The plans, going before the executive group of leading councillors this week, outline what the City Council will do up until 2017 to cut its own emissions and help the rest of the city become greener and more sustainable.

The carbon footprint of council buidlings is a key target of the plan and the refurbishment of the Town Hall Extension and Central Library – which is set to reopen to the public next month – aims to cut energy use by a third.

The complex now features high efficiency low carbon technology to heat and power the buildings, a new green roof to increase biodiversity, rainwater harvesters which recycle water for the buildings’ toilets and hundreds of smart meters which monitor energy use. Both buildings have received ‘excellent’ energy rankings by BREEAM – the official international body which assesses buildings' sustainability.

The City Council also plans to replace 56,000 street lights across Manchester with more efficient LED lighting over the next three years.

A new central management system, which will enable contractors to monitor the street lights in real time so repairs can be carried out more efficiently, is also planned. The work is expected to cut Manchester’s street lighting carbon emissions by nearly 60 per cent by the time the project is completed.

Heat networks

The City Council is also developing a civic quarter heat network around St Peter’s Square, enabling businesses and council buildings to access lower carbon energy, and has also received funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change for feasibility work to expand this into a larger area of the city centre.

Around 500 City Council staff have now received Carbon Literacy training to help them be more environmentally friendly at work and home.

Meanwhile, the City Council has been working with the Environment Agency and Groundwork to breathe new life into the River Medlock in east Manchester, which was hidden for more than a hundred years after being redirected through an underground channel. The project will boost biodiversity and provide a greener space for local people.

The City Council is also working with other organisations to plant 4,000 trees a year, make residents’ homes more energy efficient, enable people to grow their own food and make the city easier and safer to get around on bike.

We recognise that we still have some way to go before we achieve our goals but we’re now entering a new phase, and are setting out some very exciting plans showing how we will not only become more environmentally friendly but save money and create a better quality of life for our staff and Manchester residents.

Councillor Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: "Cutting the amount of emissions the City Council produces was always a key part of our plan to tackle climate change across Manchester.

"We recognise that we still have some way to go before we achieve our goals but we’re now entering a new phase, and are setting out some very exciting plans showing how we will not only become more environmentally friendly but save money and create a better quality of life for our staff and Manchester residents."