Peterborough:
Local Agenda 21 and the Peterborough Envrionment City Trust
Peterborough:
| |
| Country: | a) Western Europe | ,b) United Kingdom |
| Language: | |
| Type: | Project, 1 |
| Area: | City/Town, 100,000 - 1 mill. |
| Actors: | Local government, Economic sector, NGO |
| Funding: | Local government, National government, Economic Sector |
| Topics: | Business and industry |
| Energy | |
| Environmental education | |
| Information and public participation | |
| Local Agenda 21 | |
| Mobility and transport | |
| Nature and open space | |
| Solid waste | |
| Objectives: | Improve access to information |
| Improve environmental efficiency | |
| Improve intersectoral cooperation | |
| Increase green areas | |
| Increase public awareness | |
| Reduce resource consumption | |
| Instruments: | Demonstration and pilot project |
| Eco audit / Environm. Impact Assessment | |
| New environmental institutions / Institutional reorganisation | |
| New financing arrangements | |
| Public participation |
The Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) was formed as a joint initiative by businesses, the local authorities, and voluntary groups to respond to the challenge of producing a Local Agenda 21 for Peterborough. The project follows a two-track strategy of conducting comprehensive auditing and testing practical implementation through parallel, subject-specific projects.
PECT is an outstanding and exemplary initiative for several reasons:
Since the late 1980s, various United Kingdom public institutions like the Local Authorities Associations, the Local Government Training Board, and independent organisations like Friends of the Earth have come forward with guidelines such as, "Environmental Charter for Local Government," and other similar policy prescriptions. The aim of these Charters has been to help local authorities to draw up a viable and comprehensive strategy in response to the environmental challenge they increasingly have to face. While much theoretical and conceptual progress has been made towards this goal, the urgency for action has since been underlined by the world wide call for Local Agenda 21s.
Among British policy makers involved in environmental strategy planning, a consensus on the steps which councils should be taking has started to arise. These include establishing an environmental forum or committee, undertaking an environmental audit through the community and consultation, drawing up a charter for the environment, setting up a working group/unit to develop an environmental strategy (including action plans and target dates), and monitoring and reviewing the action plans. In practice, however, to a majority of local authorities, approaching this task in earnest has proved to be a major structural as well as financial problem. The initiative taken in the British city of Peterborough, and the organisational structures it is embedded in, so far has shown some very promising solutions to these problems.
Of particular value has been Peterborough's widely recognised process of building databases and audits to produce targets and indicators which result in community projects. The policy failures caused by the common tendency for councils to develop an environmental charter before they have undertaken an audit are only too well known: commitment to environmental targets which are unattainable, or too soft and general in character can lead to politically embarrassing green initiative flops, and where efforts go into charters and statements instead of actions, green initiatives which are reduced to PR exercises. Therefore, the strategy followed in Peterborough is based on the conviction that any measures taken should be preceded by a sound assessment of the environmental situation in order to prevent uninformed, inefficient, and possibly even counter-productive initiatives. The strategy's starting point is detailed and subject-specific environmental audits. From the database thus developed targets, indicators, and resulting projects for the Local Agenda 21 are produced.
In practice, the auditing process for the different subject areas is carried out in close co-operation with so- called Specialist Working Groups (SWGs). Their members are representatives of local government, the business community, and the voluntary sector. With the help of continuous feedback from these local ‘experts,’ the objective is to generate usable data and to prevent the auditing process from becoming a purely intellectual exercise.
In summary, the key criteria for environmental audits are:
A second principal thought underlying the concept pursued in Peterborough is the recognised need to provide a forum in which individual project ideas can be discussed, developed and tested. The idea here is to build on the contributions and consultation of a wide cross- section of the expert and lay community and thus to harness the many ideas for environmental projects which are present in different sectors of society. Devised within real life contexts, these ideas are often much more resourceful and effective than those developed by external expert groups or the local administration. Moreover, the aim is to raise the general public's awareness of the initiative's goals and the underlying environmental issues through the publicity produced by the projects.
In summary, the Peterborough initiative follows a two-track strategy of conducting eco-audits, and at the same time implementing individual projects to test concrete solutions and possible environmental policy measures. The underlying view is that the environment is a shared responsibility, and therefore, all sections of the community should play a part in implementing policies for environmental protection.
The declared goal is to publish a Local Agenda 21 as a policy programme by the year 2000.
In 1990, Peterborough City Council first initiated a consultation process with the aim of producing an Environmental Charter for Peterborough. To structure this process a number of working groups comprising representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors were established. In 1992, first promising outcomes of these working groups encouraged the city to bid for Environment City status, which had been initiated by the Royal Society for Nature Conservation to promote environmentalism. Together with Leeds, Leicester, and Middlesbrough, Peterborough was designated an Environment City in January 1993. In response to this challenge, the Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) was formed as a joint initiative by the local authorities, businesses, and voluntary groups. Today it is the initiative's backbone and organisational basis.
