From June 2008 Island residents are to be the first in the UK to benefit from a pioneering government-backed technology creating green energy from waste.
A new gasification plant - the first of its type in the UK – is to be built at Forest Park, Forest Road, Newport, and will generate 2.3 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 2,000 homes.
Gasification is an alternative to incineration, converting waste into a gas via an advanced two-stage thermal treatment process. The resulting heat energy is used to produce steam, which will then be used to generate electricity.
The project will convert the existing energy plant at Forest Park into a new facility, with the fuel supplied by the Resource Recovery Facility operated by Island Waste Services, the council's integrated waste management contractor.
The technology will be provided by ENERGOS, part of the UK based ENER-G group. The government department, Defra, will provide funding of £2.7 million to meet 35 per cent of the £8 million cost of developing and operating the facility during the first year. The project is part of Defra's New Technology Demonstrator Programme, which promotes innovative ways of reducing biodegradable waste sent to landfill.
The plant will generate energy from 60,000 tonnes of waste, diverting an extra 15,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill each year. This will extend the life of the landfill site at Lynnbottom and help the council meet its Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) targets.
The plant will also meet some of the council's targets for production of renewable energy and will reduce its carbon footprint.
As part of the project a dedicated visitor centre will be provided and it is anticipated that the development should attract significant national interest.
For more information on this scheme, contact info@eco-island.org.uk
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Sir Terry Farrell will help us to develop a clear vision for the Island which enables low_carbon design, providing a high quality built environment for the Island.
It will benefit Eco Island by providing a clarity of vision and setting design principles which embrace and promote low carbon technologies. It will be used to supplement work on the Island Plan.
The Isle of Wight Council, town and Parish councils, local communities will be involved as there will be local consultation events held.
As a direct result of this project people will be able to see how we are using the local distinctiveness of the Island to create a clear vision for places and develop a set of principles which can be used to help deliver buildings which enhance distinctiveness whilst at the same time maximising opportunities for low carbon technologies.
The Island is already a haven for wildlife, with many protected species of animals, insects and plants. Over 70% of the Island is designated as a landscape or habitat of particular significance, with over half the Island classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This is partly what makes the Island such a special place to visit and live.
Our rural communities are heavily involved in looking after their local areas. Island residents have a justifiable sense of pride in the beauty of our Island and want to work together to keep it that way. This Eco Island Action Plan promise will see local communities consulted, to identify which of the local areas, currently being looked after and protected, can be designated formally as a local nature reserve, to promote community involvement and the interests of local biodiversity. This process is being undertaken by the Parks and Countryside team of the Isle of Wight Council. The process will involve considerable consultation with Town and Parish Councils and local groups. No sites have been identified; the consultation process will build the shortlist of prospective sites.
This project will be part of the Island delivering against its Biodiversity Action Plan. As such, it is a partnership project, which will bring protection, managed access and greater publicity and understanding to even more of our Island's natural habitats.
Because of the Islands size, over half of the journeys to work (52.8%) are less than 5km (3 miles) long, yet despite this short distance more than half of the Island’s workforce travel to work by car (54.2%). Local surveys indicate that during peak times nearly 80% of cars entering Newport are single occupancy vehicles with implications for local congestion and pollution
The Council and the Primary Care Trust (PCT) recognise the importance of increasing travel choice and will work together withy other partners as needed, to develop a joint workplace travel plan, known a s a Green Travel Plan. This will look at how people currently travel to work and by improving opportunities to walk, cycle, travel by public transport and lift share reduce reliance on the car.
The plan will be in place by April 2010
Working with organisations, business and communities, the Isle of Wight Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership will help to fund projects through our Sustainable Development Fund.
The Sustainable Development Fund supports projects that bring social, environmental and economic benefits to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It aims to develop and test new methods of achieving a more sustainable way of life in an area of great beauty and landscape diversity. This target will practically demonstrate Eco-Island objectives and in particular help to further the ‘protect and enhance our Island’s natural beauty’ aim of the Thriving Island theme.
Examples of projects that we have funded in past years of this scheme are: ground source heating system in a village hall; air source heating system in a village hall; project to convert used cooking oil into bio-fuel; part funded ‘waterworks’ water conservation and awareness scheme; a wood fuels awareness event. More information can be obtained from the AONB Unit aonb@iow.gov.uk and on the AONB Partnership website www.wightaonb.org.uk
For the last 2 years the Isle of Wight Council has supported the installation of renewable energy systems on community buildings. The systems installed are:
Case studies are available – pdfs to follow.
The installation costs have been met from a variety of sources, including Government grants, local funding such as Leader + and the AONB Sustainable Development Fund and the management committees of the buildings themselves.
