Thanks to Rob, Jon, Susana, Pete, Paul and Karen, for their inspiring and informative presentations.

Thanks to Melodie, Mo, Vicki and all the anonymous washers-up and everyone who helped clear up at the end, for ensuring the day worked.

It was agreed that more meetings would be welcome. The next few meetings will be much shorter and held on weekday evenings.  Planning the first one is already underway.

The online forum will finally be launched: please contact me (Paige) via this website if you would like to join in.  Our first topic will be what we think ‘sustainable development’ means.

I will start writing up the proceedings of Saturday the 9th as soon as some other urgent tasks are out of the way!

Thanks to everyone who came and contributed their ideas, experiences and aspirations.

One Planet Living is based on two well established facts:

1.  We have only one planet.

2.  We are living globally as if we had more than one planet.  In the UK we are splurging away the equivalent of 3 planets.

Here’s a very short, energy boosting video from the UN Environment Programme about One Planet Living, an interview with Pooran Desai.

We will be using the concept and the 10 principles for our workshop on the 9th. Check out our resources page.

We will be working on some of the key issues that emerged in February.  In particular:

•  developing a consensus on a vision of sustainability, by looking in greater depth at best practice wherever we can find it;
•  beginning to unpack issues around affordable access to housing and land so that you don’t necessarily have  to be wealthy to be sustainable and resilient;
•  learning about local initiatives that need support;
•  getting a huge dose of inspiration from Paul Wimbush of the Lammas Eco-Village project (www.lammas.org.uk);
•  testing how our visions could be realised if we were the planners.

The event runs from 9:30am to 4pm.  There will be a charge of £6.  If you are interested please get in touch now.

Thanks for your hard work and excellent contributions on Saturday.  Karen and I are busy processing the notes etc and will be contacting you soon.  We will also be expanding the website as a resource for the next steps.

best wishes

Paige

A day-long planning workshop – 12th February 2011 in Hereford, 9.30am – 5pm

Please note: If you are thinking of coming to this workshop, please do book a place or at least send us an email expressing interest – there is a strict numbers limit for the venue and we will have to prioritise those who book.

You might not think you’re interested in planning … but if you’re interested in Herefordshire’s local jobs and industries, in where houses are built, in how we travel, in where we source our energy from and what we do with our waste - then you probably are!

Or over the last few years you may have been involved with responding to the various stages of the county’s Local Development Framework, ‘Shaping our Place 2026′.

And you may be wondering what’s next, given major changes in national planning system law.

If so, Sustainability and Resilience for Herefordshire may be of use to you.

A group of local and regional organisations will be holding a one-day workshop on planning for a sustainable and resilient Herefordshire on Saturday 12th February 2011 at the Shire Hall, Hereford.

This intensive workshop will explore how local people in Herefordshire can influence and shape the statutory planning processes in the county and how they can ensure that sustainability and resilience are embedded in future plans.

The day is designed enable ordinary citizens to get involved in planning the long-term social, environmental and economic wellbeing of Herefordshire and its people.

The workshop will include:

• expert input from the Town and Country Planning Association with a special focus on the implications of changes to the planning system under the new Decentralisation and Localism Bill – contributed by Dr Hugh Ellis, the TCPA’s Chief Planner and well known for inspiring people to see why planning matters and what they can do.

• economic localisation skills from Localise West Midlands

• coverage of key (and contentious) planning issues in Herefordshire, with contributions from the local community.

The aims of the workshop are to:

1. skill people up to influence the next stages of the local plan process, using an evidence based approach and taking into account the latest developments in both the local and the national planning system and

2. explore how alternative, community-led approaches grounded in sustainability and resilience might be advanced, including using the new neighbourhood planning ideas in the new planning system.

A small charge of £10 will be payable to contribute towards event costs, but this can be waived if it is unaffordable for anyone.

There will be an optional follow-up meeting to take the results further for those interested in working together on both engagement in the LDF process and on planning for positive alternatives.

We advise early booking for this event.  Please use the booking form on this website if you are interested.

The event is organised by Herefordshire Friends of the Earth, Herefordshire in Transition Alliance, Localise West Midlands with the support of the Hereford Civic Society.   Other local organisations and the TCPA have been involved in a wider advisory group.