Below are links to the Council's key strategic environmental sustainability policies, strategies and partnerships which are directing the work of the Council. These will ensure that Bath and North East Somerset moves towards an environmentally sustainable, low carbon future that is resilient to climate change, whilst maintaining a high quality of life for those who live and work in the district. Click on the headings below to find out more about each of these.
Local Strategic Partnership
The Bath & North East Somerset Local Strategic Partnership was formed in June 2002. It is made up of public services such as the Council, the Avon & Somerset Constabulary, the Bath & North East Somerset Primary Care Trust and Somer Housing Group - as well as voluntary, community, and business sector representatives. The prime function of the Local Strategic Partnership is to produce a Sustainable Community Strategy. This strategy is a plan for working together to improve the quality of life in local communities.
Sustainable Community Strategy
The Sustainable Community Strategy sets out what type of place Bath and North East Somerset should become. It deals with a range of challenges and changes that impact on our daily lives. It is viewed as the umbrella strategy and sets out the challenges, how they are going to be addressed and contains clear ambitions to promote the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the area.
Environmental Sustainability Partnership
The Bath & North East Somerset Environmental Sustainability Partnership oversees the work across the Local Strategic Partnership to achieve the following ambition stated in the Sustainable Community Strategy:
‘To lead Bath and North East Somerset to an environmentally sustainable, low carbon and climate resilient future’
In taking this action on climate change, a wide range of strategic issues will be encompassed, including energy infrastructure planning and sustainable buildings, transport, peak oil, air pollution and waste management, as well as local green space, bio-diversity and protection of the natural environment.
There are practical and successful examples from around the district showing how it can be done: Environmental Sustainability Partnership case studies.
Local Development Framework
The forthcoming Local Development Framework will set out how the planning system will help deliver the aspirations of the Sustainable Community Strategy. It will determine the location and level of new housing and other development and is one of the Council’s key policy documents that seeks to build upon the area’s strong foundations which include the emerging creative industries, success of local Universities, and vibrant retail and tourist offer.
The overarching policy in the Local Development Framework is the draft Core Strategy, which is due for adoption into policy in 2012. Through its vision and strategy for the district it aims to tackle tough challenges over the next 15-20 years such as climate change, a low wage economy, affordable housing shortages, the lack of modern flexible accommodation, poor local infrastructure and how to avoid long-term decline.
Covenant of Mayors
Bath & North Somerset Council is a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors. The project is a mainstream European movement involving local and regional authorities voluntarily committing to increasing energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources in thier areas. As a signatory, the Council is aiming to meet and exceed the European Union 20% carbon reduction objective by 2020. The short film found here highlights the isses of the European carbon footprint and some of the efforts already made by communities involved in the project.
Nottingham Declaration
Bath & North East Somerset Council is a signatory of the Nottingham Declaration that acknowledges the increasing impact that climate change will have on our community during the 21st century and commits the Council to tackling the causes and effects of climate change in our district.
Environmental Sustainability Position Statement (PDF 42kb)
The Position Statement sets out the Council's vision to become an authority that is moving towards a strong and diverse low carbon economy, cutting carbon emissions through avoiding unnecessary energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency and switching to sustainable sources of energy, bringing our environmental footprint within natural limits and delivering improvements in quality of life, health and community well-being as a result.
Strategic Framework - Environmental Sustainability
The Strategic Framework has been in place since 2007 to provide a simple description of the key actions that the Council needed to be taking, in the four major areas where energy is used: buildings, transport, waste and food. It covered the internal aspects such as what the Council needed to do to get its own house in order. As well as the external actions to enable wider action on climate in the district, by the Council's partners and others in the community. It was used as the guiding framework for the development of a Council-wide sustainability action plan, with the need to act on climate change at its heart.
The information within the Framework is currently being updated to show the work that the Council has undertaken in recent years and the planning for the future. This will be published here once complete.