The systems are in prominent locations and are intended to demonstrate both the practicalities of installing the renewable energy system and the minimal visual intrusion. They also demonstrate the financial benefits of renewable energy which is likely to improve over time as the cost of fossil fuels increases.
For the community buildings the additional benefits are:
The Council will support the installation of 3 more renewable energy systems on community buildings during 2008/09. It is particularly keen to see the installation of technologies which have not been previously supported, such as biomass and micro-wind systems.
To develop an Island Plan policy framework based on sound principles of promoting sustainable communities and sustainable development.
Eco Island will benefit from the development and implementation of a new Island plan by providing us with a clear policy framework for the spatial future of the Island through until 2026. It will be the main document by which in large part the Eco-Island vision will be delivered.
The new Island Plan will be developed by involving all communities. We will be ensuring that local communities, groups and individuals, Parish and Town Councils, businesses and other interested parties are given every opportunity to help develop this new framework for the Island.
What will people see happening? There will be a gradual change from existing Unitary Development Plan policies to the new Island Plan. We have an agreed timetable for delivering the new plan and all the details and timings and information can be found at www.iwight.com/islandplan
For more information on this scheme, use the web link above or contact info@eco-island.org.uk
Warm and energy efficient homes play an important role in keeping people healthy, reducing fuel poverty, caring for houses and making communities stronger.
A £500,000 investment by the Isle of Wight Council will create a Warm One Island project. Delivered by partners and a major target for Eco Island, the project will deliver a number of outcomes:
Health: Warmer homes will reduce the number of people who die from the effects of cold in the winter and suffer from cold-related illness, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular disease. This particularly affects vulnerable members of the community.
Environment: More efficient heating and insulation will reduce carbon emissions which contribute to climate change and poor air quality.
Reduce inequalities: By reducing the amount of household energy used for heating and hot water, the threat of fuel poverty can be prevented.
To achieve these outcomes, grant assistance will be made available to help those on low or medium incomes in private housing to install discounted cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, draught proofing and, where appropriate, heating systems. Approximately 1,500 households will be assisted in the first year.
The project will maximise additional income which is available through the Government’s Warm Front Scheme and CERT grants which are provided by fuel utilities.
The Scheme will be co-ordinated by IWC Housing Services and a managing agent contracted to organise the installation and monitoring of energy efficiency improvements. Partner organisations including primary care services and community organisations will be asked to publicise the scheme and to identify vulnerable households which can benefit from the grants.
The Scheme will assist with delivery of the Island’s Fuel Poverty Strategy.
Public Health partners will encourage each Town and Parish Council to join and partner a local Health Trainer project. Health Trainers will encourage and support people to be more engaged with improving their own health. Health Trainers will support local people within their own neighbourhoods to be able to make changes in their lives and adopt healthy lifestyles.
The Health Trainers will:
The role of the Local Involvement Network (LINK) is to give the community a stronger voice in how health and social care services are delivered. The Network will be run by local individuals and groups and will find out what people want, monitor local services and hold service providers to account.
Our LINks will decide on its activities and priorities with the aim of representing the views of the community on health and social care issues. It is likely to have direct involvement and input into commissioning decisions of the Primary Care Trust and the Council It will be able to review and monitor the provision and quality of all NHS services, and adult social care services provided on the Island. It will feedback the views of users directly to The Council and the Primary Care Trust and will play a major role in the scrutiny of local services. There are a range of opportunities people to be involved in the development of the LINks and then to help us to improve health and social care provision.
Empty homes are a wasted resource that can be used to alleviate homelessness, meet housing needs and either remove or reduce the risk of blight to neighbouring properties.
When The Island’s Housing Strategy 2007-2012 was developed, the community was consulted. People said that we should use empty properties before building new ones. This provides backing for a scheme that will work to ensure the maximum occupation of long term empty properties by:
If discussions and negotiations do not return the property back to active use the Council will use a full range of enforcement powers to ensure:
This will be done using legal powers, including Empty Dwellings Management Orders and Compulsory Purchase Orders where necessary, appropriate and proportionate.
The Council will provide for the partnership a record of the number of empty properties that we have assisted to be returned to active use and we will use this to provide evidence of our achievements.
The delivery of up to 340 affordable homes will ensure that we work towards delivering a balanced housing market on the Isle of Wight.
It will also ensure that we meet the needs of those who are unable to enter the Housing Market, either through purchasing a property at the price that can be afforded or through the additional supply of social housing for those who are unable to buy or are accepted by the Isle of Wight Council as Homeless.
Extra affordable homes will be provided this way through a partnership between the Council, Housing providers and private developers. Working together, the partners will bring forward housing schemes that deliver the types of homes that the Island need.
