HNZ LDP local policy development potentially with advice from Scottish Government. PKC’s LDP 3 will have a heat network policy which will signpost to a separate designated heat network zones document/web map (this will allow us to update heat network zones as required). Seek and utilise continued further funding from the Strategic Heat Network Unit of the Scottish Government to build a programme for procuring a partner to deliver heat networks within a wider energy system. Consideration and alignment of phased large scale heat network delivery with the wider strategic energy programme will be a key aspect of this work. Recommendations for next steps and funding include development of a Strategic Outline Case (SOC), review of the techno- economic/financial modelling and development of a Strategic Partnering Agreement (SPA). Page 41 of 110
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The development of a Strategic Energy Partnership will provide an opportunity to inform how heat networks, and other low carbon opportunities identified in the wider LHEES/LAEP, could be delivered. The establishment of an energy partnership may help to unlock heat network development in those areas of Perth and Kinross that are less commercially attractive but could benefit the most from what district heating can offer. Look to complete the Building Assessment Reports (BARs) for required Council owned buildings. The project had been paused until further action and funding from the Scottish Government. Continue to engage with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to explore the impact of low carbon heating solutions such as heat pumps and heat networks on grid capacity. We plan to do this through the Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator (LENZA) platform and through the emerging temporary Regional Energy Strategic Plans (tRESP) and overall Regional Energy Strategic Plan. 7.3 Reduce transport Priority Actions Comment Investigate the use of multi-modal hubs and of city centre parking to improve public transport usage The Council has appointed a consultant to assist in developing an Outline Business Case and Full Business Case for the Perth Bus and Railway Station Project supported by £15m from the Tay Cities Deal. Deliver behaviour change initiatives to encourage active travel and public transport use. The Council will promote specific local bus services, community transport initiatives and continue to promote free bus travel offers. Also, in partnership with Stagecoach, PKC staff and elected members can access the recently introduced discounted bus travel scheme. The Council is currently reviewing potential projects to be delivered using Local Authority Direct Award funding from Transport Scotland Potential projects include support for a bike share scheme, development of active travel maps, reviewing active travel signage and supporting education programmes. A Mobility Working Group will be established with an early action to review the Mobility Strategy monitoring and evaluation framework and identify transport data gaps. This will allow PKC to effectively monitor active travel and private car use against set targets within the region. Page 42 of 110
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7.4 Decarbonise Transport Priority Actions Comment Finalise and deliver an EV Infrastructure Strategy. Through the EVIF we will support the decarbonisation of Perth and Kinross' transport network by ensuring there are new recharging networks as well as investment in new technology. The Council will be applying for funding to install additional PKC chargers (for fleet vehicles) at more public locations. The use of hydrogen in HGVs is currently being reviewed but this is not likely to be implemented in the next 12 months. 7.5 Deploy local renewable generation Priority Actions Comment Through the Scalable cities project, support community energy schemes. Help Identify and develop local community energy projects supported by local and national governments and the private sector expanding on opportunities identified in the LHEES/LAEP and the Climate Action Plan. Develop a replicable approach for how investment from the public and private sectors in smart local energy systems can generate wealth for local communities and help meet net-zero target. Assess the suitability for renewable energy sites and opportunities aligned to the Local Development Plan. Renewable energy site suitability to be aligned with LDP 3 renewables local policy development, which is currently out for consultation. Continue to collaborate with Community Energy Scotland, SSEN and CATCH after the Scalable Cities project Help develop a clear pathway for the development of community energy schemes through the community investment framework from the project. Use the experience from the scalable cities engagement to help stimulate community ideas for renewable energy generation. Record and give advice to communities on funding opportunities and feasibility studies to advance the community project. Coordination of local energy system inputs to the transitioning national energy system planning to support delivery of 8GW commitment to local and community energy projects through the Local Power Plan and GB Energy. Page 43 of 110
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Support and raise awareness re Council readiness to adapt to significant changes in local government powers, including funding and delivery of net zero and by evolving approaches to local net zero planning and role of net zero plans in the wider context of the energy system. 7.6 Data and scenarios building tools and platform: The priorities for the next 12 months will be to Priority Actions Comment Prioritise and publish LHEES/LAEP and related energy projects data on corporate systems Develop a process for update and improvement with support from the Council’s Corporate Data Team. The Council will continue to work, with partners, to further target areas at a granular level such as neighbourhood or postcode level to prioritise a pipeline of projects for delivery. Working through with SSEN, using the LENZA platform, digital twins for the Council estate and through development of commercial delivery models for strategic investment (e.g. Strategic Energy Partnership), the Council can continue to prioritise low carbon projects and programmes, informed by a whole energy systems approach, through to delivery. 7.7 Governance The priorities for the next year are to: Priority Actions Comment Continue to host the LHEES/LAEP delivery groups to work collaboratively and help deliver some of the non-PKC owned actions with other agencies. Continue to monitor and evaluate the LHEES/LAEP master action plan and associated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs’). Report on annual changes and make sure it aligns with changing national targets and strategic priorities. Publish communications on the overall benefits of heat pumps and solar PV. Overall engagement with residents, communities, businesses and private landlords is important to decarbonise properties and reach our net zero targets. It also ensures there is awareness of the key heat transition and energy efficiency priorities for Perth and Kinross until 2029. Page 44 of 110
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Strategic Energy Partnership Board has been established spanning several services across PKC and is meeting regularly to progress the procurement. The Competitive Dialogue procurement process is due to launch in November 2025 with a view to contract award in September 2026. PKC has also joined a UK Net Zero network of cities that will share experience and encourage investment in Strategic Energy Partnerships. 8. Monitoring and Review 8.1 Actions are being implemented through the Council’s LHEES/LAEP Coordination Team, LHEES/LAEP Steering Group, delivery groups and by operational teams. All associated groups continue to build on the strong partnerships already in place, new collaborators, while recognising that achieving LHEES/LAEP priorities will require a collective effort from delivery partners, stakeholders, communities, and residents of Perth and Kinross. 8.2 The LHEES/LAEP action tracker is a live document and continually reviewed during coordination team meetings to make sure any actions that have stalled or not been started, can be discussed and remedied. 8.3 The LHEES/LAEP KPIs have been developed in line with other strategies including the climate change action plan, mobility strategy, local housing strategy, local development plan, investment blueprint and PKC decarbonisation programme. The associated KPIs will be monitored at coordination group meetings and continually assessed using a variety of PKC owned and external data sets. The KPIs relate to the overall target of the LAEP theme and have an associated measurement to show how the KPI can be monitored and completion date reviewed effectively. 9. Conclusion 9.1 The report outlines the progress in implementing the Delivery Plan (2024- 2029) for the Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) (2024-2045) approved at Climate Change & Sustainability Committee on 27 November 2024 and the priorities for the next 12 months. 10. Impact Value Assessment 10.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. Page 45 of 110
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11. Appendices 11.1 Appendix I - Updated LHEES/LAEP delivery plan 11.2 Appendix II - KPI Spreadsheet Page 46 of 110
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LAEP/LHEES Theme LAEP/LHEES Action (updated) Action No Milestones/ Supporting actions Lead Department/Service Associated Plan eg local housing, climate change, mobility Proposed prioritisation 24/25 (T,H, M, L) Progress (RAG) Decarbonising heat - heat networks Develop a Perth City heat network. 1.1 1. Arup study 2. Stakeholder engagement 3. Develop procurement/delivery route 4. Explore feasibility of connecting residential housing to heat networks. 5. Explore expansion and boundaries of potential heat network zones in the Perth City Centre. 6. Assess financial viability of Perth City Centre Network. 7. Explore and quantify viability of low carbon or renewable heat sources for potential heat networks Business, Place and Investment Local housing plan Climate change LDP T G Decarbonising heat - heat networks Develop a Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) and assess the financial viability of the heat network zones in relation to connecting buildings. 1.2 1. Identify additional financial and staffing resources. 2. HN Design and Delivery scope scope to be identified using LHEES, HN Zoning and supported by Technical and Legal Consultants. 3. Compliance with Scottish Governments Heat in Buildings strategy. Deliver Statutory Duty under HN Act (2021) 4. Scalable cities community energy project 5. Explore Delivery Models to build a programme for procuring a partner to deliver heat networks within a wider energy system. 6. Develop and invest in local district heat/communal heat/electricity networks where viable which use alternative non-direct emissions heat sources such as electricity, hydrogen or emerging technologies. Business, Place and Investment Local housing plan Climate change LDP Council decarbonisation programme T G Decarbonising heat - heat networks Undertake Heat Network Zoning in alignment with The Heat Networks (Heat Network Zones and Building Assessment Reports) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 1.3 1. Phased approach to Heat Network Zoning adopted by signposting in LDP3 local planning policy to a live web resource to enable reactive approach to emerging national policy. 2. Continue to engage with HNSU and Scottish Government on potential HNZ policy/guidance. Business, Place and Investment Local housing plan Climate change LDP Council decarbonisation programme M G 6 Page 47 of 110
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Decarbonising heat - heat networks Undertake statutory duty in relation to public sector Non-Domestic buildings and the compilation of Building Assessment Reports (BAR) in accordance with Heat Network Regulations. 1.4 1. Undertake statutory duty in relation to public sector Non- Domestic buildings and the compilation of Building Assessment Reports (BAR) in accordance with Heat Network Regulations. 2. To be aligned with heat network zoning and identify suitability of buildings for future connection to district heating network as part of estate wide decarbonisation planning. Business, Place and Investment Local housing plan Climate change LDP M A Decarbonising heat - heat networks Explore expansion and viability of potential heat network boundaries in Kinross. 1.5 1. Work with community groups and partners such as the heat project (Blairgowrie), CATCH (Kinross) to review potential for interconnection heat network sites identified in the LHEES. 2. Potential for connecting to heat networks at early stages of site development for future housing and employment sites. 3. Engage with the local community in identified areas around appetite for connection of domestic properties to heat network. Business, Place and Investment LDP, Investment Blue Print, L G Decarbonising heat - heat networks Explore expansion and viability of potential heat network boundaries in Blairgowrie. 1.6 1. Work with community groups and partners such as the heat project (Blairgowrie) to review potential for interconnection heat network sites identified in the LHEES. 2. Potential for connecting to heat networks at early stages of site development for future housing and employment sites. 3. Engage with the local community in identified areas around appetite for connection of domestic properties to heat network. Business, Place and Investment LDP, Investment Blue Print, L A Decarbonising heat - heat networks Explore expansion and viability of potential heat network boundaries in Auchterarder 1.7 1. Work with community groups and partners to review potential for interconnection heat network sites identified in the LHEES. 2. Potential for connecting to heat networks at early stages of site development for future housing and employment sites. 3. Engage with the local community in identified areas around appetite for connection of domestic properties to heat network. Business, Place and Investment LDP, Investment Blue Print, L A Decarbonising heat - Heat pumps Launch campaign to encourage and educate businesses, homeowners, private landlords, and tenants (where applicable) to install heat pumps and other low carbon heating solutions. 1.8 1. Develop resources to share in residential areas with high heat pump suitability. This could be combined with campaigns around energy efficiency measures and renewables to provide a whole system campaign. 2. Engage with businesses, home owners, landlords and tenants through organised events in local communities 3. Work alongside housing associations in EE & Retrofit delivery group to focus on private housing E&I Climate Change H A Decarbonising heat - Heat pumps Target social housing with immediate potential for heat pump retrofit in line with LHEES delivery plan 1.9 1. Engage with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to explore the impact of low carbon heating solutions such as heat pumps and heat networks on grid capacity through the Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator (LENZA) platform and through the emerging Regional Energy Spatial Plans (RESPS) 2. LENZA training sessions for PKC 3. LENZA scenarios to be sent to SSEN when complete for review 4. Scarf targeted house approach as part of new contract. Property Services (Housing) Local Housing Strategy Climate Change Plan H G Decarbonising heat - Heat pumps 1. Collaborating with local energy groups (e.g. HEAT Project) to Work with key delivery partners to 1.1 LHEES officer Local Housing Strategy M G Page 48 of 110
