Colton Parish Council Community Plan

Community Plans set out the issues that local people value about their neighbourhoods, and their aspirations for the future.

Date of Publication: August 2024
Review Date: July 2025

The Climate Emergency and Our Environment (CE&E)

You told us that nature recovery and enhancing biodiversity are extremely important, including improvements to water quality. Our schools’ manifesto demonstrates just how important this is to the young people who will shape the future of our Parish.

We have a duty to consider nature recovery and biodiversity in our decision- making, including the impact on water quality and pollution in rivers, lakes, and waterways.

Colton Church in winter

A. Our relevant Powers

We have a duty to consider biodiversity in our decision making. However, the nature recovery ‘powers to act’ reside with W&F Council and the LDNPA.

CPC can issue fixed penalty notices for litter, graffiti and offences via dog control orders and can repair and maintain public footpaths and bridleways, plant trees and maintain verges.
 

B. Our priorities based on what you told us:

  1. Alongside our Declaration of a Climate Emergency (October 2019), declare a ‘Nature Emergency’ and put both of these declarations at the heart of our decision making and activity.
  2. Consider the environmental impact of all planning applications. Record both in our minutes and our responses any concerns about impact on the landscape, dark skies, the special nature of the area and on wildlife and biodiversity.
  3. Work with National Highways, W&F, and the Parish Lengthsman to ensure verges are maintained in a way that is beneficial to nature recovery.
  4. Support local projects that will enable nature recovery, including through our community grants scheme.
  5. Analyse the carbon footprint of the Parish Council, identify steps to reduce it and report back on our success in doing so.

C. What we can support the community to do and how.

  1. Support local activities, events, initiatives, and partnerships that are focussed on protecting the landscape and natural environment including renewable energy initiatives.
  2. Use our Community Grant fund to support practical nature recovery activity and environmental initiatives by local people and/or conservation groups.
  3. Disseminate information through our news outlets, our website and Green Sparks e.g. renewable energy initiatives, local nature-based projects and available public grants including via organisations such as CAfS.
  4. Provide litter picking equipment for local community events and initiatives.
  5. Where appropriate and within our available capacity, represent our community at events, and on partnership initiatives including inviting representatives to present at CPC meetings.
  6. Support the installation of car charging points at village halls and other local amenities.

D. What we can seek to influence other agencies to do and how:

  1. Consider the special nature of our local area in every planning decision and record this in our minutes and responses to LDNPA.
  2. Hold both W&F Council and the LDNPA accountable for their published targets for Local Nature Recovery and Net Zero as well as protection of greenfield sites.
  3. Ensure that our MP and local Cllrs and Representatives are informed about the environmental priorities in our plan and lobby them on behalf of our community.
  4. Add our support to local campaigns to tackle degradation of the local landscape, natural environment, and special character of our area.
  5. Lobby our Unitary Authority Councillor, relevant industry bodies and our local MP for:
    • Improved public transport links to reduce car usage.
    • Safe cycleways and pedestrian routes to reduce car usage.
    • Affordable and effective replacements for oil and LPG boilers which a large percentage of the community relies on
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