Lancashire County: Promoting Sustainability by Green Auditing

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Country:

a) Western Europe

b) United Kingdom

Language:
Type:	Project, 1
Area:	Region, 100,000 - 1 mill.
Actors:	Local government, Regional government
Funding:	Regional government
Topics:	Climate protection
	Nature and open space
Objectives:	Improve access to information
	Increase public awareness
Instruments:	Eco audit / Environm. Impact Assessment
	Integrated planning approach
	Public participation

Abstract:

Access to environmental information and assessment of sustainability goals form essential elements of the Local Agenda 21 process. As early as 1989 Lancashire County Council became involved in auditing urban and regional policy from a 'green' point of view. The main task was to design a reliable environmental data base and a programme that would contribute to adoption and implementation of sustainable policies throughout the region. The project can be regarded as an example of good practice for the following reasons:

• reviewing environment-related issues and their impact on other policies;
• offering a broad organisational platform for all kind of institutions;
• compiling environmental information for organisations and the general public;
• revising and monitoring the local issues of sustainability;
• updating issues of concern.

Concept and aims

Following the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, local authorities have increasingly become aware of strategic planning and action in local and regional environmental politics in order to establish a new agenda of sustainable development. Environmental issues aquired a new platform within the local policy process as they were brought together under the umbrella of Local Agenda 21. The framework of Local Agenda 21 could be either newly set up or could serve as a model for upgrading different environmental initiatives. In the case of Lancashire County Council, the results of the Earth Summit stimulated further work with regard to sustainable development indicators.

At the end of the 1980s Lancashire County Council had already initiated its first review of the state of the environment. Simultaneously, the conservative government shifted the direction of environmental politics to a new direction at the national level and finally it published a white paper under the title »This Common Inheritance« in 1990. Among the new principles the commitment to sustainable development and the adoption of precautionary action are especially relevant for the regional and local policy level. In the first place new environmental qualities should be identified by focusing on the publication of detailed information and statistics, the review of the development, the indication of priorities and the monitoring of progress.

Since then Lancashire County Council has built up a policy of information research, organisational innovation, and creation of services. In particular the following measures have contributed to the growing awareness for green issues at urban and regional level:

• the working out of a Green Audit;
• the passing of the Lancashire Environmental Action Programme as an operational basis;
• the opening of the Centres of Environmental Excellence as an institutional basis.

In the first place the aim of this policy is to gather vital information on the issue of sustainability and the relevance of environmental changes for certain policy areas. The second step is to identify the priorities for possible action and to develop new approaches to service design and delivery as part of the county policy. The final step is to implement and monitor the progress towards sustainability goals. The development of a holistic strategy should help to bring together a number of approaches and projects under a common umbrella by assisting community and neighbourhood-level work, in co-operation with other organisations including District Councils.

Lancashire County Council is part of the 'Going For Green' Pilot Sustainable Communities Projects, and the second Green Audit for Lancashire was elaborated as part of the National Sustainability Indicators Project which ran between 1993 and 1995. Within these frameworks Lancashire County Council aims to constribute to the implementation of Local Agenda 21 initiatives.

Implementation and impacts

At the beginning of the 1990s the gathering of environmental information was the prime task in order to get a comprehensive picture of the environmental conditions in the County. The evaluation of good information should help to stimulate the progress in environmental planning. Therefore, the first Green Audit for Lancashire, which was published in May 1991, was mainly carried out as a survey that looked at the interaction between environmental concerns and economic, health and social factors. As the subtitle reveals, it was designed as "A First State of the Environment Report". The basic objective was to build a foundation which fitted the following purposes:

• to provide a collection, presentation and analysis of present environmental conditions,
• to establish a base-line of information against which future changes and developments can be monitored;
• to identify short-falls and inadequacies in available information;
• to furnish data that are essential for environmental and health improvements;
• to support the setting-up of environment-related services at County and District Councils.

The report covered separate surveys on the following:

• air;
• water;
• waste;
• energy;
• land and agriculture;
• wildlife;
• landscape and townscape;
• open space;
• transport.

Each topic was presented with an introduction of the current state, a summary of the legislation, a description of the organisational framework (authorities, agencies etc.), and an outline of the environmental standards and limits as well as indicators systems. The final report benefited from input by a wide range of groups which had been invited to present their viewpoints at the Lancashire Environmental Forum. In total 64 organisations from five sectors (central government and regional agencies, industry, local government in Lancashire, interest groups, and academic establishments) participated on a regular basis. In 1992 the 150 issues analysed in the Green Audit Report had been taken up by four specialist working groups to produce detailed recommendations for an Environmental Action Programme. More than 100 individuals were involved in that work and the Lancashire Environmental Action Programme (LEAP) was put forward in March 1993. The programme is designed as a fifteen-year programme, and in the first phase the concept and management of the issues of concern were given prominence as environmental goals have to worked out on a consensus basis. The audit of information was chosen as the main instrument.

In total 203 proposals have been elaborated under nine headings which reflect the areas for ecological action:

1. Partnership for Action is mainly concerned with the steps for implementation and review;
2. global warming contains proposals for the reduction of Lancashire’s contribution to greenhouse gases;
3. reviving towns contains proposal for the regeneration of key functions in the areas of transport, built environment, and open spaces;
4. cleaner air looks at measures to reduce emissions from industry and homes as well as from noise sources;
5. cleaner water addresses the problems of water quality, food quality defence, fisheries, recreation and conservation;
6. protecting land raises the problems of urban and rural land use, coastal zone management, and commercial forestry;
7. reducing waste raises the questions of disposal methods and the potentials of reclaimation and recycling;
8. conserving wildlife and countryside proposes measures for safe-guardening natural beauty;
9. raising awareness is using to the full the arsenal of public relation measures in order to provide information, education, and participation.