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Work with key delivery partners to target privately owned non-domestic properties suitable for heat pumps 1.11 LHEES officer Local housing providers ECO 4 Local Housing Strategy Climate Change Plan M G Improving energy efficiency Work with local Housing Associations to maximise the number of social rented homes achieving EPC B by 2032 (CCAP B6) 1.12 1. Heating and energy advice for communities through existing contracts with the heat project and scarf. 2. Targeted approach using data in LENZA tool to focus on homes with lower EPC ratings. 3. Events and focused mailing campaigns in local communities - scarf E&I Climate Change Local Housing Strategy CCAP B6 H A Improving energy efficiency Deliver One stop shop for energy efficiency and retrofit measures. 1.13 1. Establish partnerships with other local authorities, regional bodies, and community organisations is crucial. 2. Create a clear, detailed plan that outlines the retrofit process, including data gathering, business case development, and engagement strategies. 3. Effective communication and engagement strategies tailored to different housing owners is vital. 4. Promote energy efficiency events in local communities with delivery parnters such as scarf. E&I Climate Change CCAP H G Improving energy efficiency Work with delivery partners to target non-domestic buildings that require retrofit to meet regulatory targets 1.14 1. Use strategic energy partnership to collaborate between public and private sectors. 2. Promote potential funding opportunties for SME's. 3. Engage with private sector to understand barriers with associated retrofit options. 4. Work with Business Energy Scotland to develop engagement campaigns Property services (Energy) CCAP H G Improving energy efficiency Rollout programme for energy efficiency retrofit of council buildings, housing stock, and other non-domestic buildings (e.g. schools) 1.15 1. Strategic decarbonisation planning across council stock aligned with LHEES delivery plan. 2. Use of smart energy systems to increase energy efficiency. Property services (Energy and Housing) Local Housing Strategy CCAP B11 H G Decarbonising heat - Heat pumps 1. Collaborating with local energy groups (e.g. HEAT Project) to engage with residents by providing informative materials to promote the benefits of heat pumps and promote existing funding options. 2. Engagement through LAEP/LHEES local energy generation delivery group 3. Engage with delivery partners to help target privately owned properties 4. Facilitate collaboration between the public and private sectors and align strategic energy planning potentially through Strategic Energy Partnership. 5. Continued engagement with the private sector, to identify Page 49 of 110
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Improving energy efficiency Develop and deliver a programme to ensure all existing Council houses are brought up to EPC B by 2032 (CCAP B2) 1.16 1. Prioritise households with low EPC rating and most at risk of fuel poverty 2. Report level of EPC ratings improvement publicly Property Services (Housing) Local Housing Strategy CCAP B2 M G Improving energy efficiency Target delivery areas for privately owned homes that do not meet targets (e.g., below EPC C) and potential suitability for HEEPS:ABS and ECO 4. 1.17 1. Promote energy efficiency events in local communities with delivery parnters such as scarf. 2. Actively engage with communties and offer support with funding opportunties. 3. Report level of EPC ratings improvement publicly Property services LHEES officer Local Housing Strategy H G Improving energy efficiency Target privately owned properties below EPC band E 1.18 1. Promote retrofitting in targeted areas though awareness campaigns about available funding to support fuel-poor households. Direct funding and advice for retrofit through HEEPS:ABS and wider funding sources into Delivery Areas identified within the LHEES. 2. Engage with local housing associations 3. Report level of EPC ratings improvement publicly E&I Climate change Local housing providers Local Housing Strategy H G Reduce Transport Demand Investigate the use of multi-modal transport hubs and of inner-city car parking to increase public transport usage 1.19 1. Alignment of LHEES/LAEP with mobility actions via policy review and alignment work. Place Base Strategies Mobility strategy #2 to #8 & #185 M A Reduce Transport Demand Support partners to assess options on last mile freight delivery and the sustainable movement of goods (Mobility Strategy action 38) 1.2 1. Collaborate with local delivery partners on how last mile delivery in Perth can increase efficiency to reduce emissions 2. Alignment of LAEP with mobility actions via policy review and alignment work. Place Base Strategies Mobility strategy #38 & #123 H A Page 50 of 110
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Reduce Transport Demand Investigate a programme to increase accessibility of home working and co-working to reduce transport demand . 1.21 1. Develop a revised and expanded Corporate Travel Plan for Perth and Kinross that covers the full range of Council activities. 2. Alignment of LAEP with mobility actions via policy review and alignment work. Place Base Strategies Mobility strategy #60 #61 #73 #151 L A Reduce Transport Demand Continue to develop and deliver the implementation of behaviour change initiatives. eg encouraging active travel, Improving public transport 1.22 1. Implement workshops and training as well as advertisement and promotional campaigns to increase awareness of the Avoid-Shift- Improve Framework, and subsequently increase the number of journeys made by sustainable travel modes. 2. Cross service working 3. Promotion of e-bikes and active travel 4. Alignment of LAEP with mobility actions via policy review and alignment work. Place Base Strategies Mobility strategy #44 #73 #116 #229 L G Reduce Transport Demand Establish a Future Transport Advisory Board to monitor data on active travel and private car use against targets. 1.23 1. Collaborate with local transport companies such as Stagecoach to ensure all buses are electrified. Place Base Strategies Mobility strategy H A Decarbonise Transport Support bus operators to decarbonise bus services, with consideration to charging infrastructure and fleet (MS #56) 1.24 1.Develop a strategy for the expansion of EV charging infrastructur e Place Base Strategies Mobility strategy #56 M A Decarbonise Transport Finalise and deliver an EV Infrastructure Strategy that will include on and off-street charging infrastructure and develop a private/public partnership for delivery and operation. MS #27 1.25 1. Deliver the P&K wide EV Public Charging Expansion Programme. 2. Transport Scotland EVIF funding to expand EV charging network. 3. Selection of private sector partner 4. Infrastructure rollout Place Base Strategies Mobility strategy #27 H G Page 51 of 110
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Decarbonise Transport Support partners in exploring hydrogen vehicles and refuelling facilities through the Tactran and Tayside Hydrogen Project (MS #54) 1.26 1. Utilise the findings to determine the feasibility of fuelling more of public sector HGV fleets with green hydrogen. Business, Place and InvestmentMobility strategy #54 M A Decarbonise Transport Continually assess air quality across Perth and Kinross to assess any necessary mitigation measures, such as Low Emission Zones.MS#48 1.27 1. Investigate the roll-out of ULEZ policy in urban areas, to reduce congestions of cars within high demand areas and increase public transport uptake. 2.ULEZ feasibility study Place Base Strategies TACTRAN Mobility strategy #48 M G Local Renewable Generation One-Stop-Shop (OSS) scheme for Rooftop PV and other renewables 1.28 1. Work with stakeholders on potential OSS scheme for renewables with P&K. 2. Strategic energy partner to provide advice on replicable approach to OSS. 3. Emphasise to Scottish Government the significance of centralising installation information and issuing through a reliable authority. E&I Climate Change Climate Action Plan H G Local Renewable Generation Reassess potential suitability for renewables across PKC area - small, medium and large projects. 1.29 1. Identify locations suitable for onshore wind, hydroelectricity, and PV installations differentiating between public and private land ownership to determine the most viable deployment approach. 2. Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Planning Guidance Consultation Draft 2025 3. Overview maps to be produced showing desginated areas. 4. Further exploration on impacts to be explored by developer, reviewing further policy. Business, Place and Investment Place Strategies Climate Action Plan LDP M G Local Renewable Generation Suitability of renewable energy generation and usage throughout PKC estate 1.3 1. Engage with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to explore the impact of low carbon heating solutions such as heat pumps and heat networks on grid capacity through the Local Energy Net Zero Accelerator (LENZA) platform. 2. Property services (energy) Climate Action Plan M G Local Renewable Generation Stimulate demand for rooftop PV. Make technologies more accessible to businesses, homeowners, private landlords, and tenants. 1.31 1. Work with advisory partners such as SCARFand the Heat Project to provide information on solar PV 2. Through council projects such as Scalable Cities, engage with community groups, provide advice, access to LENZA tool and offer funding application support for community renewable projects. 3. Create a communication plan on how to engage with businesses, homeowners, landlords and tenants on the benefits of installing solar pv. E&I Climate Change Climate Action Plan L A Local Renewable Generation Support community energy projects. 1.32 1. Collaborate with Community Energy Scotland to identify potential local community energy projects. Develop and roll out Community Investment Framework 2. Offer support through scalable cities project 3. PKC to facilitate communities local energy ideas and guide in relation to practicalities and funding. Business, Place and Investment E&I Climate change Climate Action Plan M G Page 52 of 110
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Enabling Actions SSEN engagement and LENZA 1.33 1. Continued engagement over all aspects of the LAEP. 2. LENZA use and development. Business, Place and Investment Climate Action Plan H G Enabling Actions Stimulate supply chain and skills 1.34 1. Engage with external agencies such as Perth UHI to investigate priority green skills. 2. Reach out to providers of clean tech to further understand the technology and relay to communities to help "demyth" misinformation. Skills and Employment Support H A Page 53 of 110
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LHEES_LAEP Category KPI Measurement Target Data Source Control Reporting period Baseline year Baseline value 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Summary Number of Perth and Kinross households provided with free energy efficiency and/or low carbon heating advice (PKC funded) 2024/25 - 1638 Total 758 (through the Property Services (Housing) funding) and 880 (through the Climate Change funding) 500 Property Services (Housing) Scarf data Influence Financial year 2020-21 519 386 519 424 884 2205 1638 Slight decrease in the amount of households requesting energy efficiency and/or low carbon heating advice although annual corporate and Council targets and exceeded. Percentage Council housing meeting the Energy Efficient Standard 2 for social housing (minimum EPC B) Annual data analysis from housing strategy, council housing to EPC B EESSH2 standards of 100% of Council Housing to meet EPC B by 2032 EESSH2 standards of 100% of Council Housing to be net zero by 2040 Currently 8% of our properties are exempt for either cost or technical reasons - a target of 100% is not achievable but this is the Housing Regulator standard Property Services (Housing) Control Annually in March 2022 6.10% 6.10% 6.60% 7.70% 8.05% Steady progress being made whilst focus remains on initial target of reaching EPC Band D by December 2025; retrofit strategy in development and pilot projects either completed recently or progressing towards site start. Percentage of privately rented domestic properties EPC C or above by 2028 LENZA mapping and data analysis All Domestic Privately Rented Properties EPC C or Above by 2028 EST Influence Annually when data updated 28% 28% 28% Baseline data set is 28% for 2024 using publicly available data. More analysis to discover why the % has not increased Percentage annual increase in all properties to meet EPC band C (residual owner occupier) LENZA mapping and data analysis All properties should meet EPC Band C (residual Owner Occupier) EST Influence Annually when data updated 32% 32% 33% Baseline data set is 32% for 2024 using publicly available data. Further analysis required after only a 1% increase Reduction in overall non domestic energy consumption (kWh) - PKC estate kWh saving year on year 2021/22 baseline year 3% saving year on year PKC Energy Management Control Financial year 2021/22 10,111 10,111 10,658 9,226 9,264 Reduction for 24/25 was 5%, even with an increased Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA) linked to Perth Museum. Total area-wide Carbon dioxide emissions (kt CO2e) from domestic sources Carbon emissions reduction year on year (kt CO2e) Estimated 115 kt CO2 based on 75% reduction in domestic emissions by 2030 in relation to 1990 levels. Note: As no P&K data from 1990, assumed residential CO2 trend followed wider Scottish residential trend until data available. Assuming estimated 1990 baseline of 460 kt CO2 DESNZ Influence Calendar Year 2005 451.30 269.7 255.5 263.4 232.6 218.7 Steady overall reduction in area wide Carbon Dioxide emissions. Heating oil consumption in PKC non-domestic estate (kWh) Climate change data All sites with oil as a heat source to be removed by 2030 PKC Energy Management Control Financial year 2021/22 2,040,341 2,040,341 1,943,066 1,806,372 Decrease in overall consumption, hopefully increase further with increased communication and engagement on alternative solutions eg heat pumps Total Perth and Kinross Domestic Emissions associated with Other Fuel sources (oil and kerosene) (kt CO2e) DESNZ data All sites with oil as a heat source to be removed by 2030 Climate change Control Calendar Year 2020 58.9 60.1 58.9 57.5 55.3 Decrease in overall consumption, hopefully increase further with increased communication and engagement on alternative solutions eg heat pumps Percentage of heat for non domestic buildings converting to low carbon technologies up to 2032 Annual % of heat for non domestic buildings being provided by low carbon technologies 70% of heat for non-domestic buildings will be using low carbon technologies 2032 TBC Influence There are currently no data sets to monitor this KPI. Data will be gathered using the LENZA platform when assessing non domestic properties in collaboration with the PKC estate team. Increase in Perth and Kinross domestic heat being supplied by low carbon solutions Annual amount of heat for domestic buildings being provided by low carbon solutions 35% of domestic heat demand will be supplied using low carbon technologies 2032 TBC Influence 2015 4035.04 2226.43 2,831.08 2,599.07 There is a slight reduction in domestic heating being supplied by low carbon solutions. This could be due to the uncertainty over the policy landscape or initial high upfront costs for the solutions. Percentage of households in fuel poverty Annual data analysis from housing strategy 5% total by 2040 Housing strategy Home Energy Scotland/Scarf Influence Calendar Year 2017-19 25 25% Covid: stats uncompara ble 63% 32% 35% Annnual data has only been published at a national level - data has been extrapolated to PKC based on the ratio of the Scottish to PKC levels of fuel poverty that were last both measured in 2019. Highly linked to energy price cap. Much of this is beyond PKC control but demonstrates the importance of all energy efficiency measure the Council is taking or promoting. Energy Efficiency Heat Decarbonisation Fuel Poverty Reduction 6 Page 55 of 110
