First language not EnglishSouth Bedfordshire’s Sustainable Community Strategy
All councils have a duty to produce sustainable community strategies with local partners and stakeholders. In South Bedfordshire this strategy has been produced by the South Bedfordshire Local Strategic Partnership. These strategies are all about improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area and the people who live there. One of its goals is also to contribute to sustainable development in the UK.
In order to make a real difference the strategy must focus on the issues that really matter to local communities therefore the public were involved through a large public consultation over the summer last year. The feedback from these events have shaped the development of the strategy. In particular you wanted to see us give more emphasis and importance given to protecting the natural environment and green spaces and transport and congestion.
Some of the key things the partners are committed to delivering in order to get to our vision of the future include:
- significant developer contributions to infrastructure that is developed in step with growth;
- delivering 23,000 additional jobs and making sure we have the right employment land and premises at key strategic transport locations;
- significant additional investment in public transport;
- developing high quality parks, green spaces and open spaces so that we have easy to access green networks in urban and rural areas within a 10 minute walk from where people live or work;
- reducing CO2 emissions 60% by 2025 and making the area a national leader in both renewable energy and efficiency;
- exceeding national targets for reducing and recycling waste;
- exceeding national targets for building new eco homes;
- working with key public sector agencies to have local buying strategies in place to support the local economy;
- making sure that social infrastructure is in place to support social networks and cultural activities in new and existing communities; and
- making sure that everyone has access to health, education, life long learning, leisure and culture within a 15 minute journey.
You can download the strategy here and if you have any comments or queries about the strategy, or if you would like a paper copy, please contact the Local Strategic Partnership Manager, Karen Oellermann on 0845 8496265 or via email at karen.oellermann@southbeds.gov.uk
