The Island Strategic Partnership has agreed a vision, values and priorities for Eco Island. The ambitions of Eco Island have been set out under four themes
Jump to more information on these themes by clicking these links
Thriving islandHealthy and supportive IslandSafe and well kept IslandInspiring Island
Our Island will be world renowned as the best place to live, work, visit and invest. It will be the ultimate Eco Island; with an established thriving economy, good quality jobs, highly skilled workforce, and a quality of life that is the envy of the world.
We will build a positive image for the Isle of Wight, based on hard work, high productivity and wealth opportunities for all. We will also celebrate creativity and the Island’s distinctiveness. Our Island will be where people want to be.
By 2026 the Island will be a world-renowned Eco Island, with a thriving economy, a real sense of pride, and a place where residents and visitors feel safe and are treated with respect.
The Islands environment and natural beauty, wealth and wellbeing will have all been improved through the projects that make up Eco Island, with the Island having led the way, on a national stage, to introducing innovative solutions for 21st Century sustainable living and has made real progress in reducing its ecological footprint.
The Island’s consumption of energy will decrease through improvements in the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock and the setting of high design standards for all new buildings. The Island is also capable of supplying a substantial proportion of its energy demand from locally generated renewable energy schemes and has in place plans to become self sufficient in all forms of energy.
All major public sector organisations will be implementing carbon reduction plans and the business sector and local residents have followed suit. The Island has the lowest (per capita) carbon emissions in the UK.
Greater sustainability and reduction in local environmental impacts will mean that the Island has minimised the waste it generates and looks to new technologies to recycle, recover from and treat its domestic and commercial waste, with the aim of reducing its overall carbon footprint. Local sites for recycling, composting and other waste minimisation opportunities are provided in new developments as a matter of course. This has led to a positive trend in waste minimisation, a significant increase in recycling and energy recovery and only a small fraction of domestic and commercial waste is now being sent to landfill.
The Island will become a leading eco-tourism destination with a high proportion of tourism businesses meeting the highest standards of environmental performance. Local produce is of a high quality and is largely consumed on the Island.
We will have higher quality jobs - this means better wages, higher productivity and greater prosperity through sectors such as the creative and knowledge based economy. To meet this challenge we need to equip young people on the Island with the necessary skills and aspirations.
We will have a more mixed economy - this means a broad range of jobs with less reliance on the public sector and a more diverse economic base that means we can adapt to the inevitable changes that will take place locally, regionally and globally.
By 2026 we will have a thriving Island with a first rate infrastructure where business can grow and where young and old alike have the skills and qualifications to access well-paid, long-term job opportunities. Businesses have chosen to locate on the Island due to the high quality of life and the availability of a highly skilled and well qualified workforce.
Our technology hub in composite materials will be recognised around the world and the hub’s work is used in marine technologies, renewable energy and the aerospace industry. We have achieved a diverse economy, with growth focussed on a range of sectors which provide year-round employment for local residents.
This theme will be managed by the Isle of Wight Economic and Environment Key Delivery Partnership. The Partnership has the responsibility for delivering the Eco Island priorities that arise from this theme. You can find out more about the Economic and Environment Partnership by clicking here.
You can see the Key Delivery Partnership's detailed headline actions for thriving Island by clicking here, and find out more of the planned Eco Island actions by clicking here.
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We want a vibrant community with cutting edge leisure activities which we all enjoy. This means we will have longer active healthier lives having respect, compassion and consideration for each other, community & Island.
Through high-quality co-operation between local health, care and community organisations, we will deliver more joined-up local care services. These local services will be more efficient and tailored to what people want and need. We want everyone to have the same chance of healthy lives, with good quality healthcare, wherever they live on the Island. The whole Island will have the opportunity to be healthier, whether it is through increased physical activity, or better diet, or through volunteering and supporting the community.
To make sure that we know what is needed, we have commissioned an Island-wide strategic needs assessment. This will tell us where the need is greatest, so we can make things better in those areas which need it most.
The priorities for the Healthy and Supportive Island theme are:
This theme will be managed by the Isle of Wight Health and Wellbeing Board. The Board has the responsibility for delivering the Eco Island priorities that arise from this theme. You can find out more about the Health and Wellbeing Partnership Board by clicking here.
You can see the Partnership Board’s headline detailed action plans for a healthy and supportive Island by clicking here, and more of the planned Eco Island actions by clicking here.
We will be a community dealing effectively with low levels of crime & disorder; it will be a place where people feel safe living in a well-kept environment and are able to be active citizens taking part fully in all aspects of Island life.
