Angmering is one of only
three villages in West Sussex chosen
to have an eco-makeover. The Low
Impact Village Environment (LIVE!)
project is a being run by Impetus
Consulting (a local environmental
consultancy) with funding from the
Pilkington Energy Efficiency
Trust to give villages in
West Sussex the resources
and expertise to help
become LIVE! villages.
Angmering's LIVE! project is being coordinated by Angmering Parish Council who have established an Environmental Policy to drive the project and assist in achieving its aims.
Angmering Village Life is cooperating with Angmering Parish Council to help promote the project, publicise the Council's Policy and, on the Council's behalf, to seek Angmering's residents' comments/feedback on the Council's Suggested Actions to achieve their Policy's aims. Incidentally, many of the Suggested Actions were formulated by Angmering residents who attended a public consultation meeting in the Village Hall on 26 May 2007.
Both the Council's Environmental Policy and their Suggested Actions are detailed below. Angmering residents are cordially invited to submit comments on these, either direct to the Council themselves, or to discuss them in the Angmering Village Life Forums for which a separate topic has been established in the "Angmering Organisations - Forum". Angmering Parish Council will monitor the discussions on the Forum topic.
If you wish to join the forum discussion, you will need to register as a forum member but, if you just wish to follow the discussion without contributing, there is no need to register. Click here to go to the Angmering Village Life discussion Forums and hit the "Continue" button. Do you agree with the Council's policy and/or Suggested Actions? Have you other ideas of your own? Can you provide any improvements on the Suggested Actions?
2. Angmering Parish Council's Environmental Policy for 2007/8
Our vision for Angmering
A village where we, as individuals, make choices that consider our environmental impact, where one of those choices is to come together as a community to do the same, resulting in a low carbon Angmering.
Aims
The Parish Council are committed to minimising the impact of our community on the environment and will seek to improve our environmental sustainability by:
educating, motivating and enabling residents, businesses and visitors;
developing partnerships to capitalise on existing knowledge and schemes as well as working with partners to develop new opportunities.
Objectives
In order to achieve the aim of reducing our environmental impact, we have set the following objectives, to:
set up initiatives that encourage community cohesiveness and reduce our impact, including a Sustainability Group focused on this issue;
reduce the energy used by our residents, businesses and communities;
provide opportunities to use and promote alternatives to fossil fuels;
reduce car usage;
improve waste management by reducing waste and increasing recycling;
develop the Tree for Life project, for carbon offsetting, improving the village environment and providing an educational conservation project;
ensure that the running of the Council is environmentally sustainable;
develop a strategy based upon consultation, with clear targets and outcomes.
In order to achieve the aims and objectives set out in the policy, the Parish Council will be considering the following actions. These actions were derived from the village consultation, which took place on 26 May 2007. They are not exhaustive and, as discussed above, the Council would welcome any further suggestions and ideas.
To set up initiatives that encourage community cohesiveness and reduce our impact, we will consider:
setting up a core sustainability group to take the actions arising from this policy forward;
tasking the newly formed Sustainability Group to evaluate the options for encouraging community cohesiveness and motivating the community to action;
supporting the tree warden in setting up a Tree for Life sub-group.
To actively educate and raise awareness of sustainability issues we will consider:
promoting and encouraging a pledge scheme;
working with the local schools, particularly the primary schools on educating behaviour change from a young age;
holding at least one awareness raising, educational event for householders, linked to an existing event, such as the summer fair;
promoting the benefits of reduced power consumption, particularly in the work/office environment ;
ensuring ongoing long-term commitment to the projects aims by regular communications, posters, leaflets, articles in the parish magazine etc.
To reduce energy used by our residents, businesses and communities, we will consider:
setting up a SmartMeter test case, to demonstrate the benefits of energy saving;
working with the Village Hall Committee and the Community Centre Management Committee to maximise energy efficiency in community buildings;
looking to influence development in the village by highlighting the issues of energy efficiency measures at planning consent stage.
To provide opportunities to use and promote alternatives to fossil fuels, we will consider:
revisiting the plans of the new Community Centre to consider sustainable energy options, to reduce its impact and provide a showcase for the community;
opportunities for micro-generation for street-lighting and signage and other requirements within the Parish Council’s remit;
providing access to advice on alternative energy supplies to householders and businesses, including funding opportunities;
looking to influence development by recommending renewable energy sources at planning consent stage;
reviewing the time periods that street lighting is needed.
To reduce car usage, we will consider:
working with the community to analyse the public transport services needed;
working with local suppliers to improve the service, in the times they run and the routes they take;
looking at ways of funding improved cycle ways and pavements;
consider ways of enforcing the speed limit, including SIDs (Speed Indicator Devices);
looking at community travel options, such as a minibus, that will provide transport for the elderly and the primary schools;
investigating options to reduce car travel to and from the village, particularly at peak times, whilst still providing public transport facilities to ensure that trade levels are sustained in the centre of the village;
working with the local farm shops to provide transport services to and from markets;
consider improved cycle tracking in the centre of the village and promote the use of the existing facilities;
working with the schools to develop a walking bus;
promoting car sharing schemes and alternative methods of travelling to work.
To improve waste management, we will consider:
promoting and educating on the aspects of ethical purchasing, including buying local produce and packaging considerations;
promoting and educating on the aspects of good waste management within the community and at home;
investigating the options of better recycling facilities within the village or at appropriate sites in domestic areas;
working with Arun District Council to consider including glass within the domestic recycling collections or providing glass recycling facilities within the village;
initiating a share scheme for the ‘brown bin’ collections;
investigate a composting scheme;
working with the schools to support them in their existing litter and waste management campaigns;
examining the scope for using the water from Black Ditch (bowser or water trolley) for irrigation of community planting;
helping WSCC to promote water butt and composter schemes;
considering options for promoting grey water recycling.
To continue to develop our own carbon offsetting, we will consider working with the Tree Warden to:
identify all possible land banks and tree planting sites;
plant a defined number of trees during 2007/8;
consult key players and develop a working group to develop the project;
work with each of the local schools to develop a tree planting plan;
develop a database to record and monitor all the trees;
identify local businesses who could sponsor trees as part of their carbon offsetting plan.
In addition, to show our commitment to reducing this project, the Parish Council will commit to the following actions.
To ensure that the running of the Council is environmentally sustainable, we will:
switch to a green tariff for the parish office energy supply,
be diligent in energy saving with our office equipment,
consider and offset the environmental impact of our meetings, events and actions.
The Angmering LIVE! Project