Reading Transport Strategy Consultation

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We’re planning for the future of transport in Reading and we want to know what you think.

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Transport matters to all of us. It connects us with our workplaces, schools, friends and families. It affects our health, the air we breathe, and the streets where we live. It helps our economy to grow and our town to thrive, and it can make the environment around us clean and friendly or dirty and dangerous.

Future travel in Reading is about more than moving people from A to B. It must be affordable and accessible, improve people’s health and wellbeing, support a growing and inclusive economy, enable a carbon neutral future for Reading and harness the latest technology.

The strategy we develop now will shape our town’s transport network to 2036 and beyond, informing the decisions we take, the funding we secure and the changes we make.

Please click here for the survey which is open until 20th September.

Help us write the new Climate Strategy for Reading

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We had a fantastic launch event on the 13th June. This opened the 6 month consultation on the 3rd Reading Climate Change Strategy.

Please do get involved: your ideas, energy and commitment are going to be really important to make a real success of this.  You can take part in a number of different ways e.g. by attending meetings, commenting on proposals and encouraging others to also engage in shaping Reading’s future.  To get in touch with the various themes, please find the contact details below:

4 cross-cutting themes have also been identified:

  • Education
  • Adaptation (Resilience)
  • Business
  • Community

To get involved with these cross-cutting themes, or if you have any general questions or suggestions please contact info@readingcan.org.uk.

Each theme will have one of the action plans that are the backbone of the strategy. For more details about all of the themes, please scroll down.

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Water Supply and Flooding:

The current strategic priorities are:

  • to manage supply of and demand for water
  • to provide guidance about safe reuse of water
  • to reduce the expected impact of water shortages on consumers and on wildlife
  • to reduce the risk of flooding, pollution, and potential damage to homes
  • to develop an adaptation plan for Reading so we can plan for extreme events associated with the changing climate.

Key questions in meeting these aims are:

  • What will prevent us from getting the water we need?
  • How can we engage in practical water efficiency messages, calling people to help build a water efficient town, using and reusing water sustainably?
  • How can we measure the real impacts of flooding, not only as events, but also the damaging effects to the local economy and the domestic, community, and business lives, and not to forget to the sustainability of the town?

We can then use this to draw together an outline plan for the Town of Reading.

To find out more and get involved email: water@readingcan.org.uk

Transport and mobility:

Transport has a key role to play in tackling climate change. Solutions to the transport and mobility question can also improving air quality and promoting health and wellbeing, whilst enabling economic growth and housing delivery. In addition to the Climate Change Strategy, the Council are in the process of updating the transport strategy for Reading, prioritising the provision of sustainable transport to encourage the use of public transport, walking and cycling as an attractive alternative to the private car.

Key questions in meeting these aims are:

  • What is it about our way of life that encourages private vehicle ownership and non-low carbon transport infrastructure?
  • What kind of alternatives can we imagine and how might we influence or bring about these changes?
  • What technologies and solutions can help reduce the dependency on fossil fuel based transport systems whilst continuing to service our economy and communities?

To find out more and get involved email: transport@readingcan.org.uk

Health:

Climate change and associated air pollution is worsening physical and mental health and negatively affecting food production.

One of the key questions for this theme is:

  • In what ways might emphasising climate change as a personal and public health issue in Reading encourage people to participate in steps to curb climate change?

To find out more and get involved email: health@readingcan.org.uk

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Natural Environment and Green spaces:

The new local plan requires identification and enhancement of wildlife corridors through the town, connecting the existing green spaces and ensuring that new development contributes rather than detracts from these aims. Private gardens and business sites could be part of the solution. Green spaces need enhancement for nature conservation, management of water flows and droughts, assisting in reducing air pollution and urban heating and improving well-being.

One of the key questions for this theme is:

  • What are the changes needed and how do we get the community to participate?

To find out more and get involved email: nature@readingcan.org.uk

Energy and Low Carbon Development:

Maybe one of the most challenging topics that is on the forefront of the Climate Change issue. We all need to find a way to reduce our energy consumption and use renewable energy for the energy we do use. This is closely linked to carbon emissions and solutions to both problems tend to go hand in hand.

Key questions in meeting these aims are:

  • How can we bring about a reduction in energy demand?
  • What renewable energy technologies will be best for Reading and how can these be encouraged and installed?
  • How can buildings reduce energy consumption and are there alternative ways of heating and cooling buildings?

To find out more and get involved email: energy@readingcan.org.uk

Purchasing, Supply and Consumption:

In short: stuff. Every choice we make about what to buy and consume has consequences. Our society has come to rely on a make-use-dispose model of consumption that assumes resources are infinite – both the raw materials and the energy used to manufacture goods. We have come to expect to be able to buy out of season and non-indigenous foods regardless of the water, materials and energy used to grow, package and transport them. In a zero-carbon future, we will need better ways to harness and conserve resources to deliver the quality of life we desire without leaving an unwelcome legacy for future generations.

One of the key questions for this theme is:

  • How are we able to consume less or in a much more considerate way?

To find out more and get involved email: resources@readingcan.org.uk

Cross-cutting themes:

The cross-cutting themes are common across the strategy. They do not have action plans themselves but they are useful lens to look across the 6 main themes. As we launch the strategy, we have identified 4 cross-cutting themes. This number could grow through time.

