What is the Future of Sustainable Communities?

• Supporting sustainable economic development
  
• Modern business communities – attracting higher skilled and socially responsible investors
  
• Reform of the Planning Bill
  
• The Housing and Regeneration Bill
  
• Developing a sustainable community strategy
  
• The role of the Third Sector in sustainable community development
  
• Local strategic partnerships and LAAs –mechanisms for sustainable change
  
• Local performance frameworks

Anne Power, Head, Housing and Communities, London School of Economics (CONFIRMED)

Leading the Delivery of Sustainable Communities

• The challenges we face today
  
• Our vision
  
• Delivering sustainability within your community
  
• A sustainable legacy
  

Lucy Darch, Senior Head of Energy Solutions, British Gas Community Energy (CONFIRMED)

Empowering Communities to Improve their Neighbourhoods

• A definition of local physical infrastructure?
  
• What are the drivers?
  
• The importance of galvanising communities, to build their social capital and capacity to respond to local challenges to transform places and society
  
• Delivering wider sustainable outcomes through integrated, area based retrofit programmes to deliver cost effective economic, environmental and social benefits
  
• Engaging communities to build stronger and cohesive societies and encourage people to make sustainable choices in their day-to-day lives
  
• Utilising resources for local benefit
  
• What are the barriers preventing an integrated, area based approach?
  
• Who could be involved in neighbourhood partnerships?
  
• How to unlock and access funding for your neighbourhoods partnerships – Green Investment Bank

Stewart Davies, Business Development Commissioner, Sustainable Development Commission (CONFIRMED)

Sustainable Blacon: Community Leadership of an Integrated Programme of Works

• The history of Blacon Community Trust (BCT)
  
• The role of Blacon Ltd – Taking forward the community’s aspiration of becoming a model sustainable urban community, with 20 per cent reduction in carbon emissions within 3 years
  
• How will it be achieved? Integrating energy, green space, transport and social enterprise to bring new life and investment into an area with significant deprivation
  
• Who’s in charge? Local residents, local authority representatives and experts in energy, green spaces and urban design
  
• Were one of the first communities selected in DECC’s low Carbon Communities Challenge
  
• Next Steps:
  
  • Engaging the community in energy efficiency through a programme of thermal image surveying delivered by volunteers and blacon high school
    
  • Improving green spaces
    
  • Improving cycling and walking infrastructure along with cycle training and maintenance courses
    
  • Establishing a new furniture re-use project – Diverting 74 tonnes of reusable furniture for landfill per annum
    

Ged Edwards, Chief Executive, Sustainable Blacon (CONFIRMED)

Building Sustainable Rural Communities

• What is the challenge for rural communities in building sustainable communities?
  
• Utilising the power of local people in planning and developing of communities
  
• Developing a planning system that is inclusive of all rural communities
  
• Ensuring any new development provides or facilitates a high density of jobs of affordable homes in the area
  
• Safeguarding the local environment through sensitive, thought out development plans
  
• The need for a completely fresh mind set regarding rural policy making
  
• Harnessing and support local business
  

Simon Hart MP, Former Chief Executive, Countryside Alliance and Conservatives (CONFIRMED)

Promoting and Protecting Local Sustainability

• The new Sustainable Communities Act Amendment Bill – Strengthening the original bill
  
• Creating transparency so citizens know how taxpayers money is spent and giving them a greater say over how it is spent
  
• Facilitating citizen involvement
  
• Ensuring local authorities use the act
  
• How will sustainable communities be funded in a new economic climate?
  
• New legislation which will facilitate community involvement and devolution of power to local authorities – Planning, transparency of spending
  

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods MP, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Balanced and Sustainable Communities Group, Labour (CONFIRMED)

A Long Term Vision for a Sustainable Community: London Borough of Hackney

• Hackney’s Sustainable Community Strategy 2008-2018 – Transforming the quality of public services, the environment and people’s lives
  
• Building on success: Reductions in infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and crime, increase in employment, and secured Hackney’s first proper link to the tube
  
• Issues still to address: Poverty and inequality and economic polarisation
  
• The Vision – Providing greater opportunity and prosperity for everyone through the creation of a green, cosmopolitan part of London with safe, strong and cohesive communities which embed fairness, citizenship and social responsibility at their heart
  
• Priorities:
  
  • Reduce poverty through sustainable employment
    
  • Improve skills and raise educational aspirations
    
  • Integrate communities through well designed neighbourhoods, with access to high quality affordable housing
    
  • Ensure citizens take pride in and take care of Hackney and its environment for future generations
    
• Progress to date
  
• Lessons to be learnt and shared
  

James Palmer, Head, Strategic Planning, London Borough of Hackney (CONFIRMED)

From Grey to Green

• What is Grey to Green?
  
• Utilising green infrastructure to help towns and cities adapt to climate change and improve public health
  
• Providing green routes to school and work
  
• What does green infrastructure offer? Support for biodiversity, a sustainable economy and cleaner air
  
• Providing job opportunities and the chance to upskill the current workforce
  
  

Peter Neal, Head of Public Space, Strategy and Design, CABE (CONFIRMED)

Realising the Benefits of Sustainable Transport for Sustainable Communities

• The carbon benefits of well-planned transport packages
  
• How carbon savings can still be achieved where a car-based culture and economy is important to local people and their agenda
  
• The pivotal role of local communities
• The impact of London's cycle hire scheme
  

Jessica Matthew, Deputy Director, Cycling and Sustainable Transport, Department for Transport (CONFIRMED)

Building a Lasting, Sustainable Legacy: The 2012 Olympics

• A lasting social, economic and environmental legacy
  
• The sustainable development objective areas
  
• Working with industry to achieve our objectives
  
• Green transportation
  
• Five key areas: waste, carbon, social and economic sustainability and commercial partnerships
  
• Sustainability in design and construction
  
• New skills and business opportunities
  
• Long term employment prospects
  
• A sustainable legacy
  

Shaun McCarthy, Chair, Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 (CONFIRMED)