18th September 2008  

The Green Party Group at Stroud District Council write on the positioning Statement on the Core Strategy. See our comments on this crucial and hugely influential report.

Our group has reviewed the Regional Spatial Strategy, the Sustainable Communities Strategy and the draft Core Strategy. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important piece of work.

Given what we know about climate change (IPCC report Spring 2007) and declining global oil supply (International Energy Agency), to serve the people of Stroud District the Core Strategy will enable a local infrastructure to provide key resources – water, sanitation, energy, food production. In addition, in an energy-constricted world, the district needs a local economy, with local jobs, well-insulated homes and a strong public transport infrastructure.

This means:-

- Developing community cohesion so we can use our skills and knowledge as a community to overcome these unprecedented challenges
- Significantly expanding local food production capacity to meet the needs of Stroud district when imports drop and nationwide food distribution costs becomes increasingly prohibitive.
- Developing local supplies of water and renewable power to provide for our basic needs when fossil fuel is priced out of everyman’s range.
- Making sustainable transport – on foot, bicycle – and public transport a priority over car use on our roads
- Feeding our local economy to keep wealth within the district through supporting local shops and businesses, rather than the national retail chains that currently fill our high streets.

 

We note that much of this is in alignment with recommendations from the Climate Change Panel (25th June 2008).

 

We would like to see:-

 •     Increased provision of public spaces and community buildings to build community cohesion

•     Vibrant community activity where community initiatives are the norm – community buses, community-shared equipment, community support agriculture, allotments, community-owned wind turbines, hydro-electric generation and CHP.
•     Following an energy audit of the district, land ring-fenced for centralised renewable energy generation such as wind generation and hydro-electric power in acknowledgement of the need for renewables to meet Government targets (similar to new housing allocations on certain areas of land)
•     A target for creating renewable capacity within the Stroud District, by 2020 – covering both micro-generation and decentralised capacity. This target needs discussion, informed by the energy audit, however as a starting point a basic level of power for 47,000 households would be 10Mwe per day.
•     Section 106 monies used for retro-fitting existing homes to high levels of insulation in preference to other less essential projects
•     Optimise renewable energy provision on new build – significantly in excess of 10%, taking advice from SWEA on proportion required to meet at least 80% reductions in domestic energy use by 2050. In addition, that this energy provision could come from an off-site renewable resource, as well as on-site for new developments. For example, investment by a house developer in a tidal, wind or CHP resource which could serve their new housing development and a wider area. A possibility would be for a district waste disposal facility to generate investment from house developers to develop electricity generation
•     Link renewable energy provision from centralised sources (such as CHP units, wind, hydro, tidal) to income generation for the district so that there is a benefit for the local community – some kind of financial payback for the community or community ownership
•     New housing built firstly in existing areas to a greater density, then using brownfield sites, or dispersed in existing areas of population
•     New building to take place along existing established public transport routes such as roads, railways and cycle/pedestrian routes
•     Support of ‘green-collar’ work in this area, where there is strong environmental concern (CSAs, Green Shop, strong Transition Movement, Stroud Commonwealth, 2007 Residents Budget Consultation) through fostering skills in ‘green’ technology. Promote this through colleges and local business in line with LSP Think Tank recommendations.
•     A balance of in-community and out-commuting, rather than the 10,000 excess of out-commuting currently.
•     Residential space and work space situated in close proximity.
•     Active development of utility cycling routes and pedestrian routes, particularly between major places of work/schools over and above road use for cars.
•     Proper transport interchange in Stroud with co-ordinate of bus, train, canal, pedestrian, cycling.
•     Re-opening Stonehouse station to make travelling to Bristol possible.
•     Acceptance of the role of Low Impact Developments by community groups who wish to self-build using local materials with self-supporting land use (food production) in rural areas.
•     Strong local food production infrastructure including growing and processing.
•     Access to watercourses recognised as an amenity with value to the local community.

It may be that as well as weaving this vision into the Core Strategy, that the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 may be a useful tool for enabling some of this.

Coordinated by Cllr Fi Macmillan, Nailsworth