DAERA seeks views on NI Climate Action Plan

Last month, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) opened a 16-week public consultation on the draft Northern Ireland Climate Action Plan 2023–2027. The plan sets out a roadmap to achieve a 33% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of Northern Ireland’s first four-year carbon budget period.

This plan marks Northern Ireland’s first formal step towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as mandated by the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

Strategic approach

The plan targets emissions reductions across nine key sectors, including:

• Energy production and supply
• Transport
• Residential buildings
• Public buildings
• Land use, land use change and forestry

Measures affecting the built environment

Several of the policies and proposals outlined in the plan have implications for architectural practice:

• Further uplifts to the Building Regulations in Northern Ireland
• Launch of a Warm, Healthy Homes Scheme
• Expansion and rollout of energy efficiency programmes
• Introduction of a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme
• Investment in an Industrial Decarbonisation project for Northern Ireland
• Development of a future land use policy for Northern Ireland
• Reduction of vehicle emissions through a shift from private car journeys to sustainable travel alternatives

Investment and delivery

Across the four financial years of the plan, it is estimated that a total of £718 million in capital investment will be allocated to deliver the policies and proposals outlined in the draft. This includes allocations for:

• Residential buildings: £70 million
• Public buildings: £140 million
• Transport infrastructure: £341 million

The full draft plan can be viewed here, while the consultation document can be accessed here.

The deadline for responses is 11:59pm on Wednesday 8 October 2025.

RSUA is preparing a response to this consultation. To share your views, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk