Climate & Sustainability Screening - Events Policy
Council has a statutory duty to promote sustainable development.
This includes screening all proposals, investments, and decisions.
This screening tool is designed to help departments consider the likely sustainability impacts of their proposed decisions, following the five pillars of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda: People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace and Partnership.
Council must lead by example by considering wellbeing and sustainability in everything that it does.
By embedding the principles of sustainability, wellbeing and climate justice across decision making processes, this organisation aims to enable our people and planet to thrive.
The questions are designed so that environmental and social parameters are considered alongside each other, to provide a wider view of the decision-making process.
The screening assessment will be used to evidence how decisions will provide residents with environmental as well as social benefits, and how any adverse effects will be reduced. It aims to focus the limited resources of our decision-making structures onto the most relevant issues - which now formally include the environment and our impact on it.
The related guidance should be read in advance. It provides advice on how to carry out a sustainability screening exercise.
Detailed information about the Section 25 duty and what it means in practice is available on the DAERA website.
The screening tool has 4 sections to complete.
These are:
- Section 1 - Details about the policy / decision that is being screened
- Section 2 - 10 key questions on basic sustainability considerations and likely impacts on sustainable development
- Section 3 - Summary of the overall sustainability impact of the proposed activity
- Section 4 - Formal record of the screening decisions
Section 1 – Defining the activity subject to Section 25 of the Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006
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1A. Name of Service Area |
Corporate Services |
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1B. Please provide a short title, which describes the activity being undertaken that is subject to Sustainability Screening through the MEA Climate & Sustainability Policy |
Annual events programme delivered by Council events team |
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1C. Please provide details of the aims and/or objectives of the proposal. |
To provide accessible leisure activities for residents and visitors To build civic pride and community engagement To support jobs and employment |
Section 2 – Understanding the impact of the proposal on our commitment to sustainable development
Section 2 should be completed to the best of your knowledge at this time. It should be revisited as circumstances change or affect the outcomes.
Please use the prompts in the related guidance (see section 2.3.2) to explore what each heading means.
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Answer Please choose an option that describes the nature of the impact |
Comments Please clarify any impacts and specify measures to mitigate negative impacts. Reference any evidence that supports the impact |
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2.1 What impact will the proposal have on the local community including: |
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Education |
No impact |
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Health |
Positive impact |
• Deliver a coordinated partnership approach to improve the physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing of our citizens. • Ensure our citizens and visitors have accessible and inclusive Council facilities. |
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Housing |
No impact |
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Transport |
No impact |
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Place Making, Community & Culture |
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• Encourage good relations, civic pride and a sense of belonging by creating vibrant, shared, cohesive and inclusive communities across the borough Attract more domestic and international visitors to the borough to stay longer and spend more. Invest to improve and develop our parks, open spaces and built heritage ensuring they meet the needs of citizens and visitors and promote the considerate use of all spaces. |
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2.2 What impact will the proposals have on sustainable food systems including: |
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Seasonal and local produce |
No impact |
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Nutritional value |
No impact |
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Animal welfare |
Negative impact |
Some events have a licenced fireworks display. Notification and pet care advice is delivered by hand to local residences. A large corporate fireworks event will deter a multitude of private displays. |
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Environmental impact |
Positive impact |
Suppliers and content providers are recruited according to the positive steps they take to reduce the environmental impact of their activities |
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2.3 What impact will the proposals have on diversity and equality? |
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Equal opportunity |
No impact |
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2.4 What impact will the proposals have on economic wellbeing including: |
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Decent jobs & Income |
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Traders applying to operate at the events will score higher if they are registered within the Borough, sustaining local jobs and reducing road miles |
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Social Value |
No impact |
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Human and Labour Rights |
No impact |
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2.5 What impact will the proposals have on ‘greenhouse gas emissions’ including from: |
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Removal of natural carbon sinks |
No impact |
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Energy |
Negative impact |
Encourage lower road miles, low energy lighting |
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Transport |
Positive impact |
Encourage the use of public transport |
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Embodied carbon |
No impact |
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2.6 What impact will the proposals have on waste in terms of: |
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Waste generation |