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Percentage of households in extreme fuel poverty Annual data analysis from housing strategy 1% total by 2040 Housing strategy Home Energy Scotland/Scarf Influence Calendar Year 2017-19 18 18% Covid: stats uncompara ble 40.50% 27% 28% Annnual data has only been published at a national level - data has been extrapolated to PKC based on the ratio of the Scottish to PKC levels of fuel poverty that were last both measured in 2019. Highly linked to energy price cap. Much of this is beyond PKC control but demonstrates the importance of all energy efficiency measure the Council is taking or promoting. Number of households connected to heat networks - Domestic Number of homes connected to the heat network supplied by strategic partner % increase per annum of homes to heat network and removed from traditional heating systems Strategic energy partnership reporting LHEES Influence 0 Future KPI - Data for KPI will be monitored and evaluated from strategic energy partnerhip when first heat networks implemented. Number of buildings connected to heat networks - Non domestic Number of homes connected to the heat network supplied by strategic partner % increase in non domestic buildings connected to heat network per annum Strategic energy partnership reporting LHEES Influence 0 Future KPI - Data for KPI will be monitored and evaluated from strategic energy partnership when first heat networks implemented. Annual increase in Megawatt-hours (MWh) produced from installed and expanding heat network Number of homes connected to the heat network supplied by strategic partner MWh annual increase from heat network source Strategic energy partnership reporting LHEES Influence 0 Future KPI - Data for KPI will be monitored and evaluated from strategic energy partnership when first heat networks implemented. Percentage new green jobs Skills development support programmes in place regional-skills- investment-plan-tay- cities-region.pdf Influence Data to be gathered and monitored through employability department and in collaboration with Perth UHI, Scottish enterprise and Energy Skills Partnership Number of new training opportunities Skills development support programmes in place Heat pump installer toolkit · Energy Saving Trust toolkits Influence Data to be gathered and monitored through employability department and in collaboration with Perth UHI, Scottish enterprise and Energy Skills Partnership Total number of public EV charging devices 50kW or above Number of public EV rapid charging devices. Public EV charging devices per 100,000 population. UK Gov (ZapMAP) Control Can be measured quarterly 2022 46 46 59 78 Overall increase in pulic EV charger provision up to 87 in 2025 Percentage Council fleet vehicles that are electric or other zero direct carbon fuel technologies. Number of fleet vehicles transitioned to alternative fuel sources Conversion to 100% light fleet from 2025 and heavy fleet from 2030 PKC fleet management system Control Calendar Year 2019 3% 3% 5% 5% 4% 4.00% 4.45% Steady increase in the transition of fleet vehicles to electric and alternative fuel sources Transport emissions CO2 (kt CO2e) Continually assess emissions and air quality across Perth and Kinross through annual data analysis from DESNZ 158kt CO2e based on 75% reduction in transport emissions by 2030 in relation to 1990 levels. Note: As no P&K data from 1990, assumed transport decarbonisation trend followed wider Scottish trends until data available. PKC annual reporting Influence Calendar Year 2005 548.8 539 423 458.7 498.3 493.8 Overall reduction in emissions from transport annually Total car kms (millions) Reduction in transport miles 2096 Million km from the Government target of 20% reduction on 2019 levels by 2030. PKC annual reporting Influence Calendar Year 2019 1870 1870.4 1336 1477.3 1718.6 1759.4 1824 Slight increase in transport miles - nearing 2019 levels thought to be linked to increase return to office based working and decline in public transport usage Renewable energy generated across the PKC estate, including from Low Carbon Heat Sources (MWh) Renewable energy shall be installed where can maximise production. PKC Energy Management Control Financial year 2015 4035.04 2991.762 2972.193 2534.71 2226.43 2831.08 2599.07 Slight decrease - this was impacted by Biomass boilers are out of commission. Renewable energy production (MWh) Embedded capacity register under 1MW G98 & 99 from SSEN LENZA SSEN Influence Data to be obtained and monitored from SSEN with applications for renewable installations Renewable energy installed capacity throughout Perth & Kinross (MW) Installed renewable energy capacity throughout Perth & Kinross (MW) Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Influence 630 630 633 639 645 672 Data to be updated from DESNZ website when available Local Renewable Generation Heat Network Development Skills and Supply Chain Transport Page 56 of 110
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Climate Change and Sustainability Committee Date of Meeting: 10 November 2025 Report Title: Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Compliance Reporting 2025 – Carbon Emissions Report Number: 25/298 Report Author: Eirini Kourtesi Organisational Lead: Fraser Crofts, Strategic Lead – Environment and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this Report is to provide members scrutiny of the Council’s statutory annual Public Sector Climate Change Reporting Duty submission. It includes an update on the Council’s carbon footprint and emissions trends for the reporting year 2024/25 financial year, and wider actions the Council is taking to address the Climate Emergency. Based on this evidence, the report to the Scottish Government has been developed for consideration together with the Council’s related priorities for next year. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendix A: Public Bodies Climate Change Duties Compliance Report 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Note the contents of the report, along with the updated report to the Scottish Government (Appendix A). 7 Page 57 of 110
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2.2 Approves the top 5 priorities for both Climate Governance and Climate Adaptation as presented in Section 5. 3. Background/Context 3.1 Perth and Kinross Council, as a listed public body in Schedule 1 of the Climate Change (Duties of Public Bodies; Reporting Requirements) (Scotland) Order 2015 as amended by the Climate Change (Duties of Public Bodies: Reporting Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020, is required to report annually via the Sustainable Scotland Network Report to the Scottish Government. This is required for Perth and Kinross Council to comply with its climate change duties as established under Section 44 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and as stated in Schedule 2 of the 2015 Order. 3.2 In addition to the above, the 2020 Amendment Order set out additional reporting requirements from 2021/22 in response to the global climate emergency and Scotland’s net zero targets, as well as the interim targets as set out in the legislation. The compliance reports must now address additional sections that include, but are not limited to, the Council’s target date for achieving zero direct emissions, how the Council will align its spending plans and use of resources to deliver its emissions reduction targets, and how the Council will publish its progress to achieving its emissions reductions targets. 3.3 The Council first reported in the pilot year 2014/15. The main sections of the report cover the Council’s Climate Governance, Emissions, Adaptation and Procurement. The baseline year however has been set as 2015/16 as per the reporting guidance, as in 2014/15 only Scope 1 and 2 emissions were calculated. 3.4 The Scottish Government ran a public consultation in Spring 2025 on updated draft statutory guidance for public bodies concerning their climate change and sustainable development duties. The updated guidance addressed climate change and equalities, taking climate change into account in decision-making, reporting of scope 3 emissions and views on compliance, and implementation of the three duties: Reducing Emissions (Climate Change Mitigation), Adaptation, and Acting in the most sustainable way. The updated guidance will therefore impact public bodies climate change reporting by, mainly, the inclusion of additional Scope 3 reporting categories and the introduction of a new reporting template. These changes are expected to come into force with the introduction of a new Amendment Order within the next two reporting years (2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years). 4. Main Issues Emissions 4.1 A summary of the Council’s annual emissions data is presented Table 1. For greater clarity, changes to the reporting envelope have been illustrated below to reflect additional emissions sources that have been added to the Council’s carbon footprint reporting over the years. Page 58 of 110
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This includes the addition of employee transport, homeworking, employee commuting emissions and a change in electric vehicle (EV) electricity consumption reporting due to the Council introducing tariffs. Hire vehicles (vans) mileage has been included in this year’s report due to data for this category now being available. Table 1: Perth & Kinross Council’s Carbon Footprint (tCO2e) Reporting Year Scope 1 Scope 2 Scope 3 Total Footprint Changes to the reporting envelope 2015/16 (baseline) 9,033 14,676 14,995 38,705 2016/17 8,339 12,661 18,859 39,859 2017/18 8,593 9,967 19,153 37,713 2018/19 10,180 5,314 20,488 35,982 Scope 1: Addition of employee transport 2019/20 10,722 6,823 19,560 37,105 2020/21 10,163 5,106 19,337 34,605 Scope 3: Addition of homeworking emissions 2021/22 10,670 5,217 20,122 36,008 2022/23 9,719 4,730 26,021 40,471 Scope 3: Addition of employee commuting 2023/24 9,441 4,518 13,987 27,946 Scope 2 to Scope 3 – Transfer of EV charging electricity from Scope 2 to Scope 3 following the introduction of charging for electricity consumption 2024/25 9,055 4,429 9973 23,457 Scope 1: Addition of hire vehicles (vans) mileage 4.2 The scopes mentioned in the table above refer to: i. Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the Council - e.g. emissions from fleet or oil-fired boilers. ii. Scope 2 emissions are from the generation of purchased electricity. Page 59 of 110
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iii. Scope 3 emissions are all other indirect emissions which relate to the Council’s activities, including waste, homeworking, staff travel to/from work or emissions associated with electricity which is lost in the Transmission and Distribution system used for delivering purchased electricity Figure 1: Perth & Kinross Council’s Carbon Footprint (tCO2e) Figure 2 Perth & Kinross Council’s Carbon Footprint divided by Sector 4.3 In 2024/25, the Council’s carbon footprint decreased by approximately 16% compared to 2023/24. This reduction is largely due to changes in waste processing, with smaller reductions in emissions from energy produced on site, fleet vehicles and employee personal vehicle use for work. Estimated missions associated with employee commuting have increased. Page 60 of 110
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Transport Table 2: Perth & Kinross Council’s Transport Carbon Footprint (tCO2e) Reporting Year Scope 1 Transport (Fleet) Scope 3 Employee Commuting Scope 3 Personal vehicle use (Work) Total Transport Footprint 2015/16 (baseline) n/a n/a n/a n/a 2016/17 n/a n/a n/a n/a 2017/18 n/a n/a n/a n/a 2018/19 2,607 n/a n/a 2,607 2019/20 2,684 n/a n/a 2,684 2020/21 2,333 n/a n/a 2,333 2021/22 2,589 n/a 332 2,921 2022/23 2,691 5,369 342 8,402 2023/24 2,571 4,616 371 7,558 2024/25 2,423 5,333 330 8,086 4.4 Emissions arising from the Council’s own fleet and operations (Scope 1) have decreased by 5.7% due to a number of changes in fleet vehicles. The largest emissions savings were recorded from the pilot of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) being used as an alternative fuel in six Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) since May 2024. This has reduced emissions arising from HGV rigids (single- unit lorries) by approximately 21% and resulted to approximately 278 tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2e) savings. From October 2025, 26 vehicles are now running on HVO, which will lead to significant emissions savings by the end of 2026/27. There was also 17% reduction in miles travelled by articulated (consisting of a separate cab unit and trailer) HGVs due to operating on a route at a closer distance, travelling to the Energy from Waste site in Dundee rather than the landfill site in Falkirk. 4.5 Within the fleet emissions, there was a small increase in PKC’s light emissions (fleet cars) due to the change in usage from personal to pool vehicles over this year. This has a net positive emissions impact due to the pool fleet being greener than average. This year the composition of the Council’s light fleet changed from diesel to more petrol and electric cars for its pool vehicle fleet than in the previous reporting year. The Council has purchased more battery electric vehicles and increased utilisation, noting a 34% mileage increase for this reporting year. A 52% decrease in Class 2 (1.305 - 1.74 tonnes) mileage has been reported due to the Council owning less of these vehicles, while emissions from Class 3 Vans (1.74 - 3.5 tonnes) have increased by 31% due to the purchase of 30 additional vehicles. The addition of mileage from hire vehicles in this year’s reporting has also contributed to this increase in overall Class 3 vans emissions. Hire vehicles mileage was previously not recorded due to data availability. Page 61 of 110
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However, they are part of the Council’s Scope 1 emissions and are now included in the carbon footprint report with data being available. 4.6 Part of the Council’s Transport Scope 3 emissions are emissions arising from business travel using personal vehicles. These are measured by recording the mileage claimed to Human Resources annually. A significant decrease of 11% has been recorded for the first time since reporting began on this category. Emphasis on the travel hierarchy was given throughout the reporting year with improved communications regarding availability of corporate pool cars as a preferred option over personal vehicle use. There has also been a significant increase in the number of Health and Social Care Partnership specific vehicles that led to the biggest reduction in mileage claims for that Service. Lastly, communications to managers for Service specific vehicles to highlight utilisation and mileage claims also played a crucial role in this decrease and will continue in moving forward. 4.7 Emissions associated with employee commuting have increased by approximately 15% compared to 2023/24. This calculated from a staff travel survey undertaken between June 2025 – August 2025 – with 1,031 respondents (approximately 19.9% of overall staff). The responses were then analysed and scaled up to reflect the full workforce, leading to the estimate that Perth and Kinross Council staff emit 5,333 tCO2e annually on their commutes to and from work. The modal split of respondents was: • 76.5% by car • 12.2% by walking and cycling • 8.3% by bus, • 2.6% by train • 0.4% by motorbike. 4.8 This figure is 15% higher than the previous year’s estimated emissions. This increase can partially be explained by the introduction of a minimum of two days attendance at a PKC location for employees whose role allows for hybrid working. The average number of days in the office across all staff responding increased from 3.3 to 3.5 days per week (6% increase). Analysing the data, it appears different staff have responded year-on-year, which makes data trends not possible to compare. 4.9 The data captured by the staff travel survey allows the calculation of a best estimated figure of employee commuting and homeworking that facilitate a better understanding of the Council’s carbon footprint. However, the survey results come with caveats due to limitations in the methodology that do not allow an accurate year-on-year comparison. As the results only represent a small sample of PKC employees (19.9%) and there is not a mechanism to compare changes to individual employee behaviours, when extrapolating up to the full workforce’s footprint, response bias can be introduced linked to working patterns, site locations, vehicle types, travel behaviours or other variables that influence respondents’ emissions. There is still no uniform approach in estimating employee commuting emissions across Scotland, but it is something that is being considered by the Sustainable Scotland Network. Page 62 of 110
