WORKSHEET EN3: The Environment and Quality of Life
TASK: to establish the effects of the quality of the town‘s and countryside‘s environment on the quality of life.
1: Introduction to the task
The way people live and work has an impact on the quality of the environment. Many people now want to ”do their bit for the environment•, particularly in their own local area. This task will help you to consider:
How and where residents can use or support environmentally friendly initiatives
How and where community members interact with their environment for leisure and recreation
Where appropriate make links to Worksheets
T2: Accessibility of services
S5: Sport, Leisure and Open Spaces
T3: Ease of Movement around the Town
2: Getting the following information will help you review how environmental quality could be enhanced to improve peoples' quality of life
Sub-section: Environmental sustainability
EN3 Q1
What opportunities are there for people to understand and become active in reducing or managing waste? Include sustainable waste management
such as collection points, facilities and support offered, and consider local schemes to:
a. recycle
b. re-use
c. produce bio-gas energy
d. compost organic waste
(Worksheets EC2 Q5; EC3 Q10; S4; S6 also refer to community involvement)
Starting points for information
District Council
Local community group
Charity schemes
Q1 DRAFT ANSWER: There are two main collection points for recycling in Yateley: in the Waitrose car park in the extreme west of Yateley, and at Darby Green Community Centre. Three Yateley pubs (Poet's Corner, The Cricketers, and the Royal Oak) are listed on www.recyclenow.com as accepting mixed glass, but this is probably not wellknown as it is assumed these are private waste points. Most types of waste, including green waste, can be delivered to Hart Council's own recycling point in Hartley Wintney. Hart are encouraging local residents to compost their kitchen and garden waste by making available heavily subsidised garden compost bins. Hart have run a black bin/blue bin weekly home collection refuse scheme for some years. In autumn 2006 Hart will introduce a new scheme collecting refuse and recyclable waste on alternative weeks. The new scheme will introduce boxes for glass collection to make headway towards the target of recycling 50% of all collected household waste by 2010. This new scheme is meeting some public opposition. The main opportunities for local people to understand Hart's strategy is via Hart News, the Council's newspaper, and all details and information are in the Environment and Planning section of
the Councils web-site. The main opportunity for local people to offer unwanted household items, books, and clothes for re-use is via local charity shops, of which Discoveries is run by St Peter's Church in Yateley. It is not know whether Hart produce any bio-gas energy. Hart District Council offers a recycling service for unwanted electronic equipment such as computers. See list of materials accepted at recycling facilities on
the appropriate page on the Hart DC web-site
Q1 NOTES: Include questions on attitude to recycling in household survey. Re Q1.c. Send an enquiry form to the waste management e-mail via the
Hart DC web-site.
EN3 Q2
How are energy conservation methods and local renewable energy sources used within the town and the surrounding countryside?
Starting points for information
Local Authority
Q2 DRAFT ANSWER: It is not currently know whether there are any energy conservation initiatives or renewable energy sources used within Yateley or in its hinterland.
Q2 NOTES: Include questions on attitude to household conservation of energy initiatives in household survey. Include similar questions in survey of Yateley businesses. Obtain data from Sims Metals, and Blackbushe Motors re their recycling operations in Yateley. Hart Council re any energy conservation or renewable energy initiatives in the District. PLEASE SEE:
Home Energy Savings – section of the HDC web-site
NB. The topic of renewable energy was broached in the consultation for the core strategy and Development Control Policies for the Hart Local Development Framework.
EN3 Q3
LOW CARBON INITIATIVES:
a. What initiatives are in operation for the town to become a low carbon area?
b. How are these initiatives contributing to improved air quality, health and creation of employment opportunities?
Starting points for information
Local Authority
Q3 DRAFT ANSWER: The Steering Group do not know of any low carbon initiatives in operation in Yateley or in Hart.
Q3 NOTES: Yateley is currently assessed as an unsustainable location in the Adopted Local Plan because of its extremely high out of town travel to work ratios, relatively high mileages to work, and very high household car ownership ratios. To lower Yateley's carbon footprint the Yateley Society Executive Committee has discussed the possibility of a low carbon initiative for Yateley to be included in the Health Check Action Plan. This might take the form of adopting a high profile grant aided housing energy efficiency scheme for Yateley. Other possibilities should be researched. The
‘Air Quality Review and Assesment Progress Report for Hart DC’ provides background to this question. Information on Low Carbon Initiatives can be found at
The Carbon Trust's website
EN3 Q4
What use is being made of sustainable building materials for new buildings within the town?
(Worksheets EC6 Q1; EC7 Q18; S2, S3 Q11; S5 Q8 and S6 Q1 & 3 also refer to the built environment)
Starting points for information
Local Authority Planning Dept
Local builders
Q4 DRAFT ANSWER: There has been no major estate development within the town for over ten years. Typical of recent development is the apartment development at Robin Hill House, Monteagle Lane. This was advertised as using sustainable methods of construction and energy efficient heating - although this was not a condition imposed by the LPA.
Q4 NOTES: Contact the agent for detailed information.
EN3 Q5
Where goods and products from the local countryside are produced, how many of them carry a local Environmental Quality Mark (EQM)?
(Worksheets EC7 Q10,17,18; S3 Q7,11 also refer to environmental quality. Worksheets EC2 Q2,3; EC5; also refer to land-based industries. Worksheets EC7 Q12; S5 Q9 also refer to food)
Starting points for information
Local survey
Q5 DRAFT ANSWER: Yateley does not possess a conventional market town 'hinterland' from which produce is brought to a market. There are however local 'pick your own' producers patronised by Yateley people who may meet environmental quality standards. Yateley supermarkets such as Waitrose promote sourcing of local produce.
Q5 NOTES: Grays Farm in Wokingham is a local 'pick your own' audited to LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) standards. Check the statu of other local producers
Sub-section: Quality of life through leisure and recreation
EN3 Q6
Do community open spaces, sites and facilities currently available for informal recreation and amenity meet the needs of the local people?
(Worksheets EC7 Q10,17,18; S3 Q7,11 also refer to environmental quality. Worksheet S5 refers to open space. Worksheets EC7 Q13; S5; S6; T3 Q17 also refer to recreation & leisure)
Starting points for information
Local Authority
Q6 DRAFT ANSWER:
Q6 NOTES: See Sport and Leisure Topic Group Situation Report
EN3 Q7
What recreation routes for walking and cycling are available to local people?
(Worksheet EC7 Q13,14;T1 Q5; T2 Q6; T3 also refer to pedestrian access ; Worksheets EC7 Q13; S5; S6; T3 Q17 also refer to recreation & leisure)
Starting points for information
Local Authority
Local survey
Tourist or Visitor Information Centre
Q7 DRAFT ANSWER: Local survey made over the past 25 years demonstrate that Yateley people very strongly value their ability to walk out of their doors into the surrounding countryside. A network of public footpaths connects the built area of Yateley: across Yateley Common, along the Blackwater Valley, into Eversley, into the National Trust property in Finchamstead, and beyond. Recreational cyclists use the Welsh Drive and the National Nature Reserve at Castle Bottom, and the Blackwater Valley riverside path. Horseriders and recreational motorcyclists are heavy users of Yateley Common.
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