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Using EMS to deliver strategic environmental priorities. Title of PowerPoint presentation. Joseph Priestley 1733 - 1804. Leeds. > 700,000 population 550 km 2 City charter 1207 EMAS accreditation 2002 > 30,000 staff
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Using EMS to deliver strategic environmental priorities Title of PowerPoint presentation
Leeds • > 700,000 population • 550 km2 • City charter 1207 • EMAS accreditation 2002 • > 30,000 staff • 2.34m passengers through Leeds Bradford Airport (2004). Forecast 7m by 2030 • 34,380 ha greenbelt – highest in country • 7 wards in the 10% most deprived wards in England
6th Environment Action Programme • Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment (2005) “contributing to a better quality of life through an integrated approach concentrating on urban areas’ and to contribute ‘to a high level of quality of life and social well-being for citizens by providing an environment where the level of pollution does not give rise to harmful effects on human health and the environment and by encouraging sustainable urban development”. • Managing Urban Europe 25 project
Plan: Environmental Policy • Environmental Policy (2006) covering development, energy & climate change, waste, pollution, transport, local environmental quality, procurement, biodiversity, education and awareness raising • Local Area Agreement Strategic Outcome (2007/8): Reduced ecological footprint through leading the response, influencing, mitigating and adapting to environmental and climate change
Plan: Aspects identification & Evaluation of significance • Baseline review of strategic environmental conditions in Leeds • Essential evidence base for Sustainability Appraisals (SA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
Ecological footprint Ecological Footprint measures the total quantity of land and sea area required to produce the food, fibre and minerals we consume, absorb the waste we produce (including CO2 emissions), and provide the space for our infrastructure. Per capita earth share = 1.8 gha World average footprint = 2.2 gha Leeds average footprint = 5.37 gha
Topic: Water Quality Chemistry General Quality Assessment Scores – Leeds Rivers
Topic: Municipal Waste Current methods of disposal and projections for future waste disposal in Leeds
Topic: Transport Related Air Quality Air Quality Management Areas and Areas of Concern in Leeds
Topic: Land Contamination Potentially contaminating historic land uses in southern and western Leeds
Topic: Flood Risk Environment Agency Flood Zones in Leeds Floodzone 2 Annual River Flooding Probability of 1% or greater Floodzone 3 Annual River Flooding Probability of 0.1 to 1%
Topic: Energy Production and Consumption Energy Consumption Statistics for Leeds 2003 (estimated)
TRAFFIC GROWTH & TRENDS IN LEEDS • 5% Annual growth 1985- 1990, 1% since 1990. • Peak spreading • Night-time flows? • 7% reduction in car usage • 4% increase in train/ bus usage • 100,000 vehicles access central Leeds (AM peak period)
FUTURE CLIMATE IN LEEDS? • Long term/seasonal averages • Warmer drier summers. • Milder wetter winters. • Rising sea levels. • Extremes • More very hot days. • More intense downpours of rain. • Increased storm surges. • Uncertain changes in storms, possible increase in winter.
Historical data (1908-2006) obtained from the Met Office’s Bradford weather station
Air frost defined as the number of days the temperature the 15-minute average temperature fell below 0°C.
Plan: Objectives, targets & programmes … • Agriculture: Leeds Food Matters, UDP section 5.5, appendix 5 (2001) • Air quality: Air Quality Action Plan Jan 2004 • Biodiversity: Biodiversity Action Plan for Leeds • Contaminated land: Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy 2001 • Education & awareness: Leeds Healthy Schools Standard • Energy production/consumption: Regional Energy Plan • Flooding: Strategic Flood Risk Assessment • Forestry: Towards a Leeds Forest Strategy (consultation document) • Greenhouse gases: Leeds’ Climate Change Strategy • Historic Env: Conservation Area Appraisals & Buildings at Risk Strategy UDP section 5.3, appendices 3 & 4 (2001) • Land use: UDP / Local Development Framework • Landscape & townscape: City Centre Urban Design Strategy, Neighbourhoods for Living, etc. UDP section 5.3, appendix 3 (2001), Leeds Landscape Assessment (1994) • Natural resources: Minerals Policies UDP section 5.5, appendix 6 (2001)
Plan: Objectives, targets & programmes … • Nuisance: Various statutory tools Environmental Protection Act 1990 • Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations • Parks & Greenspace: A Parks and Green Space Strategy for Leeds (consultation draft) • Permitted processes: Pollution Prevention Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000, incorporating; Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), Local Authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (LA-IPPC), Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC) • Radioactivity: EA Radioactive Substances Regulation Strategy • Transport: West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan • Transportation noise: Environmental Noise Directive • Waste: Integrated Waste Strategy 2005-2035, UDP section 5.5, appendix 7 (2001) • Water consumption: Yorkshire Water: Water Resource Plan 2005-2010 • Water quality: Yorkshire Water: Monitoring Plan 2005-10
Do: Resources roles, competence & communication / Operational control • Need to consider strategic skills such as partnership working and analysis of evidence • Need to influence business and service planning - programme of improvement • Need to audit implementation of key strategies
Upstream Issues Agriculture, Built Env, Energy, Water, Greenspace, Land Use, Transport Air quality, Biodiversity, Flooding, CO2, Noise, Waste, Water Quality Downstream Effects
Check: Monitoring • National indicators (October 2007) • Overall satisfaction with local area (5) • People killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents (47) • Congestion – avge journey time during morning peak (167) • Previously developed land that has been vacant > 5 yrs (170) • Access to services by public transport, walking and cycling (175) • Working age people with access to employment … (176) • Local bus passenger journeys (177) • Bus services running on time (178) • Food establishments broadly compliant with the law (184) • Climate change & fuel poverty (185-189) • Waste management (191-193) • Air quality (194) • Cleanliness (195-196) • Biodiversity (197) • School travel (198)
Check: Review & Audit • Aim to embed within Local Strategic Partnership and LAA performance monitoring framework • Difficult to audit! Report: Environmental Statement • Incorporate as part of main reporting framework. Not separate.
Outstanding issues … • EMS should be about environmental improvement. Need to influence strategic issues • Audit strategies is really about auditing expenditure (£). More environmental bang for buck • Lead by example and maintain legal compliance
Outstanding issues … • How important is legal compliance at a strategic level? • Significance – need greater certainty on critical environmental infrastructure • Need to understand pressures on local environment • Can this be audited / verified?
Thank you • http://ec.europa.eu/environment/urban/home_en.htm • www.mue25.net • www.leeds.gov.uk • thomas.knowland@leeds.gov.uk