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Despite these limitations, the results provide useful data for employees’ travel behaviours and how these are influenced. Lastly, it is worth noting that with the Council Services ongoing restructure, it is not possible to compare year-on-year trends per Service. Energy Table 3: Perth & Kinross Council’s Energy Carbon Footprint (tCO2e) Reporting Year Scope 1 Energy Scope 2 (Purchased Energy) Scope 3 Energy (T&D and water) Scope 3 Energy Sold at public EV Chargers Scope 3 Homeworking emissions Total Energy Footprint 2015/16 (baseline) 9,033 14,676 1384 n/a n/a 25,093 2016/17 8,339 12,661 1333 n/a n/a 22,333 2017/18 8,593 9,967 1101 n/a n/a 19,661 2018/19 7,573 5,314 638 n/a n/a 13,525 2019/20 8,038 6,823 773 n/a n/a 15,634 2020/21 7,830 5,106 489 n/a n/a 13,425 2021/22 8,081 5,217 506 n/a 178 13,982 2022/23 7,028 4,730 472 n/a 786 13,016 2023/24 6,871 4,517 391 240 692 12,759 2024/25 6,633 4,429 432 255 622 12,371 4.10 With regards to overall emissions arising from energy (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) across the Council’s estate portfolio, they have decreased when compared to 2023/24. This has been achieved in the context of an increased Gross Internal Floor Area (GIFA) linked with the addition of Perth Museum and Bell’s Sports Centre. More specifically, natural gas and gas oil consumption (Scope 1) has reduced by 2% and 20% respectively. This reduction is due to continued investment into energy projects with a large proportion of buildings being centrally controlled. Oil sites are being de-commissioned and replaced with a clean heat solution. In relation to consumption of wood chips (Scope 1), it decreased by 17% due to biomass boilers in campus sites such as Stathearn and Breadalbane being offline. This resulted in gas being used as the primary fuel. Meanwhile, burning oil (kerosene) (Scope 1) consumption increased by 13%. The majority of Council sites have changed from gas oil to kerosene due to this fuel being friendlier on the environment, as well as a cost-efficient option. 4.11 Significant increases have been recorded for both water supply (23%) and water treatment (22%). The increase is attributed to the inclusion of additional high water usage sites such as Perth Museum and Bell’s Sports Centre being included in the Council portfolio this reporting period. 4.12 For Scope 2 (Purchased Energy) there has been a reduction in usage of 2% or 439,148 kWh (kilowatt hour) within Council operations when compared to the 2023/24 figures. Page 63 of 110
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This reduction in electricity is due to improvements on sites with electric heating, investment into energy projects and continued data analysis made by the Property Team. These Scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions are especially positive given the significant increase in GIFA. Projects like Auchtergaven Primary School saved 49% in consumption after their air source heat pump upgrade and roof insulation. 4.13 The staff travel survey was also used to estimate that Council employees emit approximately 622tCO2e annually from working from home (this figure takes into consideration the office equipment and heating emissions as per the UK Government Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting). The introduction of the 2 days in the office requirement for hybrid staff has led to a reduction of 10% in homeworking hours. 4.14 As of April 2023, the Council introduced charges for public electric vehicle (EV) electricity usage. Since then, emissions arising from public EV charging therefore fall within the Council’s carbon footprint as part of its Scope 3 emissions. EV electricity consumption increased by 11% compared to 2023/24. This is caused by increased demand of electric vehicles, improved charging infrastructure and increased EV uptake. Contactless payments were introduced at charging points (with 2024/25 being the first full year with this occurring), making it easier and more accessible for the public to charge. Waste 4.15 Waste management has improved significantly with noticeable reductions in most emissions categories reported on. A new residual waste contract with the emphasis of diverting waste away from landfill was initiated in August 2023. This has resulted in 7,984 tonnes of less waste ended up in landfill when compared to 2023/24 which represents a year-on-year reduction of 61%. This led to emission savings of 3,954 tCO2 e. The Twin Stream recycling initiated in January 2024 with the introduction of the new grey-lidded bin has significantly contributed to improved recycling rates for 2024/25 with a 61% increase in plastics collected. Increased plastic recycling was one the aims of the introduction of the Council’s Twin Stream recycling programme. Recycling plastic rather than having it in general waste saves the Council 491 kgCO2 e/tonne. We have also seen increases in both wood (25%) and scrap metal (9%) due to separating these materials when collected in bulk, to ensure they are diverted to recycling. 4.16 We have seen an increase in recyclable materials and an increase in incineration. One might expect to see a corresponding increase in emissions associated with these activities. However, because of changes to the emissions factors for 2025, this is not the case, and we have recorded a reduction in year-on-year emissions. Emission conversion factors quantify greenhouse gas emissions released by a specific activity. These are updated by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero annually, according to the latest technological improvements for each emissions category. Page 64 of 110
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Adaptation 4.17 This section includes questions about assessing and managing climate risk. More specifically, information on the Council’s Climate Change Risk and Opportunity Assessment has been provided. The Assessment looks at both risks for Perth and Kinross as an area and operational risks to the Council. The Council has also undertaken or made plans to undertake detailed analysis of key risks including Bridge Scour, landslip and Ash Dieback. Further information on managing climate-related risks has also been provided as per the reporting requirements. Governance 4.18 Under the governance section we are required to explain the Council’s climate change governance procedures and outline our related plans and policies. The only data indicator we provide is our Climate Change Assessment Toolkit Score. This year our score increased to 74%. Three of the five sub-topics showed progress. • Adaptation is showing the biggest improvement from 79% to 96% and it covers questions related to climate risks and opportunities as a result of climate hazards - this increase is attributed to the Council mainstreaming and utilising the results of the Climate Risk and Opportunity Assessment for Perth and Kinross, as well as, establishing a regional adaptation partnership named Climate Ready Tayside with Angus Council and Dundee City Council. • Emissions also showed an increase by 5 percentage points and this is due to the detailed procedure of annually updating the Council's Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan which covers our carbon footprint and Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reporting. • Behaviour topic also showed a 5 percentage points increase, mainly due to progress with mainstreaming climate change across the Council - climate change is now included in all job descriptions for staff. Last, Procurement remains the lowest scoring sub-topic with no changes in the scoring at 38%. 4.19 There was a decrease of 18 percentage points on the Governance sub-topic. This is due to the Council’s score around auditing of reporting being increased the previous year due to a one-off internal audit taking place, but being removed this year as the Council does not have an annual independent audit process for climate change reporting. Other elements in Governance had minor improvements, but this did not offset this reduction. 4.20 The Council’s Policy and Governance Officers Group considered which actions were achievable for raising our CCAT score this year and identified the following potential improvement areas: • Action 1b – Include the Council’s Chief Executive Officer and deputy Chief Executive Officer in the annual climate change review process; Page 65 of 110
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• Action 2b – ii) – Corporate travel targets to be set as part of the corporate travel plan; • Action 4b – Should be possible to raise awareness of all staff. Actions for this year include to explore mandatory training courses and whether climate change could be included on rotation and potential climate change workplace behaviour campaign; • Action 4e – Unlikely to reach full improvement but identified two key areas for focus of inclusion to be IT and HSCP. Procurement 4.21 The Procurement section requires that the Council outlines the ways in which procurement policies have contributed to compliance with climate change duties. The Council’s Sustainable Procurement Policy and outcomes have been outlined. Furthermore, information the Council’s Sustainable Procurement Strategy which was approved in June 2024 has also been included in this section. The Strategy includes an Aim of Protecting our Environment, designed to support a fair transition to net zero and minimise our environmental impact. There are a number of objectives under this aim including influencing the reduction of carbon omissions and waste minimisation. Links to both the Policy and recent Strategy documents have been provided. 5. Proposals 5.1 For both the Climate Governance and Adaptation reporting areas, the Council is required to identify it’s top 5 priorities for the 2025/26 reporting year. The selected list of priorities has been taken from Top and High Priority actions within the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan. 5.2 Adaptation Top 5: • Develop and implement scour protection programme and landslip risk screening for key Council assets • Continued delivery of Flood Risk Management Cycle 1 Projects and commence Cycle 2 projects (subject to availability of funding from the Scottish Government) • Identify and develop Nature Networks for Perth & Kinross • Implement Ash Dieback Screening and Removal Programme • Support community resilience groups to build proactive resilience 5.3 Governance Top 5 • Continue to mainstream climate change into committee procedures and council operations, including through the rollout of embedding the Impact and Value Assessment Tool in committee reporting; • Continue rollout of carbon literacy training to all council employees with a targeted focus on elected officials and key decision makers; Page 66 of 110
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• Develop an approach to Whole Life Costing and embedding this into Council decisions • Continue to build capacity of procurement and contract management staff around ensuring climate change is appropriately considered in procurement and delivery processes, including in category strategies for high emission categories • Support the Perth & Kinross Climate Commission to relaunch and rebrand under its new name ‘SHIFT’. 6. Conclusions 6.1 Perth and Kinross Council’s carbon footprint in 2024/25 has decreased year on year. Improvements have been made in all areas reported (Transport, Energy use and Waste) as noted above. Efforts made by the teams working in these areas are noticeable as consumption figures and associated emissions have decreased significantly. 6.2 Despite the progress noted, improvements can be made in the categories where little or no progress has been illustrated. In achieving Perth and Kinross Council’s climate objectives, activity needs to be accelerated to ensure all emissions categories are on a reduction trajectory that is sufficient to achieve the targets related to the Council operations and functions as set out in the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. 6.3 Improvements were noted in Governance, Adaptation and Procurement strands as well, as demonstrated by the increase in CCAT score. The Top 5 actions for 25/26 are expected to drive continued year-on-year improvements. 6.4 Working towards achieving the targets, via the activities outlined in the Action Plan should remain a key priority for Perth and Kinross Council in order to accelerate the decrease in emissions. 7. Impact Value Assessment 7.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. 8. Appendices 8.1 P&K PBCCD Master Template 2025 Sept V1.xlsx Page 67 of 110
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Climate Change and Sustainability Date of Meeting: 10 November 2025 Report Title: The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 Publication of Cycle 2 Interim Report Report Number: 25/300 Report Author: Russell Stewart, Senior Engineer, Flooding Team Organisational Lead: Fraser Crofts, Strategic Lead – Environment and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this Report is to seek the Committee’s acknowledgement of the content of the interim reports on the Local Flood Risk Management Plans. The Council’s duties with regard to flooding are set out within the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 (The Act). The Council published its second Local Flood Risk Management Plans in December 2022. This Report now presents the final drafts of the Interim Reports on the progress made in implementing those plans. Per Section 37 of The Act, the Interim Reports are required to be published no later than December 2025. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation(s) 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Endorses the progress made on delivering the Local Flood Risk Management Plans published in December 2022 as set out in the Interim Reports. 8 Page 69 of 110