Peterborough Environmental City Trust's formal structure is based around a Board of Management and seven Specialist Working Groups (SWGs). Altogether, over 150 organisations are represented in the Trust, mainly through their contributions to and participation in the Specialist Working Groups. PECT has the legal status of a registered charity, making it legally and financially independent of Peterborough City Council.
The Board of Management consists of twenty-five people drawn from all sectors of the community and thus reflects a broad cross-section of community interests. It is responsible for establishing a consensus on overall policy direction and major new initiatives; enlisting active involvement from the community; co-ordinating the SWGs; the overall legal and financial standing of the company; establishing staffing structures and conditions of service. Day-to-day responsibilities are addressed by an Executive Sub-Group, comprising a few board members and PECT's Managing Director. However, the main task of PECT is carried out by the PECT's seven-person staff. Its function is to pull together and co-ordinate the different project ideas brought forward by the Specialist Working Groups and, most importantly, to raise the necessary funds for their realisation.
Specialist Working Groups have been formed on seven subject areas (recycling and waste management, natural environment, transport, built environment, energy, education, business and environment). They are open to experts from local and national government and other public institutions and to any individual, business, or organisation with an interest in the SWGs' areas of activity. Their members have the responsibility to make contributions toward progressing a Local Agenda 21 within their specialist field and to facilitate and accompany the respective auditing processes. Meetings are held on a bimonthly, or quarterly basis, usually for two to three hours. Participation in the meetings is voluntary and neither the members of business, nor voluntary organisations, nor the local authority representatives are paid.
An overview of participants shows that the three community sectors; public, voluntary, and business, are fairly evenly represented. However, public sector representatives are in a slight majority (roughly 40%). This group mainly consists of members of various administrative departments of Peterborough City Council, and in many SWGs, also of representatives from the national Department of the Environment's Environmental Action Fund, Regional Government officials, or adjoining local councils. Other important participants were recruited from regional colleges and universities.
Since the formal installation of PECT and the SWGs in 1993, the main emphasis in work has been put on conducting the environmental audits. The core of this task is contracted out to specialists from universities, or private consultancies. However, the professional auditing teams work in close co-operation with the SWGs. For this purpose, from each SWG a sub-group of four to five representatives is formed who function as the link to key local players and the sources necessary to build the database.
PECT’s first audit, the Peterborough Natural Environment Audit, was published in 1996. This innovative and detailed assessment of the local environment has been adopted by the City Council as, "Supplementary Planning Guidance," and is an essential reference document for planners, developers, and conservationists. The targets set in the Natural Environmental Audit are regularly reviewed and updated.
The Peterborough Energy Audit was completed in 1998. It covers the complete city with its 65,000 dwellings, 2,800 registered industrial and commercial businesses, and a population of approximately 160,000. It also investigates energy use across all sectors: domestic, industrial, commercial, and municipal.
The Peterborough Geology Audit has established a geological database for the Peterborough district; an area that has yielded some of the world’s best Jurassic marine reptile fossils, and identifies Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS) in, and around Peterborough.
The Peterborough Lifestyles Audit earned the Geographical Association’s Silver Award for a publication likely to make a significant contribution to geographical education. Using information acquired via the Greener Futures CD-ROM, the Peterborough Lifestyles Audit will determine how youngsters pick up, and act upon environmental messages. Greener Futures is being introduced to 9-10 year-olds across East Anglia.
The first draft of the Peterborough Waste Audit was published in early 1999. The audit provides a comprehensive analysis of the city’s household and commercial waste streams, from the level of waste generated, to the methods of disposal. It will be used to develop waste management policies for Peterborough.
PECT planned to commence work on the Peterborough Transport Audit in 1999. The Audit aims to assemble a comprehensive database of Peterborough’s transport facilities, using the results to set targets and shared monitoring systems for sustainable transport planning in the city.
The second task of the SWGs is to carry out practical projects in order to achieve a high public profile. To successfully raise public awareness of environmental issues in general, and the PECT's purposes in particular, activities are carefully tailored to meet the characteristics of specific target groups, such as schools, or local businesses. After concepts for individual projects are drawn up by the SWGs, funds for their implementation are acquired and allotted by PECT. The following summary gives an overview of SWG activities which go beyond the auditing task:
Recycling and Waste Management: Projects already implemented include the establishment of a Material Reclamation Facility (MRF) and weekly collection scheme for recyclables, the Re-Store project which turns waste materials into play and art materials, a computer recycling facility, and a paint re-use project. The very popular Recycling Directory is currently being updated, and a waste minimisation club for businesses is under consideration.
Energy: The Peterborough Energy Advice Centre has provided free, independent advice on reducing fuel bills by introducing effective insulation, draught-proofing, efficient heating systems, and low-energy light bulbs to nearly 24,000 households. The Energy Advice Centre consistently exceeds the targets set by the
Energy Saving Trust, and supports local and national energy efficiency initiatives. The group also promotes energy efficiency through meetings and seminars.