  • Education – this theme covers the interaction with schools, colleges and other educational establishments, as well as a general sharing of our “learning about climate change” so we can all make better informed decisions.
  • Adaptation (Resilience) – this theme captures the need to “Get Reading Ready” for the changes that we expect to happen with the changing climate. Weather patterns are already shifting, and the risks associated with extreme events are increasing. We must prepare for this, and our First Reading Adaptation Plan will help to guide our initial steps.
  • Business – the business community has a very important role in helping us to deliver our strategy, as well as ensuring that each individual business is switched-on to the twin challenges of getting ready for climate change and cutting our carbon footprint to zero by 2030.
  • Community – the community of Reading is diverse and complex, with varying levels of engagement and capacity when it comes to climate change. We need to grow the Reading Climate Action Network (ReadingCAN) to make sure we get through to everyone who lives, works and visits this town. We need to help people to make good choices and pick up an optimistic vision of the future for Reading.

To find out more and get involved email: info@readingcan.org.uk

 

Consultation on extending controls on single use plastic bags

This proposes to extend the single use carrier bag charge in England to all retailers, and also proposes to increase the minimum charge to 10p.

DEFRA wants to know if people agree with their assessment of the costs and benefits of these proposals and how the impacts of change will be measured.

this consultation is open until 22nd February on  https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environmental-quality/extending-the-single-use-bags-charge/

Consultation on protecting trees and woodland

DEFRA proposes  four new measures designed to increase transparency and accountability in the process of felling street trees and to strengthen the Forestry Commission’s power to tackle illegal tree felling.

Two of the measures introduce new duties on local authorities: a duty to consult on the felling of street trees and a duty to report on tree felling and replanting.

A third policy suggests the production of best practice guidance to support local authorities in drawing up, consulting on and publishing a Tree and Woodland Strategy.

The fourth measure is intended to give the Forestry Commission more powers to tackle illegal tree felling and strengthen protection of wooded landscapes.  

This consultation seeks views on these measures and their implementation and is open until 28th February

https://consult.defra.gov.uk/forestry/protecting-trees-and-woodlands/

If you don’t want to read the whole document, then perhaps make representations through the woodland trust website that has a suggested set of responses to some of the issues  https://campaigns.woodlandtrust.org.uk/page/36795/action/1?utm_campaign=2282329_B04_12624_Jan19Campaigning_190115&utm_medium=email&utm_source=woodlandtrust&dm_i=2D76,1CX21,8ZNDLA,4G981,1

Reading & Caversham Flood Scheme Drop in event on 6th December

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The Environment Agency is investigating options to reduce flood risk in north Reading and Lower Caversham.

Flooding in this area affects homes, businesses, utilities and a number of busy roads for long periods of time. We have been investigating a number of options, most of which include building flood walls and embankments.

The Environment Egency are inviting the residents to come to a drop-in on Thursday 6 December from 2.30pm to 7.30pm

Caversham Baptist Church, South Street, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8HY

Government Consultation on Household waste duty of care: updating the guidance

The Duty of Care is the requirement for the producers of waste to take adequate care about disposal, such as not choosing a cheap contractor who will dump it in the countryside, or describing the waste wrongly.

This consultation is seeking views on the updated guidance for householders and new guidance for local authorities on meeting and enforcing the duty of care for waste

Closes 28th August 2018

https://www.gov.uk/government

Government Consultation on The future for small-scale low-carbon generation

This seeks to identify the challenges and opportunities from small-scale low carbon electricity generation in contributing to government’s objectives for clean, affordable, secure and flexible power. It also seeks information on the role for government and the private sector in overcoming these challenges and realising these opportunities.

This call for evidence is aimed at individuals and groups with any interest in the small scale low carbon industry. In particular the government is seeking views from affected individuals, energy suppliers, and industry, including manufacturers suppliers and installers.

Consultation closes 30th August

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-for-small-scale-low-carbon-generation-a-call-for-evidence

Reading & Caversham flood scheme consultation

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Map showing Proposed flood alleviation scheme for Reading and Caversham (option 3)

 

The Environment Agency has just finished a consultation on a proposed flood alleviation scheme for Reading and Caversham. This finished on the 26th July but you can view the plans here:

 

The website describes what happens next:

The Environment Agency will consider all of the following information and use it together to make a decision on which, if any of the options we will take forward.

  • Landowners wishes, as shared through results of this consultation, feedback from individual meetings and feedback from the landowner drop-in held on the 26 June 2018.
  • Public views, as shown by the results of this consultation and feedback gathered at our public drop-ins.
  • Planning application requirements and recommendations.
  • Technical restrictions. When we develop the detail of the design we may discover physical restrictions that have not shown up during our initial investigations, these could include space available for construction, size of foundations required, archaeological findings, endangered species, to name a few. Any such findings could mean that we have to change the detail of the option or even consider a different, previously discounted option.
  • Cost of the proposal and funding available. The project would be partly funded by central government, but there is still a need to find more funding, for example from organisations and businesses that will benefit.
  • The time it will take to design, build and construct
  • Maintenance. We would need to agree who would be responsible for maintaining any new structures before putting a new structure in place.
  • Wildlife and landscape. If we develop an option then wildlife and landscape will be taken into consideration, and where possible we will look to improve landscape and habitat. We will always mitigate for any habitat and species that has been unavoidably impacted as a result of work we do to reduce flooding.

 

There is an opportunity here to take advantage of some of the £2.8 billion that the government has made available for flood alleviation, between now and 2021. All schemes will need to be partnership funded though so we will need to raise money to make this happen.

Hopefully, we can get the consultants to model the impacts of climate change on future River Thames floods. We do expect floods to be bigger and more frequent in the future so it is important that we prepare. It is not just people’s houses and businesses that will be affected in a big flood: notice that both Caversham and Reading bridges could be affected, which would have knock-on affects for many people trying to live and work in the town.

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