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Our "Big Ideas"

To help achieve our six aims over the longer term, there are some ambitious projects that will be embarked upon to make a real difference:

 

 

 

A ‘Green County’ 

 

  • Creating innovative local solutions to environmental issues, with businesses at the forefront of this work.  Meeting future energy needs locally, conserving our water supplies, reducing waste and carbon dioxide levels and improving transport arrangements to reduce car use.

 

  • Conserving the county’s natural assets whilst making best use of them to meet our local needs: such as wind, water and solar power for energy, land for food production and our landscape as a ‘natural gym’ and a destination for tourists.

 

  • Encouraging local communities to become more self-sufficient, sourcing food locally, using waste and other renewable resources to generate energy and fuel for local use. Linking into the ‘Transition Towns Initiative'.

 

Solar Panels and clouds

Enabling existing communities to flourish and building new and prosperous ones

 

  • Joining up the plans for the predicted housing need and jobs.  Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater have been identified in regional plans as the areas where the growth will be centred.

 

  • Making Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater the “engine room” for the county’s continuing economic prosperity. Working with market towns and rural areas to spread this prosperity and increase their sustainability.

 

  • Ensuring that schools, roads, local shops and medical centres are in place. Also seeing growth as the opportunity to improve existing services and infrastructure to benefit everyone.

 

  • New communities are as sustainable as possible and designed to minimise the need for travel.

 

Builder at work

 

Somerset as the heart of culture for the South West

 

  • Somerset’s rich heritage and cultural life will help new communities become established and vibrant.

 

  • Our economy, education, social care and health and well being can all be improved through a better understanding of our local culture and the opportunities it provides.

 

  • Somerset is the location of choice for creative industries and a centre of excellence in cultural activity. 

 

Providing University Centres for Somerset 

 

  • Raising and meeting people’s aspirations for themselves and their children, through encouraging the desire for better skills within the county, its schools and colleges.

 

  • Providing a beacon for higher level learning and research across the county.

 

  • Focussing on those things that are important to Somerset’s economy, for example food and drink, tourism, the creative industries (media and new technologies), advanced engineering and environmental technology industries.

 

  • Providing the choice for young people to be able stay in Somerset and those from elsewhere to make Somerset a place of study and their home.

Students


Transforming communications

 

  • Supporting, encouraging and promoting a wider range of transport options so that more people are able to use their cars less.

 

  • Building on broadband connections to make best use of modern technologies as they become available.

 

  • Making information easily available to everyone, allowing them to take control and make decisions about all aspects of their lives.

 

Encouraging better lifestyles

 

  • Keeping skills within the community, seeing older people as a resource.

 

  • Helping individuals manage their own health and well being.

 

  • Encouraging people to use the ‘natural gym’ of Somerset to foster improved health and sense of wellbeing.

 

Working well together

 

  • Showing Somerset to be a good place to do business with an attractive environment, good schools, effective health services and access to major communication routes.

 

  • Working across sector and organisational boundaries to achieve things that we cannot do on our own and to manage the changes we see on the horizon.

 

  • Encouraging volunteering with its social and training benefits and widening the range of opportunities on offer.

Image of a helicopter

 

 

Back to Sustainable Community Strategy Our Vision for Somerset

 

Forward to Sustainable Community Strategy Our Aims

 

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