Environmental Education: Publications include the Peterborough Environmental Education Directory (2nd edition), the Peterborough Locality Studies Pack, Hampton Township teachers’ pack, and regular and substantial contributions to the environmental education newsletter for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire. The group also arranges theme workshops for school parties at the Environment & Energy Centre, and encourages schools’ participation across a wide range of environmental activities.
Transport: Representatives from a wide spectrum of transport users and providers contribute to sustainable transport policy and planning for Peterborough. Until September 2000, the group’s attention will be focused on the Peterborough Millennium Green Wheel project, an extensive network of pedestrian and cycle paths encircling the entire city, which is now one-third complete. Conceptualised as a cross-sectional project, the Green Wheel will have several 'Green Wheel Stops with sites designed by the other SWGs. It is hoped that the 'Green Wheel' project will substantially contribute towards marketing the idea of Peterborough Environment City, and raising public awareness of the cause of environmental protection.
Green Business: The three Green Business Groups provide information to, and encourage best practices in Peterborough’s business community. The Business & Environment Management Pack, published in 1999, will help small and medium-sized businesses deal positively with environmental legislation, and offers an environmental best practice assessment and accreditation scheme.
The Peterborough Environment City Fund increased its total income from 292,536 Pounds in 1997 to 1,020,491 in 1998. Much of this income originated from National Lottery funds through the Millennium Commission for the Peterborough Millennium Green Wheel project and grants such as the DETR’s Environmental Action Fund. Local business also made substantial contributions. The greater part of these funds is spent directly on the audits and projects designed by the SWGs. Administrative expenses are also covered from PECT funds, however, three of the seven PECT staff members are paid for directly by Peterborough City Council.
As experiences of the last few years have shown, PECT's strategy to operate as a registered charity and thus independently of the City Council has been a great success. Compared, for example, to Middlesbrough, which has not chosen to form such independent organisational structures, PECT has been very successful in attracting outside funds for the projects. In Middlesbrough, the direct association of their Environment City with a government authority apparently seems to keep many donors and foundations from contributing. Thus, through PECT, Peterborough Council succeeded in constructing an organisational entity which is independent from the City Council and which, therefore, can tap financial sources that ordinarily are outside the reach of public authorities.
Moreover, Peterborough successfully managed to keep the decision-making process open to representatives from all societal sectors, and to prevent the domination of one single institution, or actor. Nevertheless, the Council is deeply involved in the work through its representatives on the board and in the Specialist Working Groups. Therefore, public concerns are considered effectively. At the same time, through the intensive participation of all sections of society, many imaginative and creative project ideas have been fed into the process.
From a general policy-making perspective, the experiences gained in Peterborough help to
counteract the common tendency for councils to develop an environmental charter before they have
undertaken an audit. Together with several other pioneering local authorities, the City of
Peterborough has made substantial contributions to national steering groups drawing up
environmental policy guidelines. From various reports produced on local authority activities, it has
been possible to draw a general ten-point plan for a good environmental strategy which does not
dodge the many structural and organisational barriers local policy makers face. According to this
plan a good environmental strategy should:
Personal Communication with Sarah Palmer (1999).
Lambert, S. / Sedwill, P: Peterborough Natural Environment Audit - 1996
Bennett, M: Peterborough Energy Audit consultation Document - 1998
Mason, V: Peterborough Geology Audit Draft Document - 1998
Peterborough Environmental City Trust: Annual Reports - 1996, 1997, and 1998
General literature on and guides local agenda process published in the UK:
Sustainable Development: The UK Strategy (pub. HMSO, 1994)
The UK Local Government Declaration on Sustainable Development (pub. LGMB, 1993)
Sustainable Settlements - A Guide for Planners, Designers and Developers (pub. LGMB & University of the West of England, 1995)
Sustainability Reporting - A Practical Guide for UK Local Authorities (pub. LGMB, 1996)
| Name | : | Palmer |
| Firstname | : | Sarah |
| Telefon | : | +44/ 1733 / 760 883 |
| Telefax | : | +44/ 1733 / 760 884 |
| Address | : | Peterborough Enviroment City |
| Trust | ||
| High Street | ||
| Fletton | ||
| Peterborough PE2 8DT | ||
| United Kingdom |
| Name | : | Sedwill |
| Firstname | : | Phil |
| Telefon | : | +44 1733 760883 |
| Telefax | : | +44 1733 760884 |
| Address | : | Peterborough Environmental |
| City Trust (PECT) | ||
| High Street | ||
| Fletton | ||
| Peterborough PE2 8DT | ||
| United Kingdom |
Peterborough is situated 75 miles north west of London in the County of Cambridgeshire, and today has a population of 160,000. The city has always been an important economic centre. Its early structure was shaped by the fortunes of the surrounding rich agricultural area, which later brought food processing industries such as England's largest sugar beet plant to the town. For the past century much of Peterborough's economic prosperity has been due to the railroads and the brick and steel industry. Over the last two decades, a vigorous expansion programme has been undertaken; creating Peterborough New Town and other new developments, which have drawn many new residents to the city.
Project was added at 12.08.1997
Project was changed at 05.03.2001