Partners will be make sure that funding from external sources, such as the Housing Corporation, is maximised. New policies will ensure that the private sector play an active role in providing affordable housing to meet locally identified housing need.
The partners will make sure that public land available for development is identified and as far as possible released for affordable homes. The Pan development alone will bring in excess of 240 additional affordable housing units to the market.
Alongside this we will be working with other developers to ensure that a steady pipeline of schemes is brought forward to deliver the targets that we have set.
The government have set targets to increase the physical activity of adults and young people in an attempt to reduce the levels of obesity, high blood pressure and other related illnesses.
We will raise the number of people taking exercise through:
The ISP recognises the importance of maintaining and improving our local highways and seeks to achieve the funding needed to carry out the work required through a wide range of means from national and local sources.
The Government makes available capital funding through the five year Local Transport Plan process (2006 – 2011) and has set this funding stream for the remaining period of the Plan. During the next financial year £2.5m will be made available from government to help maintain our roads to which the Council has added an additional £5.8 million, including £1.9m revenue funding. The Council will in addition to this sum make a further £1.75m available so as to further improve the local infrastructure and help make our roads safer.
Cold calling zones will be introduced in order to reduce door step crime and the fear of crime. This initiative will be delivered through the partnership between the Council, Police and Parish and Town Councils. It will contribute to a Safe and well Kept Island theme by empowering communities to act in responsible and effective ways.
This campaign will contribute to both the Safe and Well Kept Island and to the Thriving Island themes. The campaign will include a delivery of crime prevention advice and crime prevention products to vulnerable communities
This will include distributing products such as timer switches through the Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams and the Council’s Safer Neighbourhoods Service. Over 3,000 targeted Island households will receive the timer switches with low-energy lighting over the next two years.
The Island safe initiative will contribute to the Eco Island Safe and Well Kept Island theme.
Under this initiative, the Handy-person scheme delivered through the partnership between the Council, Police and two charities: the Age Concern and the Anchor, Housing Association will be making homes safer for 1000 vulnerable residents over three years.
The Initiative provides a holistic community safety service to victims of burglary and vulnerable people which includes security improvements to the home, fire risk assessment, advice about other hazards in the home and signposting as appropriate.
This service acknowledges the fear of crime in vulnerable communities and the impact of crimes on victims. The involvement of the voluntary and community sector in this service helps to involve local people and the community in a front-line service that will improve the quality of life of its users.
Further developing the existing CCTV system around the Island is a popular scheme that will contribute to a Safe and Well Kept Island. This project will include modernisation of the CCTV Control Room; replacement of all old CCTV cameras; expansion of the CCTV network to Cowes, Shanklin and Ventnor; and the purchasing of more re-deployable CCTV cameras that can be used across the Island.
This project will be delivered by the Council in partnership with the Police and Town Councils in Cowes, Shanklin and Ventnor.
A local 'Smartwater' initiative will contribute to the Safe and Well Kept Island theme.
SmartWater is a safe, clear liquid solution which carries a unique forensic code. The solution fluoresces under ultra violet light and pin points the property or offender to an exact location. Tests show that it is even stronger, more accurate than DNA and virtually impossible to remove. 'SmatWater' deters thieves from stealing marked property as the chances of being caught and convicted are greatly increased.
By making this facility a priority action, the take up and use of Smartwater will be heavily promoted and much better known among groups who may not normally be aware of affordable cutting edge crime reduction systems.
The One Million Blooms project has been a successful project, led by the Parks and Countryside team of the Council, in partnership with Ventnor Botanic Garden, with horticultural contractors and local communities all across the Island. The project has targeted "gateway" areas, wecloming residents and visitors to the key junctions and public spaces where people either walk or travel. These areas have been improved with stunning displays of permanent sustainable planting. These plantings all use a palate of colours, textures and foliage shapes, which provide a distinctive look and feel to the Island's public realm, to be drought-tolerant and require little or no extra watering. These include Agapanthus and a wide range of other bulbs to provide seasonal colour, ornamental grasses and Phormium to provide structure and visual impact and trees such as Olive and Pine, to provide height and year-round interest to the large plantings. The first of these sites were the Racecourse roundabout, Whipppingham; and St George's and St Mary's roundabouts in Newport. Community groups in Ventnor, Northwood, Brading and Gurnard are amongst the many who have all introduced local community-led planting schemes using the same principles.
The project is a key part of the new Eco Island Action Plan, continuing with another three large plantings in key public areas across the Island. These will be undertaken in 2008. In addition, a further 20 localised planting schemes all planted with sustainable schemes which will reduce water demand, will be planted across the Island. Here again, the local communities, often led by the local Parish or Town Council, will be creating their planting schemes to improve key areas of the Island, for residents and visitors.
