An Environmental Plan for the New City of Toronto: How to Make It ...

2.5.2 Process: Plan Development
The motivation for undertaking the sustainability audit was spurred by a recognition that
environmental issues need to be viewed in a holistic way and that quality of life needs to
be addressed if the environment is to be improved (Mullaney, pers.com.) Sustainability
is also supported politically at a high level - the new Labour government have introduced
legislation requiring that all local governments should promote social, environmental,
and economic well being (Mullaney, pers.com.). The UK has also developed “The
National Sustainability Indicators Project” which provides a set of sustainability
indicators that can be used by local authorities in the process of drawing up Local
Agenda 21 plans. (It should be noted that although there was national support for
indicator work, there is no national framework, policies or targets for action plans such
as LEAP) (County of Lancashire, 1999).
The community was a partner in the development of the Audit largely through
representation on the Lancashire Environmental Forum (comprised of representative
from 90 environmental groups across the county) with whom there was extensive
consultation in terms of identifying indicators and assessing progress towards
sustainable development. Input from groups not represented on the Forum (such as
youth) was sought through targeted questionnaires. However broad-based community
consultation was not undertaken.
2.5.3 Implementation
The issues raised by the Audit indicators will be addressed in revisions to the 1993
Lancashire Environmental Action Programme (LEAP). This Programme has a five year
time scale and contains goals (partnerships; global warming; reviving towns; cleaner air;
cleaner water; protecting land; reducing waste; conserving wildlife and countryside; and
raising awareness) and 200 proposals for action which will be undertaken by the
Environmental Forum organizations and the community. The next phase is to develop
the Local Agenda 21 Strategy through an appraisal of all the services performed by the
County in terms of social, economic environmental impacts (similar to an environemntal
management system but addressing sustainability) (Mullaney, pers.com.).
A number of positive environmental changes have occurred in the County of Lancashire
- however, it is difficult to know what is attributable to the sustainability audit and Local
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