Not enough emphasis on nature and environment
From "Corporate Strategy"
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The commitment to protecting/enhancing the coastal environment is welcomed however, the strategy does not place enough emphasis on the following:
biodiversity enhancement and nature recovery across the borough. Most of the deprived areas of the borough are more than 20 minutes walk from the coast. As much emphasis need to be place on the urban environments and protection and enhancement of the rural areas in the north of the borough.
More emphasis should be placed on enhancing the design quality of the urban environments and seeking above 10% biodiversity net gain
The climate agenda is not ambitious enough. The Council should be seeking to achieving net zero in its own operations in the next few years, leading the way to achieving net zero across the borough well before 2050
The borough should not be seeking to accommodate growth in areas of the borough that will be subject to increased flooding over the next 100 years. Increasing the amount of development in flood risk areas to meet short term national targets is misguided and will be incredibly expensive. Better to located development in areas that are not predicted to be lost to rising sea levels or will need defending.
Growth should be sustainable and high quality. Pursuing growth at the expense of placemaking is short sighted and will result in a deterioration and loss of the attractive features of the area. New developments should be adding to the quality of place across the borough. Growth, but it needs to be good, if not excellent.
The Corporate strategy should/must reference and fight for the improvement of the quality of water in Langstone and Chichester Harbours. The number of times I have been in the harbour and seen raw sewage floating past. It is disgusting and the Council should be committed to placing enormous pressure on the water companies itself and via Central Government to cease the discharges.
The Council's corporate plan should be looking at how it can help to attract younger people and families to the borough.