This project is contributing to the Eco Island vision because it improves public areas of the Island, making them look attractive and making local areas look well-kept. Research suggests this increase in civic pride results in lowered levels of casual street crime and anti-social behaviour. In addition, the project contributes towards the emotional and physical wellbeing of local residents, because the plantings raise spirits, because they are attractive and decorate otherwise plain public spaces. They also contribute towards the physical activity of the local groups who commit to develop, plant and maintain the plantings within their community. Furthermore, these groups engage a wide range of local people, contributing towards community cohesion whilst the group is doing something beautiful and fun. The schemes use sustainable species of plant, to minimise the need to water the schemes. This will improve the Council's water efficiency performance and contribute towards the Island's reducing carbon footprint.
Cowes will be the site of a new high school, as the result of significant investment by the Government’s Dept of Children, Families and Schools. This demonstrates a commitment by central government and local partners to Raise educational standards.
Raising standards is Priority 1 of the current Children and Young People’s Plan. This contains the commitment that the Isle of Wight Children and Young People’s Trust will “ensure all Island schools support all children and young people to learn and achieve their potential”.
The construction of a brand new high school confirms this commitment. It also offers the opportunity to create a pathfinder project and to act as an exemplar in carbon-neutral construction. This will act as a real working example to other new-build projects on the Island and offer learners the opportunity to discover more about sustainable buildings as part of their courses.
In addition to housing the new high school, this pathfinder project will provide a wider community learning centre, which will particularly focus on the development of business skills and economic development in its offer.
The Island has been successful in reducing the levels of teenage pregnancies in recent years, but there is still a long way to go.
Being healthy is a key objective of the Children and Young People’s Plan, with Children’s and Young People’s Trust committed to “ensuring that all children and young people have access to information, advice and guidance and support to make healthy life choices and lead healthy lifestyles”.
This priority area for the Trust will continue with the implementation of the Island’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, a partnership strategy being implemented by the partner agencies which make up the Children and Young People’s Trust. This is part of a wider drive to build stronger, more prosperous communities as part of Eco Island, with young people encouraged and supported to lead lives which help them to fulfil their potential and aspire to success.
Priority 3 in the Children and Young People’s Plan is Increase support and
employability for those aged 14 to 19. Under the Every Child Matters theme of achieving economic wellbeing, the Plan commits the Children and Young People’s Trust to ensure all young people have access to information, advice, guidance and support; to make and follow choices in education, employment and training. This needs to be planned and delivered in a co-ordinated way, involving the implementation of both the 14-19 and Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) strategies.
The increased provision of 14-19 diplomas will broaden the opportunities for young Island people to develop vocational and academic skills which will equip them to succeed in the new jobs which Eco Island will attract and secure.
There are joint projects planned to introduce apprenticeships in some vocational areas, in partnership with Isle of Wight College and the private sector, to develop skills which are lacking not only on the Island but nationally, offering young people a range of opportunities when they leave school.
PURE events provide young people aged 13-17 with an opportunity to get a night club experience without, alcohol, drugs and smoking. The Partnership plans to deliver 4 PURE events for 800 young people every year.
This project is delivered through the partnership between Isle of Wight Council, Police and Health and is a project that will be delivered by close working between the Safer and Stronger Key Delivery Partnership and the Children and Young Peoples Trust. This safer lives project is an example of how organisations and individuals combine to finance and organise sustainable and important opportunities for young people.
The PURE events are extremely popular among young people and provide an excellent opportunity to showcase lifestyles and public health concerns to young audiences.
The Childrens Trust are seeking a 10% reduction in fixed-term exclusions, helping 120 young people to remain within the education system, to help and support them to achieve and fulfil their potential.
A priority of the Children and Young People’s Plan is to raise educational achievement. The plan says that the Children’s Trust will ensure all children and young people are enabled and encouraged to attend and enjoy school, to achieve highly or be in school or alternative education provision all of the time.
The partners in this project are setting out to ensure that children and young people are re-integrated young people into the Education system on the Island in a positive and supportive way. Reducing exclusions and time out of school involves working partnerships between Island schools to ensure alternative provision. This will be part of a range of strategic plans to ensure young people are at school places rather than at home or pursuing less positive activity.
The Island’s young people are its future. Where the local authority has responsibility for those young people’s care, it is now committed to involving them in their care services, through the establishment of a representative council.
The Childrens Trust regard giving a voice to children and young people using services as a very real priority. A new forum will support the achievement of all of the Every Child Matters priorities and themes, because it will enable looked-after young people to have more control over their home-life and care services; this will help them to feel more settled, more confident, and freer to achieve their potential.