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2.2 Acknowledges the content of the Interim Reports on the Local Flood Risk Management Plans for the Tay District and the Council’s input to the Interim Reports for the Forth, the Forth Estuary and the Tay Estuary & Montrose Basin Districts. 2.3 Approves that the Strategic Lead Environment and Infrastructure will carry out final minor amendments to the above Interim Reports, if required, prior to final publication due in December 2025. 2.4 Approves the proposed arrangements for publication of the Interim Reports. 3. Background/Context 3.1 The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 (the 2009 Act) has introduced a more modern, coordinated and sustainable approach to flood risk management at both national and local levels. 3.2 Although public authorities are expected to take a proactive role in managing and, where achievable, lowering flood risk, the primary responsibility for avoiding or managing flood risk remains with land and property owners. The 2009 Act does not alter this. Individuals, businesses and communities must, therefore, play a critical role in making themselves more resilient and helping to reduce the impact of flooding. 3.3 The 2009 Act sets out a framework designed to manage and reduce flood risk across Scotland over time. Local authorities, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Water have duties to work together to produce a national risk assessment, flood risk and hazard maps, Flood Risk Management (FRM) Plans and Local FRM Plans. This process of risk assessment, mapping and planning is to be repeated in cycles every six years, with the initial cycles extending over the following dates: • Cycle 1: 2016-2022 • Cycle 2: 2022-2028 3.4 SEPA published the first cycle of FRM plans (or strategies) in December 2015. The Council published its first cycle of Local FRM Plans in June 2016 (Report No. 16/241 refers) and subsequently published an interim report in March 2019 (Report No. 19/16 refers), and final report setting out progress made in implementing the measures, along with a summary of any that were not implemented in December 2022 (Report No. 22/307 refers). The published Cycle 1 final report can be viewed on the Council’s website at www.pkc.gov.uk/frmplans. 3.5 SEPA published the second cycle of FRM Plans in December 2021. These documents cover the 14 local plan districts across the whole of Scotland. They describe the objectives and actions that will be implemented by SEPA and responsible authorities over the second six year cycle from 2022-2028. Page 70 of 110
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3.6 Perth & Kinross is located within four of these local plan districts, i.e. the Tay district (which covers the majority of Perth & Kinross) as well as parts of the Tay Estuary & Montrose Basin, the Forth and the Forth Estuary. 3.7 The Climate Change and Sustainability Committee of 19 December 2022 approved the content and publication of the second Local FRM Plans (and final report for Cycle 1) for the Tay, the Forth, the Forth Estuary and the Tay Estuary & Montrose Basin districts. (Report No. 22/307 refers). 4. Main Issues 4.1 Section 37 of the 2009 Act requires lead authorities to review their Local FRM Plan and publish an interim report on it around the mid point of the 6 year cycle i.e. within 2 to 3 years of publication (between December 2024 to December 2025). The interim report covers the conclusions of this review. It includes information on the progress that has been made towards addressing the measures identified in the implementation part of the plan. 4.2 As the lead authority for the Tay district, Perth and Kinross Council is required to publish this interim report. The Council also must contribute to the interim reports on the three other Local FRM Plans for the other districts noted at paragraph 3.6. These will be published by the appropriate lead authority. 4.3 The 2009 Act also requires the interim report be made available for public inspection. 5. Proposals 5.1 Public awareness, participation and community support are essential components of sustainable flood risk management. Public participation can not only raise awareness of flood risk, it can also inform decisions and contribute to the successful implementation of actions. The publication of an interim progress report near to the mid-point of the 6 year FRM cycle is, therefore, intended to assist with this. 5.2 The final draft interim reports have been developed in partnership with SEPA and the relevant responsible authorities. For the Tay District, this includes local authorities, and Scottish Water. Transport Scotland and the Scottish Flood Forum have also provided information. 5.3 The interim reports have been developed based on an agreed national template to ensure consistency. The documents are intended to be public facing and to provide a local perspective on flood risk management. 5.4 The published FRM Plans and Local FRM Plans contain both general actions which apply across the local plan district and actions that are specific to Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs). The Cycle 2 Flood Risk Management Plan also introduced new Objective Target Areas (OTAs), which are located within the PVAs and should benefit from objectives and actions to manage risk. Page 71 of 110
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The published Local FRM Plans include delivery timescales for the selected actions. The interim reports, therefore, set out the progress made to date on delivering those actions as well as the measures planned to complete them. 5.5 Each action has been allocated a red, amber or green (RAG) status to provide an indication of its progress to date. Appendix 1 provides an overview of all Perth & Kinross Council actions with key issues summarised in paragraph 5.6. The RAG status definitions are: • Green – The action has been completed successfully or is progressing as planned. No immediate attention is required • Amber – The action is behind schedule or progressing slowly, but it is not critical. Some attention or action is required to get it back on track. • Red – The action is significantly behind schedule or has not started at all. 5.6 The introduction of the Flood Act has led to improved partnership working and data sharing between SEPA and the responsible authorities. The published Tay Local FRM Plan remains current and relevant. Since publication in December 2022 (Report No. 22/307 refers), in general, good progress has been made over the initial three years of the second cycle despite a significant response and resources required to support communities during flood events in October 2023 (PKC wide), May 2024 (Scone), and July 2025 (Perth). Flood studies have generally progressed as programmed, although an ongoing delay with the Scotland Excel procurement framework may impact projects due to start this financial year (Blair Atholl and Luncarty). Progress on the remaining Cycle 1 flood protection schemes have been delayed. The Comrie Flood Protection Scheme is currently onsite and programmed for completion in October 2026. The South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme is currently delayed as a result of objections during the publication of the scheme. The Milnathort scheme has been reduced in scale and cost and is currently at the consultation stage with works due to commence next year, and Scone flood protection scheme has been deferred to a future Cycle. The implementation of Cycle 2 flood protection schemes has been significantly affected by delays in capital funding availability and is still the subject of an ongoing review by The Scottish Government and CoSLA. It should be noted that the responsible authorities involved in delivering the actions for the Tay LPD are also involved in delivering actions in other local plan districts and their resources have to be split accordingly. 5.7 In order to finalise the interim reports, the other partners in each district are, therefore, arranging formal agreement in accordance with their respective governance arrangements. 5.8 The four interim reports are currently at a final draft stage and only require minor amendments prior to publication. The current draft Tay interim report is in Appendix 2. Page 72 of 110
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5.9 When completed, the final drafts of the Tay interim report and the Council’s input to the other interim reports will be made available on the following webpages: • Tay: https://www.pkc.gov.uk/frmplans • Tay Estuary & Montrose Basin: https://www.angus.gov.uk/the_environment/flooding_and_coastal_erosi on/tay_estuary_and_montrose_basin_local_flood_risk_management_pla n • Forth: https://www.stirling.gov.uk/emergencies-and-emergency- planning/flooding/flood-risk-management-plan/ • Forth Estuary: https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/policies-and- strategies/resilience-planning/flooding#flood-risk-management-planning Next Steps 5.10 As noted at 5.8, the interim reports are at a final draft stage and may still require further minor amendments prior to final publication. The amendments will mainly relate to the presentation of the final documents and will include any further progress updates prior to final publication. As such, the content (as presented in this report) will not substantially change prior to publication. 5.11 Publication is currently programmed for December 2025. 5.12 Following agreement from all other members of the Tay LPD Partnership, the final interim report for the Tay District will, therefore, be published on the Council’s website at this time. The proposed publicity surrounding this will be as follows: i.the Council’s website will be updated to include the final interim report for the Tay District and to provide links to the other relevant published interim reports. ii. a copy of the final interim report for the Tay District will be provided to SEPA and the Scottish Ministers. iii. notices will be placed in the Scotsman, the Courier, the Stirling Observer and the Edinburgh Gazette. iv.letters will be issued to each community council that falls within a PVA to notify them of the publication of the interim reports and how to access them. v.hard copies of the documents will also be made available in the Council’s Perth and Area Offices. vi.announcements will be posted on social media (the Perth & Kinross Council Facebook and X pages). vii. information will be sent to local community resilience groups within a PVA. viii. a briefing session will be provided for Council Elected Members. ix.any other publications which are considered appropriate. 5.13 It should be noted that it will not be possible to carry out all of the selected actions to manage flood risk within the resources available to the Council at this time. Page 73 of 110
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Although the interim reports will be published in December 2025, the implementation of the actions, thereafter, will continue to be based on a number of factors, including: priority; availability of funding; capacity within delivery bodies and third parties to develop the actions; coordination and agreements between partners; statutory processes and permissions; design or other preparatory time required. 5.14 The 2009 Act sets out a 6 year cycle between subsequent FRM Plans and Local FRM Plans. While SEPA and the responsible authorities are required to implement the actions set out in the current FRM Plans and local FRM Plans, the process of reviewing and updating the national flood risk assessment and flood maps, as well as producing the third cycle of FRM Plans and Local FRM Plans, has also re-commenced. 5.15 From January 2026, SEPA will be assessing and prioritising the actions to be funded in the third cycle of FRM Plans (2028-2034). Any studies and investigations that have not arrived at an identified solution by this time will not attract funding in the third cycle. This may result in certain communities being at an increased risk of flooding for longer. 5.16 Further public consultation will be carried out in 2026/27 during the development of the next FRM Plans and Local FRM Plans. 5.17 A final report on progress must also be published no later than 6 years after the Local FRM Plan is finalised, i.e. between December 2027 and December 2028. 5.18 The third cycle of Flood Risk Management Plans and Local Flood Risk Management Plans will be published in December 2027 and 2028 respectively. 6. Conclusion 6.1 This report provides an update on the publication of the Council’s interim reports on the Local Flood Risk Management Plans published in December 2022. 6.2 The report seeks the Committee’s approval of the content of the interim reports on the Local Flood Risk Management Plans for the Tay, Forth, Forth Estuary and Tay Estuary & Montrose Basin districts. 6.3 The report also seeks the Committee’s approval to allow officers to carry out final minor amendments to the presentation of the interim reports, prior to publication in December 2025. 7. Impact Value Assessment 7.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. Page 74 of 110
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8. Appendices 8.1 Appendix 1 – Flood Risk Management Actions for Tay, Forth, Forth Estuary and TEAMB 8.2 Appendix 2 – Tay Local Plan District – Cycle 2 Interim Report (DRAFT) Page 75 of 110
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Appendix 1 – Flood Risk Management Actions for Tay, Forth, Forth Estuary and TEAMB RAG Adaptation plan Community engagement Community resilience group Data collection Emergency plan Flood defence maintenance Flood protection scheme Flood protection works Flood scheme or works implementation Flood study Flood study (options appraisal) Flood warning maintenance Land use planning Maintain flood protection scheme Sewer flood risk assessment Surface water management plan Local Plan District Aberfeldy GREEN GREEN RED GREEN GREEN TAY Almondbank GREEN GREEN Alyth GREEN GREEN GREEN Bankfoot GREEN Blair Atholl GREEN GREEN GREEN Blairgowrie and Rattray GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN Bridge of Earn GREEN AMBER GREEN GREEN GREEN Comrie GREEN GREEN RED GREEN GREEN GREEN AMBER Coupar Angus GREEN GREEN GREEN Dalguise GREEN GREEN Dunkeld and Birnam GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN Forfar GREEN GREEN GREEN Kirriemuir GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN RED Luncarty GREEN GREEN GREEN Methven GREEN GREEN Perth GREEN GREEN RED GREEN,RED,GREEN GREEN,GREEN GREEN GREEN AMBER Pitlochry GREEN GREEN RED GREEN GREEN Scone GREEN RED RED RED GREEN Spittalfield GREEN GREEN GREEN Weem GREEN GREEN Blackford GREEN GREEN RED FORTH Kinross GREEN GREEN RED GREEN GREEN AMBER FORTH ESTUARY Milnathort GREEN RED GREEN GREEN RED Invergowrie GREEN GREEN GREEN TEAMB 8 Page 77 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 1 TAY Local Flood Risk Management Plan Interim Report Published by Perth & Kinross Council December 2025 8 Page 79 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 2 Page 80 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 3 Publication date: December 2025 Contents 1 Background ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 2 How current is the Local Plan ...................................................................................................................... 5 3 Significant issues ............................................................................................................................................... 5 4 Other Actions ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 5 Next steps ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 6 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 Assessment of progress.................................................................................................................................. 