Sustainable Communities

In order for me to compare my hometown with a sustainable community, the definition of what a sustainable community is needs to be considered and why it was introduced by the former government. In 2003, former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was ‘determined to put an end to poor housing and bad landlords, to deliver more affordable housing especially for key workers and young families, and to develop new sustainable communities in regions of high demand.’ (Sustainable communities: building for the future, Pg. 5) The UK needs more and better housing to accommodate the needs of existing citizens and for the future generations.  As well as building better, efficient and economical houses the government believes that a range of other facilities, such as schools, health centres, parks and shops are needed to create a carbon efficient community.

What makes a sustainable community?

• A mixture of different housing types for instance, shape and size that people can afford.
•  Good public transport and links to other regional areas.
•  High quality local public services for example, health care, education, shops and community centres.
• A range of employment opportunities and a good local economy to enable job prospects and wealth for citizens in the community.
• A safe open public environment, such as parks that allow citizens to interact with others whilst feeling secure.
•  Have the right and ability to have a say on how the neighbourhood is run.
• A good effective relationship between the community, local government and businesses.

I recently moved to Northampton from my hometown of Whaplode. My house back home is located within the ward Whaplode and Holbeach St. Johns, which is located in the centre of South Holland. Running through this ward is the A151 going from Spalding to Holbeach. The lower layer super output area for this location is South Holland 004D. This is the area I will be comparing to a sustainable community, such as Upton. 

In my neighbourhood there are a total of 1,457 people, 697 are male and 760 are female. Statistics from the 2001 Census states that 81.8% of this population is Christians, less than 1% is Jewish, Sikh and Buddhist, 11.4% stated no religion and 5.9% did not specify a religion. Many would believe that a community with the majority being Christians would produce a place of identity or sense of belonging however; this does not comply with the government’s plan to create sustainable communities. Professor Peter Latchford said ‘a community is not a category of people with the same racial heritage, religion or sexual orientation.’ (www.urbanliving.org.uk pg. 3) A community that accommodates citizens from various backgrounds and experiences will produce a diverse community meaning that everyone will feel respected, valued and have a sense of belonging to the area.

The houses within this area are mainly bungalows and detached houses suited more towards parents whose children have grown up and left home. In this area 40.5% of the houses are owned outright, 37.6% are owned with a mortgage, 0.5% is shared ownership, 13.1% are social rented and 8.4% are privately rented. (Whaplode and Holbeach St. Johns Ward Profile, Pg. 3)

In my local area you will find two local shops, a park for young children, two pubs, a village hall, two petrol stations, a bicycle shop and a primary school. In relation to the definition of ‘what makes a sustainable community’ I believe that Whaplode meets some of these requirements. The area may not have a doctor’s surgery, a secondary school or leisure facilities but is on a direct bus route. The bus service runs every half hour therefore, makes commuting to other areas easy. The bus service enables citizens of Whaplode access to a leisure centre with a swimming pool, various secondary schools offering different employment opportunities to suit the needs of individuals, several doctor’s surgeries, public libraries, a cinema and other parks. Also, a short walk away from the bus station in Spalding there is a train station, which allows citizens to go to cities such as Lincoln and Peterborough. 

In 2008, a Place Survey was conducted to assess what local residents thought about services and facilities in their neighbourhood and if there was any local issues. The most important issue in the area was the provision of health services and the level of activities for teenagers was seen as the most in need of improvement. 77.6% of residents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their immediate area as a place to live and 62.5% felt they belonged to their immediate neighbourhood. (Whaplode and Holbeach St. Johns Ward Profile, Pg. 2)

Considering all these points I believe that Whaplode has good transport services that everyone can access, good quality education systems and training opportunities within a short distance, good effective relationships with each other and outside groups and a variety of different houses. However, you could argue that although there are a variety of different houses the area does not account to the needs of some individuals for example, families and young people. In relation to local job opportunities the area has very few businesses to offer job prospects within the community. 

References

• Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2003) ‘Sustainable communities: building for the future’ (Online) Available from: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/146289.pdf (Accessed 10/11/10)
• Sholland.gov.uk (2010) ‘Whaplode and Holbeach St. Johns Ward Profile’ (Online) Available from: http://www.sholland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B06318F8-D397-415E-A1F4-3314CFC6C6FC/0/WhaplodeandHolbeachStJohnsWardProfile2010.pdf (Accessed on 10/11/10)
• Urban Living (2008) ‘Sustainable communities: An overused buzzword or the key to delivering community cohesion in Birmingham?’ (Online) Available from: http://www.urbanliving.org.uk/downloads/25June08F.pdf (Accessed on 10/11/10)