Negative impact |
Food and drink consumption produces additional waste for the cafes which stay open. The non-food street traders are selected partly by their positive action on environmental issues and materials they use |
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Waste management |
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Waste is managed in a controlled fashion by the council waste team. |
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2.7 What impact will the proposals have on the direct consumption of natural resources including: |
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Materials |
No impact |
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Minerals |
No impact |
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Fresh water |
No impact |
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2.8 What impact will the proposals have on resilience to the adverse effects of: |
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Climate change and severe weather |
No impact |
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2.9 What impact will the proposals have on the environment including: |
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Environmental management |
No impact |
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Air pollution |
No impact |
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Ozone layer depletion |
No impact |
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Water / soil pollution |
No impact |
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Chemical pollution |
No impact |
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Noise pollution |
Negative impact |
Negative for those who do not wish to attend fireworks but are affected by the noise carried outside of the venue. Local residents are notified of the time and duration of the fireworks display |
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Land conversion |
No impact |
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Built Heritage |
No impact |
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Natural Heritage and Biodiversity |
No impact |
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2.10 What impact will the proposals have on ensuring: |
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Peace |
No impact |
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Justice |
No impact |
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Political voice |
No impact |
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Partnerships |
No impact |
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Section 3 – Determination of screening outcome
Use the information from Section 2 to complete the table below.
Tally up the number of instances each impact category is recorded to provide an assessment of overall sustainability impact.
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Number of times selected |
What does this mean |
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Positive impact |
6 |
If the majority of the impacts are positive, it indicates the project is being appropriately managed and that opportunities to enhance sustainability are being taken. It is recommended that (subject to implementation of mitigation measures for any negative impacts) the proposal should be considered favourably. |
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Negative impact |
3 |
More than 5 of these answers indicates that the project could unintendedly cause wide-ranging damage to society and / or the environment if negative impacts are not appropriately mitigated. It is recommended that the proposals are revised with guidance from the appropriate departmental experts so that liabilities and risks can be minimised. It is recommended that the proposals are not approved until these liabilities are minimised as far as reasonably practicable. Where a policy affects an area with heritage value or at risk of flooding, some red flags are inevitable but providing that these are explained satisfactorily in the comments section of the assessment this is acceptable. |
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Mixed Impact |
0 |
More than 5 ‘Mixed Impact’ responses indicates that the proposal must be reviewed to include a better management of potential negative effects. It is recommended that the proposals are not approved until the potential negative impacts have been identified and a solution has been suggested. |
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No impact |
26 |
More than 5 of these answers indicates that the decision has very few environmental / social impacts or that the assessment has not been completed properly. It is recommended that if there is a risk that social / environmental impacts have been overlooked, the assessment is repeated with support from relevant lead departments so that a more comprehensive understanding of impacts can be provided for decision making. |
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Don’t know |
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If there are more than 5 'don't know' responses, it is recommended that the assessment is repeated with support from relevant service areas, so that data gaps can filled. It is recommended that the proposals are not approved until social / environmental impacts are better understood. |
Section 4 – Formal record of the screening decisions
Title of proposal being screened:
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Council events policy |
I can confirm that the proposal has been screened for: (place an X below)
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x |
sustainability |
On the basis of the answers to the screening questions, I recommend this proposal is – (place and X in the appropriate box below)
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Deferred - we are deferring the final decision in relation to the outcome of this screening to allow for consultation feedback. Once this consultation is complete, the feedback will be used, if applicable, to update the screening and a view taken as to the best screening outcome decision. |
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Screened In – Necessary to carry out mitigation measures and screen again |
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x |
Screened Out – No impacts or very few negative impacts. Provide a brief note below to explain how the decision was reached: |
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Screening assessment completed by (Officer level) - |
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Name: Events Manager |
Date: 19 March 2024 |
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Department: Corporate Services |
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