Policy Statement: Environment & Green Communities

You said:

We need to take action on climate change and protect our rural environment.

We recognise that climate change is a real and growing threat to this planet and accept our responsibility to show determination and leadership in addressing the challenge and preparing Uttlesford for a sustainable future.

We will strive to deliver Green Communities with new open spaces, more trees and improved connectivity for walking and cycling.

We aim to ensure that everyone can breathe clean air, and live in unpolluted towns and villages with clean public transport, more vehicle charging points and clean low-carbon local energy. We will give local town and parish councils the means to maintain the cleanliness and appearance of our towns and villages.

We will monitor and seek to reduce pollution; improve and increase recycling; reduce single-use plastic; monitor flood protection, and improve and increase wild green spaces. We will support allotments and local food production and will encourage more farmers’ markets.

We will seek to continually raise the energy standards of our homes and workplaces and insist that developers install energy conserving technologies in their designs.

Through our Stansted Airport Policy we are committed to ensuring that the airport take responsibility and action for their environmental impact, including emissions, noise, and recycling rates.

Where we control council budgets, we will aim to replace petrol and diesel-driven equipment with electric or alternative fuels at the end of their working lives.