9 Page 81 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 4 1 Background The Interim Report is a legal requirement under Section 37 of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 (the Act), which must be published between June 2024 and December 2025. This report includes a review of the Local Flood Risk Management Plan (LFRMP) for the Tay Local Plan District (LPD), published in December 2022, and information on the progress that has been made towards implementing the actions identified in the LFRMP. Further details on flood risk management responsibilities in Scotland and the legal requirement for the publication of this Interim Report can be found in Appendix 1. A copy of the Tay LPD LFRMP can be found at the following link: www.pkc.gov.uk/frmplans Page 82 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 5 2 How current is the Local Plan The LFRMP was published by the relevant Lead Local Authorities in December 2022 supplementing the FRMP published by SEPA in December 2021. The LFRMP details how the actions identified in the FRMP are to be implemented over the period 2022 to 2028. The FRMP and LFRMP are based on the National Flood Risk Assessment and the Potentially Vulnerable Areas designated at that time. The LFRMP continues to be considered appropriate based on the current understanding of flood risk within the Tay Plan District. 3 Significant issues Based on a progress review of the LFRMP for Tay LPD, the following key themes and issues have been identified that have or may have an impact on the delivery of actions to manage flood risk. Arrangements planned to deliver the remaining actions are described below. Where these issues have had an impact on the delivery of specific actions or actions across an LPD, this is detailed in the ‘Assessment of the progress’ of relevant actions. Significant weather events The Tay LPD area was adversely affected by significant weather events during October 2023, which had consequential impacts on the delivery of actions in the LFRMP from October 2023 onwards. For example, Perth & Kinross, Angus, Stirling and Dundee Council resources were deployed to deal with emergency events at that time as well as follow up activities and necessary works. This has caused consequential delays in the planned delivery of some actions as staff resources that would have been delivering planned actions have been delivering emergency actions. Further flood events affecting the Tay LPD occurred on 10 September 2023, 29 May 2024 and 21 July 2025 which required the reallocation of resources to assist in emergency and recovery actions. Funding The distribution of capital funding through the local authority general capital grant, including for flood protection schemes, is jointly agreed by Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders. Page 83 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 6 The implementation of the Cycle 2 Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) have been significantly affected by capital funding availability through the general capital grant for new flood protection schemes. There is a commitment to fund flood protection schemes from the Cycle 1 FRMPs first and many of these schemes have experienced cost escalations and extended delivery timelines. As a result, there have been no capital allocations through the general capital grant for the development and delivery of new flood protection schemes. This has delayed early-stage procurement and design activity for new flood protection schemes by other Responsible Authorities and disrupted the intended sequencing of flood risk interventions across the country. There is therefore a backlog of flood protection schemes that remain in development or have been paused pending the availability of capital funding through the general capital grant. The cumulative effect of these delays is a shortfall in the delivery of the flood protection schemes in the Cycle 2 FRMPs. The Scottish Government wrote to all local authorities on behalf of the Working Group on 14 August 2023 setting out a number of recommendations it made to improve the affordability of the Cycle 1 flood protection scheme programme. Recommendation 2 stated that all schemes must be notified (published) by 31 March 2024. South Kinross was published on 26 March 2024, but due to an earlier pause of the scheme there was insufficient time to publish Scone by the deadline and was removed from Cycle 1. The Milnathort scheme has been reduced in scale and cost and in the absence of any third- party landownership a formal published scheme was not considered to be required. Allocation of Resources The availability and retention of skilled staff to deliver flood risk actions has been a limiting factor in some areas. The increased workload created by the weather events noted above has put more pressure on existing staff resources. This has caused consequential delays in the planned delivery of actions. Page 84 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 7 Arrangements planned to deliver the remaining actions affected by allocation of resource issues are described below and are detailed in Chapter 3. Procurement and Use of Consultants Scotland Excel is the main procurement framework route used to appoint design consultants to carry out flood studies. The framework contract ended in March 2025 and the process to retender the framework is underway at the time of writing. The delay continues to impact on the ability to commence new flood studies (Blair Atholl and Luncarty). 4 Other Actions Perth & Kinross Council Perth & Kinross Council has not carried out any additional actions, out with the actions identified within the Tay LFRMP. SEPA Over the past four years, SEPA has made significant improvements in the flood forecasting and warning service through its Flood Warning Development Framework 2022–2028. Key achievements include: Scottish Flood Forecast: A new 3-day public forecast developed with the Met Office, providing earlier and clearer flood risk information. MyFloodline: A redesigned registration platform that improves public access to flood warnings. Regional Improvements: Enhanced forecasting systems in the Scottish Borders and Firths of Forth and Tay to support upgraded warning services. AI Integration: SEPA has also embraced digital transformation and begun exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence to enhance forecasting capabilities. 5 Next steps A Final Report on the LFRMP will be published between June 2027 and December 2028. This will include an updated assessment of the progress made towards implementing the current actions, a summary of the current measures which were not implemented, with Page 85 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 8 reasons for their non-implementation; and a description of any other measures implemented since the LFRMP was finalised, which the lead authority considers have contributed to the achievement of the flood risk objectives. 6 Conclusions This report sets out the conclusions of the interim review of the Tay LFRMP as well as information on the progress made towards implementing the measures set out therein. The published Tay LFRMP remains current and relevant. Since its publication in December 2022, in general good progress has been made over the initial three years of Cycle 2. Flood studies have generally progressed as programmed, while progress on the larger and more complex flood protection schemes have been delayed. The Comrie Flood Protection Scheme is currently onsite and programmed for completion in October 2026. The South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme is currently delayed as a result of objections during the publication of the scheme. The majority of the actions identified in the LFRMP, approximately 85%, are expected to be delivered within the timescales set when the LFRMP was published in December 2022. Approximately 4% of the actions identified are delayed but expected to be delivered before the end of Cycle 2 in 2028. Approximately 11% of the actions are not expected to be delivered in Cycle 2 and will now be considered for future cycles. The delays in delivering actions are generally the result of issues that could reasonably be expected over a six year period, such as funding reviews and flood events since the LFRMP was published. While it is regrettable that these delays have occurred, every effort will be made to deliver the delayed actions as quickly as possible. Page 86 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 9 7 Assessment of progress This section sets out an assessment of the progress towards implementing the actions set out in the LFRMP. There are actions that apply across all of the Tay LPD and actions that are specific to each of the 14 Potentially Vulnerable Areas (as defined under Section 13 of the Act), which are shown below in Figure 1. Figure 1: The Tay LPD with Potentially Vulnerable Areas identified (Reproduced from the Tay Flood Risk Management Plan, SEPA, December 2021) Page 87 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 10 The actions that apply to individual PVAs are shown in Figure 2. The summary progress is shown using the traffic light system, where each item is marked as Red, Amber or Green (RAG) and where: GREEN – The action has been completed successfully or is progressing as planned. No immediate attention is required. AMBER – The action is behind schedule or progressing slowly, but it is not critical. Some attention or action is required to get it back on track. RED – The action is significantly behind schedule or has not started at all. Page 88 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: INTERIM REPORT 11 PKC - GENERAL RAG Adaptation plan Community engagement Community resilience group Data collection Emergency plan Flood defence maintenance Flood protection scheme Flood protection works Flood scheme or works implementation Flood study Flood study (options appraisal) Flood warning maintenance Land use planning Maintain flood protection scheme Sewer flood risk assessment Surface water management plan Aberfeldy GREEN GREEN RED GREEN GREEN Almondbank GREEN GREEN Alyth GREEN GREEN GREEN Bankfoot GREEN Blair Atholl GREEN GREEN GREEN Blairgowrie and Rattray GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN Bridge of Earn GREEN AMBER GREEN GREEN GREEN Comrie GREEN GREEN RED GREEN GREEN GREEN AMBER Coupar Angus GREEN GREEN GREEN Dalguise GREEN GREEN Dunkeld and Birnam GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN Forfar GREEN GREEN GREEN Kirriemuir GREEN GREEN GREEN GREEN RED Luncarty GREEN GREEN GREEN Methven GREEN GREEN Perth GREEN GREEN RED GREEN,RED,GREEN GREEN,GREEN GREEN GREEN AMBER Pitlochry GREEN GREEN RED GREEN GREEN Scone GREEN RED RED RED GREEN Spittalfield GREEN GREEN GREEN Weem GREEN GREEN Figure 2: Summary of progress of actions to manage flood risk in the Potentially Vulnerable Areas of the Tay LPD Page 89 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: INTERIM REPORT 12 PKC - GENERAL Progress with LPD-wide Actions This section sets out an assessment of the progress towards implementing actions that apply across all the Tay LPD over the six-year LFRMP, which is presented in Figure 3. Page 90 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: INTERIM REPORT 13 PKC - GENERAL Action RAG Status Delivery Lead Update Awareness raising Green Various SEPA has delivered a range of awareness-raising activities through targeted campaigns and collaborative partnerships. A key achievement has been the development of a suite of online flood education resources for pupils in P5–P7, designed to help young people build their understanding of flood risk and resilience. We have also refreshed how we communicate our flood warning and information tools to the public, guided by a user-led approach. Our emphasis on accessibility ensures that communities are better equipped to understand their flood risk and take action to build resilience. In addition, SEPA hosted its first-ever national online community event. The event attracted over 65 participants from communities across Scotland, with 96% of attendees reporting that they felt better informed about how their community could prepare for flooding. Local authorities have also developed their websites and social media to provide more advice and information on flood risk management. Stirling Council use SEPA’s flood alerts to deliver targeted flood awareness information. The Council are developing an annual programme of attending local highland games to deliver awareness raising objectives. The Council also works with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to deliver joint flooding messages at annual fire station open days. Scottish Water support SEPA and Responsible Authorities with their awareness raising activities as required and provide targeted communications for Scottish Water sewer flooding programme activities. Scottish Water raise awareness by producing and supplying targeted information to the public on large capital projects and detailed local studies. Forestry & Land Scotland (FLS) continues to engage with Responsible Authorities to make sure that the contribution of woodlands and forestry is recognised when natural flood management measures are promoted. Interactions with the public are sought at public National events (for example the Royal Highland Show) and regional/local events (for example the Turiff Show) to highlight the role that trees and woodland have in contributing to managing flood risk. This includes working with facilitators (from the charitable sectors and businesses) to help partnership initiatives that aim to improve public resilience to flood risk and to make sure that the communities have access to information and help/support. FLS continue to work on partnership initiatives to spatially identify where woodland can be planted and managed - these include the local communities. FLS engages with communities, NGOs and statutory stakeholders on the revision of Land Management Plans. Flooding is part of these catchment- focused discussions where FLS’s planners raise awareness of the benefits that trees and forestry can bring to flooding and the associated reduction of peak flows through:- 1) Page 91 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 14 Action RAG Status Delivery Lead Update Evaporation of rainfall from canopy and; 2) Transpiration of heavy rain into the forest soils and geology. The Scottish Flood Forum has raised awareness with flood risk communities through a range of community engagement actions that have helped them to prepare for flooding. The SFF provided input to community meetings and events to support engagement with Responsible Authorities. The SFF produced flood risk community focussed newsletters which were sent to group and individuals across Scotland. The SFF also promoted and delivered peer to peer flood risk community networking events. Angus Council has been working closely with community groups in relation to flooding and has undertaken regular community engagement. Angus Council hosted events in March 2024 where residents could visit Flood Mary's "Floodmobile" and meet with the Scottish Flood Forum and members of the Angus Councils Flooding and Communities Teams. Angus Council hosted a Community Resilience Roadshow in April/May 2025 where residents could visit Flood Re and the Scottish Flood Forum's "Flo The Flood Bus"and meet with the Scottish Flood Forum and members of the Angus Councils Flooding and Communities Teams Data to support climate resilience Amber SEPA SEPA is undertaking extensive work to upgrade the Hydrometric Network both in terms of infrastructure and technology, including dramatically increasing the number of sites and utility of near live data across numerous users. A strategic vision and strategy is being developed for Hydrology Monitoring in Scotland to ensure that our service meets future user needs in an effective and efficient way in a changing climate. Emergency plans Green Category 1 and 2 Responders Local Authorities have developed emergency plans. Perth & Kinross Council further developed its Generic Emergency Response Plan (GERP) following Storm Babet and October 2023 incidents. The Plan is designed to ensure that contingency measures are in place for a coordinated and