Please see the following link:- Ash Dieback Postcard A6 proof2
Posts tagged environment
South Hams Declares Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergency
Issued: 30 July 2019
South Hams District Council held a Council meeting on Thursday 25 July, with councillors unanimously supporting a motion to declare both a Climate Change and a Biodiversity Emergency.
Following recommendations from the Executive committee in June, the Council agreed a Climate Change Emergency and went further, with the additional inclusion of a Biodiversity Emergency.
The Council will now collaborate with Climate Change agencies along with Devon Councils, including Devon County and Plymouth City, to address the emergencies.
Agreement was reached to develop an action plan which will outline how the Council will meet, or exceed, the UN’s intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) carbon reduction recommendations.
This will include an assessment on whether the 2030 target date will be practical. The assessment, to be presented to Council within six months, will also look at concerns about global species and habitat loss raised by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
A politically balanced Working Group will be established by the end of August led by the Leader, Cllr Judy Pearce, Lead Executive Member for Climate Change. At their first meeting, the Working Group will consider setting up a Citizens’ Assembly and to bring a recommendation to the next Council meeting on 26 September.
The Council will also take steps to ensure developers improve biodiversity within their development plans and to avoid, where possible, any impact to wildlife. Or, as a last resort, to carefully mitigate against any impact, in agreement with the Joint Local Plan Policy.
Cllr Hilary Bastone, Deputy Leader of South Hams District Council, said: “It’s important to have a clear plan of action about how to deal with the Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergency in an achievable timescale.
“We’ve put in place sensible steps to help us find out more and we’re looking forward to working with other organisations and councils, through our Working Group, to develop a plan which will help us to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Cllr John Birch, SHDC Ward Member for Totnes, added: “I’m pleased that we have also taken biodiversity into consideration when talking about Climate Change. Biodiversity is directly affected by a changing climate, and this has negative consequences for the populations’ wellbeing.
“With this in mind, I’d very much like to see a Citizens’ Assembly set up to gain the views of those living in the South Hams.”
Cllr Jacqi Hodgson, SHDC Leader of the Green Party, who tabled the original motion last December, was delighted that Biodiversity was now part of the formal Declaration, saying that ecological collapse was essential to urgently address, said: “It’s really important that going forward we take steps to make sure that when developers apply for planning permission, they have made provision to conserve and manage biodiversity to avoid any impact to wildlife habitats, wherever possible. If this can’t be avoided, then any harm should be minimised.”
Climate Change impacts all of the Council’s six Corporate Strategy themes. To read more about these themes, go to: https://www.southhams.gov.uk/article/5347/Council-Performance-and-Strategy
Ends
AUNE CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION – JUNE 2019 UPDATE
An update on Aune Conservation Association work during the last year is posted in their GROUP under the DOCUMENTS section. Go to GROUPS>Aune Conservation Association>DOCUMENTS>NEWSLETTERS
Enhancing Natural Beauty – Future Stories of the Avon Estuary
Dear Avon Estuary Forum participant or interested follower,
I am writing to invite you to take part in the project presented at the last AEF meeting (see notes – AEF March 2019 – SHORT).
What is this project about?
The criteria of ‘Natural Beauty’ underpin designation of the protected landscapes that cover 25% of England. Recent legislation (and guidance such as the 25 Year Plan for the Environment) increasingly focusses on ‘Enhancing Natural Beauty’.
But what will ‘Enhancing Natural Beauty’ mean in your area? Can you tell any ‘Future Stories’ of enhancement that you would wish for local places that are valuable to you?
What are the advantages of taking part?
You may find the project interesting and enjoy answering questions about your local landscape,
Once the study is finished it is hoped that your ‘future stories’ could help understanding of our connection to our local environment, which would be useful to the organisations and partnerships that protect and enhance it,
It might be possible to draw findings into a local exhibition, article, or online output.
What will you have to do if you agree to take part?
You will be asked to take part in one or more interviews, sometimes set in a location that you know and value. You will engage in discussion either alone or in groups and I will ask permission to record this interview.
Who: Anyone actively involved in living or working in or near the Avon Estuary
What: Interviews of at least an hour
Where: At a place of your choice, maybe even partly outdoors in the Estuary
When: Over the next few months: June – August
Please contact me to arrange an interview or ask questions: adam.guy@plymouth.ac.uk
Looking forward to talking to you,
Adam Guy
Postgraduate Researcher, Architecture
School of Art, Design and Architecture
Plymouth University
The Avon Estuary has been designated as a Marine Conservation Zone
The designation of the estuary is described and briefly reviewed in the following document:-
Tree Preservation Order
South Hams District Council Parish of Bigbury No. 987 Tree Preservation Order 2019
Land at Nantucket, Parker Road, Bigbury on Sea, TQ7 4AT
Serving of New Order
I enclose for your information a copy of the above Tree Preservation Order which has been served.
The reasons for serving the Order are:-
The trees covered by the Tree Preservation Order are of a species that is tolerant of the exposed coastal location and as such provide visual enhancement of varied attributes to the local and medium range visual landscape.
The trees are in good apparent health with acceptable longevity and as such serve as a visual screen to adjacent development within the South Devon AONB
There is a 28 day period in which objections or representations can be made about the Order. I would welcome any comments you might have on whether this Order should be confirmed as served or with any modifications by 3 July 2019.
Yours sincerely
South Hams District Council
*When contacting us, email will ensure the fastest response. You can email us at TPO@swdevon.gov.uk; please make sure that you quote <1115393> in the subject line to make sure it gets to the right person.
Will Your Town or Parish Council Join the Pick?
Great British Spring Clean | 22 March – 23 April 2019
It’s not long to go until the Great British Spring Clean, which is set to be the country’s biggest-ever mass-action environmental campaign.
Volunteers across the country will soon join forces to clean up litter pollution from our streets, parks and beaches, recycling as much as possible.
We’ve already exceeded last year’s total of 371,000 volunteers taking part, and we are on course to reach our target of 500,000 by Friday.
But we can’t deliver the Great British Spring Clean without your amazing support on the ground. Please show your support for the campaign and let us know if you’ll be holding a clean-up event.
Will your Town or Parish Council help clean up this country?
Recent Comments