Conserving, enhancing and raising awareness of the Borough's natural assets, historic buildings, archaeological assets and its distinctiveness and biodiversity through education and the development of efficient and sustainable methods of using resources.

We all depend on our environment - it provides the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land on which we grow our food - without it we cannot survive. That is why it is so important to look after our environment, locally, nationally and globally both for ourselves and for generations to come.

However, there are many and various pressures on our environment and it will be vital, although far from easy, to strike a balance between conflicting interests. We will consider environmental, economic and social needs together, each being considered as important as the other. However, in some circumstances, social and economic needs will take precedence over environmental issues. In others, particularly when aspects of the environment which are of most value are concerned, the needs of the environment will take priority. This approach is vital to ensure that our actions are sustainable in the longer term.

Protecting our environment is the responsibility of all of us - we all have a major responsibility to care for and enhance our local and global environment and there are many actions that we all can take to safeguard and improve it. We must make every effort to ensure that the quality of the environment which we pass on to future generations is no worse, and is preferably better, than that which we currently enjoy.

This section is divided into five topic areas:

Building and Conservation

Shrewsbury has a rich heritage, with many buildings of historic interest. Unfortunately many people take this heritage for granted and do not realise that some of these buildings are at risk, not least because of the high cost of maintaining them. The impact of traffic is also having a detrimental impact on the historic townscape.

It is vital, therefore, that we find new uses for old buildings, particularly those of historic interest. However, in addition to protecting what we have, new facilities are needed to make Shrewsbury a vibrant place where people choose to stay or aspire to move to.

Whilst we recognise that we all have a major responsibility in safeguarding the natural environment, communities also have particular needs with regard to housing, jobs and other services and facilities which we will need to address. The challenge will be to minimise any detrimental effects that new buildings to meet these needs might have on the environment and where possible use this as an opportunity to enhance it. We aim to do this by maximising the use of previously developed land (brownfield sites) and minimising the use of open countryside (greenfield sites) and in order to achieve this we will need to identify and treat land contaminated by previous uses. This approach will allow us to support urban regeneration at the same time as protecting the countryside. Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council's Local Plan will provide the structure to allow this to happen and in real terms this will mean that the main focus of development will be on Shrewsbury itself.

We also recognise, however, that housing can have an impact on health, educational attainment, employment and many other quality of life issues, as well as the environment. Accordingly, the housing strategy includes appropriate links to other important plans such as the health improvement programme and the community safety strategy.

Climate change predictions suggest that rainfall in the West Midlands will increase substantially, leading to more storms and flooding events. Not only does this impact on individuals and businesses, but the very infrastructure of the Borough may be undermined - roads, bridges, drainage systems and retaining structures. Given that Shrewsbury and many of the surrounding rural areas have been badly affected by flooding in recent years, this is an issue of major concern.

Energy

Most of us consume too much energy, so we need to persuade people to use less. Much of this will focus on raising awareness about the practical steps that can be taken and the benefits that these can have for us as individuals. For example, by insulating our homes (a relatively cheap and simple measure) we will feel more comfortable and can significantly reduce our fuel bills. This sort of measure is particularly important, as buildings are the major consumers of energy in the UK.

New development should be designed with energy efficiency in mind. The building regulations set out minimum requirements for the energy rating of new buildings based on calculated annual energy costs for space and water heating. This is known as the standard assessment procedure (SAP) rating. We must encourage developers to exceed these ratings wherever possible.

Government targets on energy production and efficiency are likely to become ever more stringent. By 2010 the current target is that 10% of the UK's electricity should be produced from renewable resources such as wind, sun, water or woodburning. In the West Midlands, the amount is currently 3%. It is obvious that a lot remains to be done.

Transport is another major consumer of energy, so we also need to concentrate our efforts on this issue, for example by trying to reduce the use of private cars and encourage the use of alternative fuels. As motor vehicles are recognised as a major source of air pollution (and noise), we need to increase our efforts to minimise traffic, particularly in and around the town centre. If we do nothing and the forecasts for traffic growth are correct, then it is almost inevitable that air quality will become poorer. However, motor vehicles are not the sole polluters of our environment - we need to place a greater emphasis on the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions across the board.

Resources and Waste

Although there is a constant demand for the use of our natural resources, whether from mineral extraction or water use, we must remember that such resources are not infinite. In addition, their extraction can have a detrimental affect on the local environment - mineral extraction can be noisy, dusty and necessitate the use of heavy traffic, for example. It is important, therefore, that we conserve our natural resources, wherever possible, and minimise the impact of extraction where it does occur.

Water resources are also under threat both from over abstraction and pollution. The quality of water in this area is generally good with many of the rivers providing valuable wildlife habitats and water supplies. However, pollution problems still exist which need to be addressed. We must also try to minimise our use of water resources wherever possible to ensure future supplies.

To achieve these objectives we must implement the three Rs - reducing, re-using and recycling. We must reduce our use of natural resources - excess packaging is a good example. We must re-use products wherever possible through repair and refurbishment. Then, when products have finally ended their useful life, we must recycle them, using the materials to make other products. In addition to conserving natural resources, this approach will minimise waste.

