Sustainability in Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is one of the local authority areas of Wales and is the 8th most populous. They have implemented various strategies and plans to resolve the issues of sustainability. The word ‘sustainable’ also has many different meanings; it can be referred to as giving support or relief, supplying with sustenance and nourishment, and causing something to continue and prolong. All of these relate to continuity, such as ‘prolonging’. The word ‘sustainable’ is also known to be positive, which is why many councils, such as Neath, are now trying their best for local areas to become as sustainable as possible and to be known as ‘desirable’.
There are also key concepts of sustainability that need to be taken into consideration: social progress that will recognise the needs of everyone, effective protection of the environment including wildlife, using natural resources, maintaining high levels of economic growth, and providing local employment.
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The Neath Port Talbot area stretches from the coast to the Brecon Beacons National Park. The upland areas are cut by five valleys, including the Vale of Neath, Dulais Valley, Afan Valley, Swansea Valley, and the Upper Amman Valley. The largest town in Neath has a population of 47,020, followed by Port Talbot with 35,633, altogether including all the separate towns.[2]
The Neath Port Talbot local authority planning officer has outlined that the plan will cover 2011-2026. The original plan has been altered numerous times since its publication date (September 2011). The Sustainability Appraisal considers how effectively the LDP addresses the sustainability issues within the Neath local authority. It is aimed at enhancing the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of people and the communities within it, allowing them to have a better quality of life for our generation and future ones. The main aims are to promote social justice and equality of opportunity, enhance the natural and cultural environment and respect its limits, use a reasonable share of the earth’s resources, and sustain the cultural legacy. Other aspects of the plan include protecting wildlife and countryside, allowing them to stay green and not become over polluted, and reducing the effects of climate change. If sea levels rise, local beaches in Swansea, such as Rhossili, will become threatened. A big aim is to reduce all types of pollution, including noise, air, and water. This means local communities that are strong and healthy can be improved by allowing better access to jobs and services while still reducing traffic and congestion in the area. Neath Port Talbot (2011) Sustainability Appraisal: LDP Pre-Deposit Plan Interim Report, Neath Port Talbot: Neath Council.
The Current Situation
The Neath Port Talbot county council consider sustainability one of their core principles. The council’s day-to-day activities focus around the principle of sustainability and how they can make Neath Port Talbot the most sustainable region in Wales. The Neath Port Talbot county council already have numerous schemes which have been implemented across the region to produce a more sustainable area in South Wales.
The Neath Port Talbot council monitor the quality of the air, land, and water in the county. They have a team dedicated to monitoring pollution in the Neath Port Talbot locality. Monitoring pollution is imperative for a more economically sustainable county. The council have developed a local air quality strategy with the key aim being "Air Wise - clean air for everybody," which sets out the council’s policy for achieving cleaner air within the whole community. It also links with the councils aims and values and in particular with those relating to "sustainable communities and environment" and the "prosperity for all," which includes improving air quality and regenerating those areas within the community with physical and old industrial environments. The strategy was originally developed in 2000. This plan was developed due to the fact that heavy industry which surrounded the area had temporarily destroyed the environment around Neath Port Talbot. This plan was key in regaining excellent air quality which in the future will improve the local communities and the future environment.
The council additionally monitor the quality of the water which surrounds the Neath Port Talbot area. High-quality bathing waters are important for a wide variety of interests and to support the local tourism industry. The beaches in the area are exceptionally popular during the summer months, which generates a vast amount of economic benefits for the area. By monitoring the water quality, it safeguards the environment and the tourism industry, making it environmentally and economically sustainable in the long run. Additionally, the council identifies and keeps a register of contaminated land use in the area to protect people who currently live there and those who will live there in the future. Once these contaminated areas have been identified, the council then carry out a clean-up operation of that specific area, ensuring that the region stays as environmentally friendly as possible, warranting their environmental sustainability. Another step in ensuring environmental sustainability is the new and improved recycling service implemented in July 2014. They aim to make it easier for households to recycle more materials at the kerbside more often. They implemented colour-coded boxes for different materials, known as recycle plus (+). The council drives to increase recycling by encouraging local communities to get involved. They have also introduced another sustainable scheme across small villages within the borough, known as "The Big Bin Swap," which encourages more people to switch to sorting waste into smaller wheelie bins in places where recycling rates are low. Replacing bins with 140-litre capacity guides locals into seeing the benefits to the environment and also the economy in recycling.
Socially, the Neath Port Talbot county council have implemented the Communities First Programme in the most deprived areas in their borough, which launched in 2002. They work to address the issues needed to improve the quality of life in the local area. Neath Port Talbot county council focus on four community clusters. They sought to support any activities which involve the local people and provide some measure of economic, environmental, social, or cultural benefits. There have since been many hundreds of projects which have all involved the native communities in the area.
Thinking about the future
Sustainability is one of the councils’ core principles and is specifically addressed in the Single Integrated Plan, which sets the framework for all of the councils functions and services. The main vision of this plan is creating a Neath Port Talbot where everyone has an equal opportunity to be healthier, happier, safer, and prosperous. The main principles include: • Early intervention • Collaboration and service integration • Community cohesion • Sustainable development – examining the impact of our work on people, communities, and natural resources in the area • Reducing poverty
The fundamental reason for the current stress on sustainability in the area and the drive for a better sustainable future is to protect the communities and environment present. The communities and environment are vital, yet most fragile, aspects of Neath Port Talbot. The development of the third sector to provide services for and within communities themselves will help strengthen the community’s capabilities. Additionally, improvements across all housing tenures are necessary to ensure that the communities maximize their full potential. However, the historic heavy industrial past has left the area with one of the highest per capita carbon footprints in the UK. There is a fundamental need to reduce their carbon footprint as far as possible by changing the way the residents are living while at the same time ensuring that they enhance the natural environment and protect future generations.
The local authority is stressing a great deal on the social aspects of sustainability and how sustainable development will affect the lives and culture of the dwellers. The protection of the Welsh language in the communities where the Welsh language is important is necessary in promoting social sustainable development for Neath Port Talbot, as it is a primarily Welsh language-driven area. The focus is also great on the support and funding involved. For instance, the local authority support and promote development of social enterprises and encourage third sector organisations to become grant independent and generate more income through trading and other sustainable income sources. This conveys the need to work more sustainably as well as live more sustainably.
Summary
"It needs to be remembered after all that sustainable development and sustainability were not originally intended as ‘economic’ terms. There were, and remain, essentially ethico-religious objectives, more like ‘social justice’ and ‘democracy’ than ‘economic growth’. And as such, their purpose or ‘use’ mainly to express key ideas about how society – including the economy – should be governed." [3] If the council do not focus and put sustainability as one of their main priorities then the whole climate change situation would get a lot worse, resulting in higher greenhouse gases affecting the environment. Sustainability is not a permanent stop to global warming but it does delay it, for example it delays the sea levels rising meaning cities on the coastal areas of the UK and others across the world will be less prone to the effects of flooding.
References
- ↑ Cloke, P. Crang, P. Goodwin, M. (2005) Introducing Human Geographies. Second Edition.
- ↑ Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. 2016. Sustainability Appraisal. Available at http://www.npt.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=6212 [Accessed02 March 16].
- ↑ Cloke, P. Crang, P. Goodwin, M. (2005) Introducing Human Geographies. Second Edition.
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