Problems of Achieving Local Environmental Justice:

“Acting locally”

Seminar given by:Emily Shirley (emilyeshirley@hotmail.co.uk)Geoff Meaden (geoff.meaden@gmail.com)

12 November 2013Eliot College

University of Kent

General underlying causes of local environmental planning problems:

• Financial needs (limited funding),• political strategies or benefits,• corporate strength and/or lobbying,• competitive pressures,• demands for economic growth,• limited temporal aspirations (short-sightedness),• general lack of vision or ignorance,• privatisation.

Selected local environmental problems

• Relocation of Canterbury College.• Sainsbury’s development in Hythe.• Chinagate plans in Thanet.• Lydd airport expansion on Romney Marsh.• Kingsmead playing field, St Stephen’s.• Air pollution in Canterbury.• Fracking in East Kent.• Canterbury District Local PlanAll of the above contributing to a higher carbon footprint, loss of biodiversity, greater water scarcity and flooding, loss of farmland , air pollution, etc…

Specific perceived “barriers” to achieving local environmental justice:

• Council officers take advantage of inside knowledge (Local Plan)• Financial arrangements with developers(Local Plan, Fracking)• Councillors have no interest in local area (Kingsmead)• Only direct planning issues can be considered (Chinagate, Lydd)• Presumption in favour of development (Local Plan, Lydd)• Ignoring development briefs (Kingsmead, Sainsburys)• Skewing of consultants reports (Local Plan)• Government actions and decisions are confidential (Kingsmead)• No enforcement of completed planning applications (Kingsmead)• Lack of local consultation (Cant College, Fracking, Chinagate)

Specific perceived “barriers” to achieving local environmental justice (cont):

• Targets are ignored or changed (Air pollution)• Decision making by an Executive committee (Kingsmead)• The democratic deficit in local government (All)• Financial incentives to build or develop (Local Plan, Fracking)• A reduction in the number of city councillors (All future plans)• Economic growth at the core of government thinking (All......)• Etc

Possible solutions to solving local environmental problems

• Improving our democratic system.• Strict controls on lobbying.• Large corporations barred from lobbying and giving

donations to parties.• Create a Monopolies Commission with teeth.• Abolish “bribery” of local authorities by central

government. • Strengthen local government by abolishing

unaccountable Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Aarhus Convention and Democracy

• Democratic and environmental tool.• KECN has submitted a Communication to the Aarhus

Convention Compliance Committee.• Aarhus Convention is commonly argued in the UK

and European Courts.• Push for political debate - recent Paxman and Bland

interview could assist.

Climate change and why only the law can save us now!

• Government is failing to act quickly or adequately. • What is being done in the US.• Bringing legal cases against the fossil fuel companies,

i.e. Feasta and Urgenda.• Kent County Council.• 4th Carbon Budget - Climate Change Committee

created under the Climate Change Act (2008) - review climate policy and targets.

Water Resource Problem

• Lack of integration of water policy in UK.• Example of Thames Water Limited.• Working towards changing the system from within.• Legal action likely.• Grass root action of not paying water bills perhaps

the only real way forward - Occupy Movement.