flexible response to flooding incidents to mitigate the effects of flooding emergencies on people, property and infrastructure. Angus Council has developed emergency plans that take account of new information received and the plans are constantly under review. Angus Council continue to support resilience partnerships whenever requested to do so. Over and above civil contingencies planning, in June 2017 Stirling Council established a formal Flood Partnership Group between the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, the Scottish Flood Forum, SEPA, Emergency Planning Officers and the flooding teams from each Local Authority and Scottish Water. There is potential to expand the working group to include other agencies or the voluntary sector. Ongoing dialogue and quarterly meetings take place between these Page 92 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 15 Action RAG Status Delivery Lead Update parties to better plan joint emergency responses to community risks. Fife Council's updated Flood Emergency Plan was published in November 2016. As a Category 2 Responder, Scottish Water has continued to support regional and local resilience partnerships as required. SEPA plays a central role in Scotland’s Flood Warning Service, working in partnership with local authorities, emergency services, and other responders under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to support emergency planning and help protect communities from the impacts of flooding. Flood forecasting Green SEPA SEPA delivers the Scottish Flood Forecasting Service in partnership with the Met Office. This service continues to deliver daily outlooks of flood risk and potential impacts for the nation through its 3 day Scottish Flood Forecast forecast for the public and 5 day Flood Guidance Statement for professional partners. Flood Alerts and Warnings are issued by SEPA's flood duty officers when flooding is possible and/or expected. Flood warning development framework Green SEPA SEPA published the Flood Warning development Framework for 2022-2028 including a programme of works to maintain and improve SEPA's forecasting and warning services. SEPA has developed a road map for improving surface water forecasting and SEPA now have a surface water forecasting tool that has been developed called PREDICTOR. Further recommendations exist to develop these surface water capabilities. SEPA's partnership with the Met Office continues with the publication of daily 3 day forecasts for the public and 5 day forecasts for professional partners. Future flood risk management planning Amber SEPA SEPA is currently preparing the Flood Risk Management Plans for the upcoming cycle (2027– 2033) in collaboration with key stakeholders. This process includes a formal consultation phase scheduled for 2026. The new plans will introduce key elements of the Scottish Flood Resilience Strategy and align with the objectives of other national frameworks, such as the Scottish National Adaptation Plan. Following the publication of the Scottish Flood Resilience Strategy in 2025, SEPA is embedding its principles and ambitions into a refreshed vision and strategic direction for its flooding services. Guidance development Amber Scottish Government, SEPA As part of delivering the Scottish Flood Resilience Strategy, SEPA is contributing to the development of a flood advisory service. This includes updating and creating tailored guidance to support flood risk management projects. In collaboration with Scottish Forestry and other UK forestry agencies, Forest Research published the UK Forestry Standard Practice Guide in October 2022. This guide offers practical advice to landowners, land managers, and public authorities on how to design and manage forests and woodlands to help reduce flood risk. Page 93 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 16 Action RAG Status Delivery Lead Update Hazard Mapping updates Green SEPA SEPA has a phased, multi year programme of hazard map updates. Updates to our coastal map for Outer Hebrides, Orkney and North East Scotland were published in November 2023 and South East Scotland is due to be published in 2026. A review of coastal modelling and mapping in South West Scotland will follow. In February 2025 SEPA published a new national flood hazard map for surface water and small watercourses, entirely replacing the previous surface water map release. SEPA is updating its approach to fluvial hazard map updates including user needs analysis, technological and methodological improvements in order to meet the next statutory hazard map update deadline of December 2031. Land use planning Green SEPA, Local Authorities SEPA-Following the publication of the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) in February 2023, SEPA has undertaken a programme of updates to its land use planning guidance on flood risk. This work, carried out in consultation with key stakeholders, has focused on ensuring alignment with Policy 22 in particular. The programme is now largely complete, and planning authorities are progressing with the implementation of NPF4 through the spatial elements of their upcoming local development plans. The current Perth & Kinross Local Development Plan (LDP2) contains planning policy and development allocations which ensure that new development at medium to high risk of flooding is avoided (unless flood protection measures to the appropriate standard already exist and are maintained, are under construction, or are a planned measure in a current flood risk management plan). SEPA and Perth & Kinross Council’s flooding team input to the planning application process as necessary to implement flood risk policy and ensure there is an appropriate assessment and mitigation of flood risk as detailed development proposals come forward. The Council's flooding team has reviewed 1717 planning applications since the start of the 2022 as a consultee in the planning process. The Council's flooding team has also provided additional advice on flood risk management to the Planning Authority out with these formal consultations. Perth & Kinross Council is reviewing LDP2, which was adopted in November 2019, to produce LDP3. The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 introduced a number of changes to the key steps for preparing a Local Development Plan. Preparation of a new-style LDP will include:- (1) evidence gathering report and early community and stakeholder engagement leading to evidence report, (2) submission of Evidence Report to Scottish Ministers for an independent Gate Check, (3) Collaborative plan preparation, leading to publication of the Proposed Plan for consultation, (4) submission of the Proposed Plan to Scottish Ministers for an independent examination of Page 94 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 17 Action RAG Status Delivery Lead Update outstanding issues, and (5) Adoption of the Local Development Plan. The LDP3 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment was finalised February 2025, and LDP3 is currently at stage 2, with its Proposed Plan programmed for publication January 2027. Maintenance Green Local Authorities, asset / land managers Local Authorities have continued to inspect and assess watercourses and carry out clearance and repair works where such works would substantially reduce flood risk. This has included producing schedules of clearance and repair works and making these available for public inspection. In Perth & Kinross, the Council’s routine watercourse inspections are a carried out either annually, six monthly or quarterly, depending on the flood risk associated with each watercourse. Further reactive inspections have been carried out when issues have been highlighted or during times of flooding. Where a flood risk is identified, and clearance and repair works would substantially reduce that flood risk, then those works are included on the Council's clearance and repair schedule and carried out. Significant examples of clearance and repair works are noted within various PVAs in this report. The Council has also continued to inspect and maintain existing flood protection schemes. Perth & Kinross Council also operates a monitoring programme for the inspection and maintenance of road gullies, using a risk-based approach. Each gully has been identified (position and construction type) and recorded on the Councils Roads Maintenance Management System. Gullies are cleaned on the following cycle: A Class roads (high speed) - annually, B class, C Class and Unclassified roads and streets are cleaned on a two-year cycle. Known flood locations are cleaned twice annually. Reports of blocked gullies are assessed and if considered to be a potential cause of flooding to properties will be cleaned on an ad hoc basis or left till the next cleaning cycle, if assessed as unlikely to cause flooding to properties. The public can also contact the Council to highlight issues with any road gullies. In Angus, the Council’s maintenance contract is let and managed on yearly basis. Reactive maintenance is also undertaken where issues are identified. Stirling Council has a successful watercourse inspection regime in place which identifies risks. Where the problems reside in private property the Council notifies landowners of their riparian responsibilities. The Council also has a fortnightly maintenance regime in place where key hot spot locations have been identified. This work is carried out by contractors and managed by the Council’s flooding team. Any additional works identified are added to a schedule of works and prioritised based on risk and the available budget. Scottish Water have carried out risk based inspection, maintenance and repair on the public sewer network. Natural flood management mapping Green SEPA SEPA is developing an improved evidence base for updating natural flood management mapping using the Potentially Vulnerable Areas published in December 2024 and the revised National Flood Risk Assessment data which will be available in March 2026. This will enable a Page 95 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 18 Action RAG Status Delivery Lead Update focussed catchment approach to be developed, building on the existing national approach and providing a higher resolution of opportunity mapping. National flood risk assessment Green SEPA SEPA is applying updated evidence and methodologies to produce the revised National Flood Risk Assessment, scheduled for publication in December 2025. The underlying data informed the identification of Potentially Vulnerable Areas for the next flood risk management cycle, which were published in December 2024. This evidence base will also shape the objectives and actions set out in the 2027–2033 flood risk management plans, due for release in December 2027. National surface water mapping Green SEPA In February 2025 SEPA published a new national flood hazard map for surface water and small watercourses, entirely replacing the previous surface water map release. This new release included publication for the first time of a future flood map, to help users understand the potential impacts of climate change. To accompany the publication a number of improvements were also made to the "Check an area's long term flood risk viewer". Reservoirs Green SEPA /Local Authorities SEPA continues to develop its assessment of flood risk from dam failure and use these assessments to direct a proportionate regulatory approach to ensure reservoir safety. We are exploring the use of the UK emergency alerts service for issuing warnings in the event of a reservoir emergency. Local Authorities continue to comply with the Reservoir (Scotland) Act 2009 and appoint a suitable 'all reservoir panel engineer' to carry out, at the appropriate time, an annual and 10-yearly inspection of reservoirs under their ownership. Angus Council manages 6 Controlled Reservoirs (2 as part of Flood Protection Schemes and 4 former water supply). Angus Council manages, inspects and maintains these reservoirs in full accordance with the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011. Scottish Flood Defence Asset Database Amber SEPA SEPA’s ongoing Flood Asset Project is strengthening the quality of evidence and data management on behalf of all flooding partners. This work will deliver an improved national database to replace the outdated original, which is no longer available, enabling more informed decisions on asset location, maintenance, flood warnings, risk management, and land use planning. Self help Green Various Local Authorities have engaged and supported their local communities to become more resilient to emergency situations, including flood events. Advice has been given on how to prepare for flooding, install property level protection and the community resilience. In Perth & Kinross, a community resilience fund was created to work with community groups to build and support community resilience during weather events and emergencies. A total of 63 Community Resilience Groups have been established in Perth & Kinross. Further details are provided within the relevant areas of Section 3.2 of this report. Angus Council's Roads Assets, Page 96 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 19 Action RAG Status Delivery Lead Update and Communities Teams have been working closely with affected communities and the Scottish Flood Forum to develop community resilience. Where communities work with the Stirling Council’s resilience and risk team to develop community resilience plans, the Council will also provide flood pods that can be distributed in a time of need. The Scottish Flood Forum provided support and advice to communities to help people protect themselves and their property. This includes advice to residents on PFR assessments and advice on insurance and developing community resilience to prepare for flooding. Figure 3: Progress with LPD-wide Actions for the Tay LPD Page 97 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: INTERIM REPORT 20 PKC - GENERAL Progress with PVA-specific Actions This section sets out an assessment of the progress towards implementing actions that are specific to each of the 14 PVAs as shown in Figure 2. Assessments of the progress of Red and Amber actions within each PVA are presented. Page 98 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 21 Target Area Aberfeldy 183 Action Type Flood protection scheme 18301 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update The delivery of a Flood Protection Scheme is subject to capital funding being made available (up to 80% capital grant funding from the Scottish Government with the remaining funding being provided from Perth & Kinross Council's capital programme). The implementation of Cycle 2 projects has been significantly affected by delays in capital grant funding - refer to Section 3 of the interim report for further details. Target Area Bridge of Earn 205 Action Type Flood study 20501 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status AMBER Update Perth & Kinross Council's Flooding team appointed consulting engineers RSK to carry out the Bridge of Earn Surface Water Flood Study in April 2025. The study will investigate the surface water flood risk and identify potential options for managing that risk whilst assessing the standard of protection of the existing flood defences on the Deich and Yellow Burn. The study is programmed for completion in Spring 2026. Target Area Comrie 213 Action Type Flood protection scheme 21301 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update Perth & Kinross Council awarded the construction contract for the Comrie Flood protection Scheme to Balfour Beatty in August 2024. The construction phase is programmed to take 24 months between September 2024 and October 2026. Balfour Beatty mobilised to site in September 2024, initially undertaking site clearance and site establishment