The main goal of LEAP is to point to practical measures that can be achieved within a certain time schedule. However, measures have to be implemented by governmental bodies or agencies and voluntary groups which are engaged in the forum.

In particular the newly established Centres of Environmental Excellence should contribute to the promotion of practical action. In 1994 a network of nine Centres of Environmental Excellence (CEEs) has been launched. They should act as a gateway to information and as a contact for the combination of expertise and investment. Within their field of specialisation they offer a system of communication and promotion of environmental initiatives. The following CEEs have been initiated:

1. the Centre for Environment and Development based at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston; it aims to facilitate and support development education in the formal and informal sectors. It runs a Global Education Centre which is a resource centre containing books, teaching information packs, posters, videos, slides, display materials and magazines, all available for loan. In addition, it offers in-service training and workshops for teachers and for youth and community workers. A newsletter is produced three times a year;
2. the Centre for Industry located within the Preston Technology Management Centre; its main aim is to support and assist companies to improve performance and competitiveness through the adoption of environmental technology according to best practice standards. In particular small and medium sized enterprises are regarded as a target group. Besides direct contact to firms, the centre also offers seminars dealing with best environmental practice;
3. the Centre for Personal Environmental Action and Sustainable Lifestyles situated within the Rossendale Groundwork Countryside Centre which attracts over 25,000 visitors a year; the centre concentrates on outlining choices, giving demonstrations and providing opportunities for individuals to explore sustainable ways of living. It organises exhibitions, displays and practical demonstrations. Two recent activities are the piloting of the Sustainable Delevopment Indicators and the developing of a series of adult education courses;
4. the Centre for Business and Community Development located at the local Groundwork Environmental Centre in Blackburn which is a information and teaching centre; its work is directed to the provision of training and data for business, schools, and residential communities. Besides environmental information there is also a database on health and safety issues;
5. the Centre for Protecting & Enhancing Biodiversity run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; one of the main objectives of the centre is to raise awareness of the need for nature conservation. Meetings and seminars are organised for the general public and in particular for school parties;
6. the Centre for Agriculture in co-operation with Myerscough College in Preston which is a specialist vocational institution for agriculture; it is working on the installation of innovative technology and development of good environmental practice in agriculture. Research and analysis take place within a network of national and international contacts and with the help of latest CD- ROM and IT equipment;
7. the Centre for Sustainable Energy and Nature Conservation positioned at the junction of two nature trails near the town of Burnley; the aim of the centre is to interpret the fauna and flora of the region for the educational and recreational benefits of the local people. It reaches approximately 100,000 visitors per year;
8. the Centre for the Built Environment in Nelson with six display rooms which feature all aspects of ecological building and land use;
9. the Centre for Raising Awareness in Lancashire, a study centre for the general public which offers insights into the themes of wind power, passive solar gain, solar panels, insulation measures etc;.its activities will be expanded when two new seminar facilities are built. They are to offer computer-based teaching in the fields of wind and solar power and illustrate new approaches in sustainable agriculture.

As the CEEs mainly act as an organisational network and training-ground they had to be given an information base that covers progress in environmental planning and the new quality of interdepence between social, economic and environmental concerns. Therefore the second Green Audit took place in 1995/96. It was carried out by the council’s Planning Department and the focus was on the development of sustainable development indicators. The draft audit contained 40 sustainable development indicators grouped under eleven themes. The goals are derived from the National Sustainability Indicators Research Project undertaken by the Local Authority Association in which Lancashire County Council participated. The indicators are intended to measure progress towards the goals. The indicators give policy makers, concerned organisations and individuals technical and managerial help to identify trends in their field of activity. Information on each indicator is presented in a standard format, as follows:

• Why is the indicator important?
• What does the indicator show (in form of graphs, tables or maps)?
• How has the indicator changed over time?
• What are the links with other indicators?

Whereas the first report mainly focused on the state of the environment, the second report stresses the interaction of policy developments at local and regional level. Therefore, the study takes into account problems like opportunities for work, housing and homelessness, birth and disease indicators, fear of crime, access to education and training, people’s involvement in local decision- making, the cohesion of neighbourhoods, or the perception of quality of life. In total 40 sustainable development indicators have been established under the eleven themes.

In spring 1997 it will be decided how the newly established platform will be transformed into operational action. The aim is to form an umbrella of different sustainable goals which can be regarded as a regional Charter for Sustainable Development.

Financing and resources used

Individual LEAP projects can be funded by Lancashire County Council with grants up to £ 500 at any one time. They are manageable via a project application.

Actors and structures

The Lancashire Environmental Forum was established by Lancashire County Council in December 1989. It now comprises over ninety organisations drawn from government departments and agencies, industry, local government, voluntary groups and academic establishments. It is a partnership between organisations which share similar concerns and see the benefits of a consensus based approach to environmental planning and problem solving. The main forum meets once or twice a year with a steering group that meets more regularly. So far the Green Audit and the Lancashire Environmental Action Programme have been its major pieces of work.

Contact:

Cities:

Lancashire County:

Lancashire County is located in the North-West of England. It has a tradition as a mining and manufacturing region.

Population:

Project was added at 24.11.1998
Project was changed at 22.08.2001