Our network meeting on 15th heard that following further work by councillors and participants in the Sustainable Shaftesbury Working Group, the next full town council meeting (7pm, 20th February) will consider a Vision statement/Masterplan and Action Plan - their response to the climate & nature emergency. A number of us plan to attend to hear their discussion. The meeting agenda is online LINK.
The Action Plan details current and proposed projects of the town council as well as further ideas that could be explored by the council or others. The ideas below generated enthusiasm at our meeting - could we tap into the expertise of individuals or groups in our network to incubate these in some way?
Implement a land mapping exercise for Shaftesbury & surrounding area to detail land use, area, ownership and other key information with the potential to identify opportunities and trade-offs for energy, nature, food, connectivity and other uses.
Support the council in improved land management and natural area maintenance to ensure that the philosophy that underpins (updated) management plans is embedded in the activities undertaken by staff and contractors.
Explore alternative local transport solutions to reducing car use such as car club, cycle taxis (eg. tuk tuk), electric shuttle bus, scooters.
Build support for a community climate resource space (hub) to encompass information on energy, recycling, repairs, sharing tools etc. For inspiration see https://weymouthclimatehub.com/
Promote sustainable local food producers, outlets and consumption, linking to the Wellness programme and food poverty initiatives. (Much of the relevant information was compiled during 2023 and this links to the Dorset-wide discussion of Sustainable Food Places - see below.)
Support the creation of a community interest company (CIC) to produce clean energy with profits used to benefit the community (eg. insulation retrofitting or PV installations).
Planet Shaftesbury newsletter, noticeboard & website: we agreed to refresh the website, updating or archiving project information where appropriate. The intention is to ensure that we are accessible online and that participants in the network remain connected through the newsletter - all with minimal effort. To provide updated text for project pages or details of events for the website; information for the newsletter; or posters for display on the noticeboard (in Swans Yard) please email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com.