The European Union and British Government have set stringent targets to reduce the amount of waste disposed of in landfill sites over the next two decades. By 2010 the target is to reduce the use of landfill by 25%, by 2013 that rises to 50% and by 2020 it's 65%. Part of the solution will be to increase recycling and composting (by at least 5% each year until 2005). We also need to consider the impact of inappropriate disposal of waste by individuals (e.g. dropping litter or abandoning unwanted vehicles).

Transport

Accessibility to jobs and essential day to day services and facilities can be a major problem for those who don't have the use of a car at all times, particularly (but not exclusively) for people in rural areas. This more often applies to those on low incomes, women, the young, the old and people with disabilities and can contribute to social exclusion.

We must look at ways of improving access through the innovative use of a range of modes of transport. The benefits of this approach will go beyond improving the lives of those without access to a private car. If we can also persuade people who do have access to a private car to use these services, then we can reduce the amount of traffic on our roads (which will have economic, environmental and social benefits). Public transport can provide part of the solution, but unfortunately, at the present time access to public transport is far from universal. For instance, there is a total absence of bus services in 18% of the Borough's rural parishes. Improved bus services are not the only answer, however. We must also look at ways to increase the use of the railway system (both for passengers and freight) by a greater integration between road and rail. Community transport initiatives are another vital element in providing transport solutions. We could also encourage cycling by providing safer routes with more cycle parking available.

However, the definition of accessibility is inevitably a very subjective issue. It will not be possible to satisfy every individual's needs in the precise way that they would find most convenient. Nonetheless, we must try to find a broad balance of the many (sometimes conflicting) needs of our communities.

Businesses also have a key role to play in reducing the amount of traffic on our roads, as getting to work and business meetings are a major source of travel by private car. This could be reduced if businesses adopted flexible approaches to travel (e.g. by providing showers for those employees who want to cycle to work); by encouraging vehicle sharing; by increasing the use of video-conferencing facilities (by 2002 video conferencing will be available in all key libraries) and by making more use of information and communications technology (ICT) to enable their employees to work from home. Tele-working is, in fact, already on the increase. In 1998 only 2.5% of UK workforce worked from home, now approximately 25% of the workforce carries out some work from home. Businesses could also look at switching their freight traffic from road to rail.

To underpin all these initiatives, we will need to provide better information about the different travel options available. But improving access to transport is only part of the solution. We must also look at measures to reduce the need to travel, such as providing services locally, locating new development in areas that are accessible by means other than the private car and joining existing services together to make them more viable. Some businesses could reduce the need for transport by sourcing and selling their products more locally.

Local initiatives, however, are only part of the picture. We must also work with those looking for solutions to our transport problems at a regional and national level.

Wildlife and Landscape

Within the Borough, we are lucky enough to have a high quality natural environment, indeed part of the Borough is within the Shropshire Hills area of outstanding natural beauty. We also have a host of regionally and nationally important wildlife sites. These features, together with the River Severn which runs through the heart of the Borough and the land management practices associated largely with agriculture, combine to create a sense of local distinctiveness. They have also contributed to the area's biodiversity - the range of species and habitat types that are present.

We must conserve the natural environment wherever possible to ensure that the biodiversity of the Borough is maintained and the area remains an attractive place to live, work and visit. However, rural communities also have particular needs with regard to housing, employment opportunities and local facilities which we need to address and take into account when making decisions. These issues do not solely apply to countryside areas though. Many of the open spaces within Shrewsbury provide important wildlife habitats, contribute to the townscape and are valuable recreational facilities. Some also provide vital flood storage areas.

Climate change will have a major effect on the landscape, plants and animals. By 2080 it is predicated that temperature in the West Midlands will rise by 3.2°C, winter rainfall will increase by 30% and summer rainfall fall. Floods and storm events are likely to increase, so many agricultural practices may need to adapt. The result of this is that the range of wildlife species will move 50-70 miles further north and biodiversity will decline.

These are major threats to our wildlife and the landscape.

These are rather arbitrary divisions, however, as many of these topics relate to one another and many relate to topics in other sections. How we dispose of waste or produce energy impacts on the quality of our environment and Shropshire's wildlife and landscape can be directly related to tourism (which is contained within the section on economic wellbeing), for example. Transport, in particular, is a topic that cuts across all aspects of this community strategy, having a direct impact on our social and economic, as well as environmental wellbeing.

How we identified the Important Issues

Initially many of the key issues were identified from meetings of the Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Topic Groups, the results being put before the Community Strategy steering group and its environmental wellbeing sub-group. Key issues were also identified from existing plans and strategies (a full list is available at appendix 2). The draft report was then presented to Councillors, with feedback incorporated before circulation to a broad, inclusive mix of stakeholders, including community groups and organisations that were invited to comment. Copies of the Community Strategy were circulated to members of the public for comment at the Shrewsbury Conference and other events and meetings. Further sub-group and steering group meetings were then held to finalise the Strategy.