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Actively engaging communities in the development
and implementation of successful environmental strategies
and projects is essential in creating better neighbourhoods.
Local councillors have played a key role throughout 2003/04
in identifying areas where the Rural Sewerage Scheme is
most needed. And the enthusiasm and active participation
of local communities has been central to the success of
the Comhairle’s Recycling Initiative.
Key Achievements
- Working in partnership with
Scottish Water and SEPA, the Comhairle approved plans
for the introduction of
a Rural
Sewerage Initiative aimed at providing rural communities
in the Western Isles with public sewerage schemes
that would utilise effective and innovative waste management
techniques. After completion, the schemes will
be adopted
by Scottish Water.
- Community Safety finance was
used to support a successful seminar on forklift safety
at work and also to
fund an initiative on dog fouling which will go
into enforcement
phase during 2004/05.
- A £15m bid was submitted
to the Heritage Lottery Fund to finance improvements
to Stornoway town.
If successful, the conservation work will be phased
over a five-year period,
enhancing many of the town’s historic buildings.
- 2003/04
saw the completion of a consultancy project aimed
at providing better design guidance for the
building trade in the Western Isles.
- To prepare local
businesses for the introduction of
new EU Food Hygiene Regulations in 2006, the
Comhairle, in
partnership with Western Isles Enterprise, provided
specialised training for 200 people in the principles
of Hazard Analysis
at Critical Control Points.
Looking Ahead
A strong commitment to recycling
initiatives and successful waste management procedures
saw the Comhairle make
a bid for substantial funds from the Scottish Executive’s
Strategic Waste Fund in 2003/04. If the bid is
successful, the cash injection will be used to
extend current
recycling initiatives, improve recovery processes
and reduce reliance
on landfill options.
Using the findings of the
building design consultancy project, the Comhairle
is developing a website
which will make good
building design guidance available to the public
and to contractors in the building trade.
The
Comhairle will continue to support local business as
they prepare for the introduction
of EU Food
Hygiene Regulations
in 2006 by providing specialised training at
point of need.
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