We have safe neighbourhoods – but they will be even safer. People living in those neighbourhoods will know, understand, believe and celebrate the fact that they are safe. Community confidence will be key to underpinning the improvements we seek. It will support more confident residents, living in happy neighbourhoods with a greater sense of civic pride. Our local areas will look better and be better cared-for, by local people working together to improve their surroundings. This sort of community action will also support investor confidence, encouraging inward investment to safer, happier, more stable communities.
The infrastructure of the Island will be renewed to the highest environmental standards by 2020.
In response to public concern, the ISP recognises the importance of maintaining and improving our local transport infrastructure and seeks to achieve funding to carry out the works required. ISP partners and the government have made funds available to improve the safety and sustainability of our infrastructure.
A network of supporting partnerships will make the Island safer and healthier. A number of healthy travel and safety partnership will work together to open up rights of way, cycling opportunities and importantly safety. Road user education, speed reduction and other local safety schemes and initiatives will encourage safer driving and reduce road accidents.
The litter bin cleaning and replacement, more frequent emptying of dog bins, cleaning of bus shelters and other street furniture, more frequent beach cleaning and additional resources to deal with fly tipping, improving local roads and pavements and various public facilities all being addressed through the One Island programme. This work also helps in developing a sense of pride in the community and contributes to the local economy by attracting visitors and tourists.
As with all the ISP Action Plan themes, the successes in this area will be achieved by local organisations (such as, in this case, the police, the council, community groups and local businesses) working together to plan how crime and disorder can be reduced in local areas. The same organisations will then work together to put those plans into practice. Specifically, this theme of the Action Plan will focus on prevention: designing public spaces to be more sensitive to their surroundings and still make crime or anti-social behaviour more difficult; working with troubled young people to steer them away from petty crime, anti-social behaviour or substance misuse. Travel, transport and the places we live and work in will be fit for purpose and well kept.
This theme will also see an improvement in the way we use what we know about our neighbourhoods: ensuring information is shared between organisations, to join up local services better; making sure lower levels of crimes are promoted and explained to the public; working in schools to encourage clear values, citizenship, personal responsibility, mutual respect and tolerance.
The Partnership agreed that to be considered as an Eco Island priority, a number of criteria should be considered; do local people see ane issue as a priority (this should be reflected in the Residents Survey, Police consultations, last Crime and Disorder Audit, Strategic Assessments); is the issue a vital element of the Eco Island Vision; is dealing withy the issue a priority for the Island; does Government see the issue as a priority for the Island
By applying these criteria, the following priorities were identified:
This theme will be managed for the ISP by the Safer and Stronger Key Delivery Partnership. The Partnership has the responsibility for delivering the Eco Island priorities that arise from this theme. You can find out more about the Partnership by clicking here.
You can see the partnership’s headline detailed action plans for a safe and well kept Island by clicking here, and more planned Eco Island actions by clicking here.
Our children and young people will have support and encouragement to explore and develop their potential. We will work to expand their horizons so they are inspired by high quality learning & leisure opportunities in a positive community environment.
The Island’s future will be bright, aspiring and sustainably successful. To deliver this, we will need our children and young people to be supported to perform better throughout their schooling, to achieve higher grades and to have access to more, better quality training on the Island.
The Island needs young people to want to live healthy lifestyles, free from bullying and anti-social behaviour, to take part in their communities and to shape the way their Island is developing. The success of the aspirations and plans set out in Eco Island is tied to the ability of the Island to help our children and young people to realise and achieve their potential. They are our key to success.
Partners including the Council, Isle of Wight College, The Learning and Skills Council, Job Centre Plus, Voluntary and Community organisations are committed to making the changes necessary to inspire children and young people from all walks of life.
Providing n inspiring future also includes ensuring that families feel supported, children are free from abuse and poverty, children who need services are well provided for, special needs are met and that the views of young people about their futures are very clearly listened to and considered by those with the ability to lead and make change.
The priorities for the Inspiring Island theme are:
This theme will be managed by the Children and young Persons Trust. The Trust has the responsibility for delivering the Eco Island priorities that arise from this theme. You can find out more about the Children and Young Persons Trust here.
There is also more detailed information about the Childrens Trust and the Children and Young Peoples Plan by clicking here.
You can see the headline detailed action plans for an Inspiring Island by clicking here, and a selection of other planned Eco Island actions by clicking here.
If you would like to comment on Eco Island or would like more information, please email info@eco-island.org.uk or visit the Eco Island contacts page.