works, before commencing with the main construction operations in early 2025. The construction phase is currently on time and budget for October 2026. Target Area Comrie 213 Action Type Surface water management plan 21303 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status AMBER Update Perth & Kinross Council appointed consulting engineer, Sweco UK Ltd, to deliver the Comrie SWMP in February 2025. This is expected to be completed by spring 2026 Target Area Kirriemuir 241 Action Type Flood scheme or works implementation 24101 Action Delivery Lead Angus RAG Status RED Update The delivery of a Flood Protection Scheme is subject to capital funding being made available (up to 80% capital grant funding from the Scottish Government with the remaining funding being provided from Angus Council's capital programme). The implementation of Cycle 2 projects has been significantly affected by delays in capital grant funding - refer to Section 3 of the interim report for further details. Page 99 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 22 Target Area Perth 253 Action Type Flood protection works 25301 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update The delivery of Bridgend Surface Water Flood Protection Scheme is subject to capital funding being made available (up to 80% capital grant funding from the Scottish Government with the remaining funding being provided from Perth & Kinross Council's capital programme). The implementation of Cycle 2 projects has been significantly affected by delays in capital grant funding - refer to Section 3 of the interim report for further details. Target Area Perth 253 Action Type Surface water management plan 25304 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status AMBER Update Perth & Kinross Council's Flooding team appointed consulting engineers Amey to deliver the Perth Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) in December 2021. The project is nearing completion with community engagement planned to disseminate the outputs of the project from October 2025. The conclusions and recommendations of the SWMP will then be reported to PKC's Climate Change & Sustainability committee later in 2025. Target Area Perth 253 Action Type Flood study (options appraisal) 25306 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update The delivery of this action is being reviewed alongside the Perth SWMP due to overlap between the projects. Depending on the outcome of this, this action may not be required. Target Area Pitlochry 254 Action Type Flood protection scheme 25401 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update The delivery of a Flood Protection Scheme is subject to capital funding being made available (up to 80% capital grant funding from the Scottish Government with the remaining funding being provided from Perth & Kinross Council's capital programme). The implementation of Cycle 2 projects has been significantly affected by delays in capital grant funding - refer to Section 3 of the interim report for further details. Target Area Scone 255 Action Type Flood protection scheme 25501 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update The delivery of a Flood Protection Scheme is subject to capital funding being made available (up to 80% capital grant funding from the Scottish Government with the remaining funding being provided from Perth & Kinross Council's capital programme). Scone FPS has been removed from Cycle 1 and is awaiting the conclusion of a Scottish Government/CoSLA Page 100 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 23 review to understand how/if it will be considered for funding as part of Cycle 2 or Cycle 3. Target Area Scone 255 Action Type Maintain flood protection scheme 25502 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update Perth & Kinross Council's Roads Maintenance Partnership to carry out annual scheme inspections upon construction of the scheme. Maintenance works will be carried out as required. However, Scone FPS has been removed from Cycle 1 and is awaiting the conclusion of a Scottish Government/CoSLA review to understand how/if it will be considered for funding as part of Cycle 2 or Cycle 3. Target Area Scone 255 Action Type Flood study (options appraisal) 25503 Action Delivery Lead Perth and Kinross RAG Status RED Update Natural Flood Management and the Barrel Drain are being considered as part of the Scone Surface Water Management Plan. Scone FPS has been removed from Cycle 1 and is awaiting the conclusion of a Scottish Government/CoSLA review to understand how/if it will be considered for funding as part of Cycle 2 or Cycle 3. Page 101 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 24 List of Acronyms and Abbreviations FRM Flood Risk Management FRMP Flood Risk Management Plan ICS Integrated Catchment Study LFRMP Local Flood Risk Management Plan LPD Local Plan District NFM Natural Flood Management PVA Potentially Vulnerable Area Q&S Quality & Standards (Scottish Water) SEPA Scottish Environment Protection Agency SR10/15/21 Spending Review periods for 2010-2015, 2015-2021 and 2021-2027 for Scottish Water capital maintenance expenditure SWMP Surface Water Management Planning Page 102 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 25 Appendix 1: Flood risk management responsibilities in Scotland and the legal requirement for the publication of this Interim Report Page 103 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 26 Flood risk management in Scotland The Scottish Ministers, SEPA and responsible authorities must exercise their flood risk related functions with a view to reducing overall flood risk (reference Section 1(1) of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009). Through the preparation of a national flood risk assessment and setting of objectives to reduce the level of flood risk by SEPA, which is published in Flood Risk Management Plan’s, and the publication of LFRMP’s by ‘lead’ local authorities, which detail how and when the actions agreed to meet these objectives are to be done, SEPA and all responsible authorities must act to manage flood risk in a sustainable way. Tay Flood Risk Management Plan Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan Legal requirement This document sets out the conclusions of the review of the LFRMP for the Tay LPD as required by Section 37 of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 (the “Act”). 37 Local flood risk management plans: Interim Report (1) Not earlier than 2 years and not later than 3 years after a local flood risk management plan is finalised, the lead authority must — (a) review the plan, and (b) publish a report on the conclusions of the review including information on the progress that has been made towards implementing the measures identified in the implementation part of the plan. (2) The lead authority must make copies of the report available for public inspection. The Tay LFRMP was published in December 2022, therefore, the Interim Report needs to be published between June 2024 and December 2025. The Interim Report provides a summary of the LFRMP actions (‘measures’) and the proposed delivery timescales. The information on progress will include: an assessment of the progress towards implementing each of the actions; reasons for any actions where delivery is not as planned; and Page 104 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 27 a description of arrangements planned to deliver the remaining actions and to address delayed actions. The Interim Report is published by the ‘Lead Local Authority’ as defined by Section 34(9) of the Act in partnership with SEPA and the ‘Responsible Authorities’, as defined by Section 5 of the Act, will be in the LPD. The approval of the Interim Report will be in accordance with the agreed governance arrangements in the LPD. The Responsible Authorities for the Tay LPD are: Perth & Kinross Council (lead authority) Angus Council Fife Council Stirling Council SEPA Scottish Water Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Cairngorms National Park Forestry and Land Scotland Nature Scot Transport Scotland Network Rail The lead authority must also publish a Final Report on the LFRMP under Section 38 of the Act between June 2027 and December 2028 (not earlier than 5 years and not later than 6 years from the publication of the Plan). The Final Report will provide an assessment of current actions and a summary of current actions not implemented, with reasons for their non-implementation. The Final Report will also include a description of any other measures implemented, which the lead authority considers have contributed to the achievement of the objectives summarised in the LFRMP. Publication The published Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP will be made available for public inspection, as per Section 37(2) of the Act, via the website of the lead authority, Perth & Kinross Council: http://www.pkc.gov.uk/frmplans Page 105 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 28 Links to the published Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP will also be provided from Scottish Government, SEPA and other responsible authority websites. A hard (paper) copy of the published Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP is also available for public inspection on weekdays between 9am and 5pm at the following location(s): Pullar House, 35 Kinnoull Street, Perth, PH1 5GD Auchterarder Library, Chapel Wynd, Auchterarder, PH3 1BL Blairgowrie Area Office, 46 Leslie Street, Blairgowrie, PH10 6AQ Crieff Area Office, 32 James Square, Crieff, PH7 3EY Pitlochry Area Offices/Library, 26/28 Atholl Road, Pitlochry, PH16 5BX Breadalbane Community Campus, Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, PH15 2DU Loch Leven Community Campus & Library, The Muirs, KY14 8FQ Copies of the published Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP may also be available at offices of other responsible authorities. Those persons living in the Angus, Stirling and Fife Council areas of the Tay District should contact their own local authority in the first instance: Angus Council ACCESSline 03452 777 778 Fife Council General Enquiries 03451 550 000 Stirling Council General Enquiries 01786 404 040 Detailed arrangements for publication of the Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP are in Appendix 2. Page 106 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 29 Appendix 2: Publication details Page 107 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 30 Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 Publication of Interim Report for the Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan (LFRMP) – Summary of Proposed Communications Activities The following communications activities will be used to publicise and make the Interim Report available: Upon finalising the Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP, Sections 37(2), 53 and 54 of the Act specifically require Perth & Kinross Council, as the lead authority, to o Publish an Interim Report on the Tay LFRMP; o Make copies of the Interim Report available for public inspection free of charge and at all reasonable times; o Publicise the arrangements for making it available by means of a notice in the appropriate newspapers (at least one Scottish newspaper and such local newspapers within the LPD as considered appropriate) The Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP will be published in a hard copy format and a pdf version will also be made available on the Council’s website at Hard copies of the Interim Report for the Tay LFRMP will be held and made available upon request at the Perth & Kinross Council’s Area offices (in Perth, Auchterarder, Blairgowrie, Crieff, Pitlochry, Aberfeldy, and Kinross) in a similar process to the public viewing of planning applications. A letter (with a pdf version of the report on DVD) will be sent to SEPA and the Scottish Ministers. On or before the publication date [to be advised], public notices will be placed in the Scotsman, The Edinburgh Gazette, the Courier, and Stirling Observer, and fulfilling our duties to publicise the Interim Report in accordance with Sections 37, 53 and 54 of the 2009 Act. An e-mail with a link to the interim reports will be sent to all Councillors within Perth & Kinross. In July 2021, letters were issued to each community council that falls within a PVA to notify them of the publication of the Tay LFRMP and how to access it both electronically and in hard copy. We will send these community councils a further letter to update and inform them of the publication of the Interim Report. Subject to the agreement of the Tay LPD Partnership, a draft of the Interim Report will be uploaded to the Council’s web site at www.pkc.gov.uk/frmplans This web page will also be updated to give further information about the publication of the Interim Report. There is also a link to the SEPA FRMP from the Council’s webpage. Announcements will be posted on social media (the Perth & Kinross Council Facebook and Twitter pages). These announcements will direct enquiries to the above PKC flooding webpage in the first instance where there is text describing the 2009 Act and a Page 108 of 110
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Tay Local Flood Risk Management Plan 2022-2028: Interim Report 31 link to the Tay LFRMP. They can also access the FRMPs via a link provided on the Perth & Kinross Council Flooding pages. Articles have previously been placed in ‘Perth & Kinross News’ which is the Council's newspaper for people who live and work in the area. It is issued twice a year and gives residents up-to-date information about the services we provide, where we are doing well and how we plan to improve. We intend to place a further update article in the edition closest to the publication of the Interim Report as well. An e-mail will be sent to any Local resilience groups within a PVA. Information will be placed in any other publications which are considered appropriate (community magazines for instance). As the lead authority for the Tay LPD, we would suggest that the other local authorities within the Tay LPD Partnership undertake the following minimum activities in order to coordinate communications across the Tay LPD as follows: Write to the relevant Community Councils within the PVAs in their local authority area to alert them to the publication of the Interim Report and advise them how to access it. They can then disseminate this information to their members and potentially other local groups that the Council may not have contact with. Update Council webpages to provide an update on the Flood act and a link to the Tay LFRMP and SEPA FRMP. Social media announcements. Each local authority will be able to share/like/retweet each other’s social media posts to increase the audience reached. SEPA, the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, Cairngorms National Park, Forestry & Land Scotland and Scottish Water are also invited to advertise the publication of the Interim Report on their websites and via social media. Any further communications activities are then up to each individual responsible authority based on their individual Communications and / or Consultation policies and procedures. If you or someone you know would like a copy of this document in another language or format, (on occasion, only a summary of the document will be provided in translation), this can be arranged by contacting the Customer Service Centre on 01738 475000. You can also send us a text message on 07824 498145. All Council Services can offer a telephone translation facility. BSL users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the online British Sign Language video relay interpreting service. Find out more on the Contact Scotland BSL website https://contactscotland-bsl.org Page 109 of 110
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