Green plans ahead

When we ask people what they love about where they live, responses often reflect on this area’s natural landscape. Walks around local parks, visiting cultural, historic and arts places or participating – in one way or another - in sports activities. We recognise that we’re incredibly lucky to have such a huge range of green places to visit.

Protecting and enhancing our natural environment is a critical element of the South East Midlands’ Local Industrial Strategy. This new strategy is a framework that sets out local priorities to determine how this area can best support growth, in a way that helps our businesses to succeed, our communities to prosper and our local environment to flourish - in equal measure.

The ambition is for this area to be a national green beacon in our efforts to pursue strong business growth and sustainability in tandem.

To do this SEMLEP, the partnership that brings together national government, local civic leaders, business, academia and the voluntary sector to promote inclusive growth, is committed to putting our environment at the forefront of growth investment and development. And, as our area is forecast to grow at the fastest pace than any other area in England, it’s right that this is a priority. We are in a strong position to achieve success.

Achieving the ambition

This area already has significant industry expertise and clusters that are pursuing new technologies for greener vehicles. We have exemplar developments at Kingsbrook in Aylesbury and Tresham Garden Village in East Northamptonshire and Etopia Corby. We have leading energy parks in Kettering and at Chelveston in Wellingborough. By bringing this together as the guide, we can create the blueprints for future places. They will be fuelled by renewable energy, smart and connected transport solutions and greener vehicles, more efficient buildings and high-quality design principles. And, they will have inclusivity and things residents love most about this area, at the heart.

Do you want to know more?

On 13 November, SEMLEP will be bringing people together to talk about how we will take this from an ambition to reality.  As part of the SEMLEP Annual General Meeting, guests will be joined by Nicola Yates, Chief Executive at the Connected Places Catapult, Sam Goodall, Head of International Projects at Cambridgeshire CleanTech, and Michael Coppleston, Head of Land at RSPB, three key SEMLEP partners. 

The SEMLEP AGM is your opportunity to ask questions about these plans, the partnership that will deliver them and how local business and residents can get involved.

During the official business at the meeting, representatives from SEMLEP’s Board will be available to answer questions about the South East Midlands’ Local Industrial Strategy priorities, SEMLEP’s work programme and investments made. The Board panel will include SEMLEP’s Chair, Peter Horrocks CBE, Deputy Chairs Cllr Richard Wenham, from Central Bedfordshire Council and Private Sector Board Director Mary Clarke, Chair of SEMLEP’s Finance, Risk and Audit Committee, Jon Corbett, and from the executive team Hilary Chipping, Chief Executive and Judith Barker, Director of Programmes and Governance.

To register to attend, click here.

SEMLEP area residents who are unable to attend the event are encouraged to submit questions to the SEMLEP Board. This can be done in advance via SEMLEP’s website or during the event at www.slido.com, using the code #SEMLEPAGM2019.