SOUTHAMPTON CITY COUNCIL’S GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND BIODOVERSITY STRATEGY CONSULTATIONS
FEEDBACK FROM GREEN NETWORK WORKSHOP 22 SEPTEMBER 2023
Southampton Green Network met on 22 September 2023, attended by 20 people from a range of Southampton’s community organisations (minutes are available).
Rebecca Kinge from Southampton Voluntary Services (SVS) asked attendees about their initial thoughts on what should be part of a Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity strategy for the city, to feed into the SVS consultation response. In a session which lasted 10 mins, people wrote down their key thoughts in respect of two questions on green strategy issues:
- What Matters to You?
- How Can Everyone Work Better Together?
People had the chance to discuss these in more detail over lunch at the end of the meeting.
People were also encouraged to submit a more detailed response of their own to the consultations.
Here are the responses, in no particular order.
What Matters to You? How Can Everyone Work Better Together?
Green space
Healthy Food to be more accessible to everyone
Clean air
Have frequent group and networking session, or a space for people to come together and talk and discuss about ideas
Easy access to a variety of green spaces
Combatting and reducing climate change
Green spaces are essential for wellbeing
To develop a culture where our younger generation take pride and care about green spaces
Use simple language and focus on engaging a larger audience, build awareness of green spaces
Engaging people who don’t currently care / understand
Helping people seeing a bit of unkempt as not ‘bad’, but realizing still need to manage the ‘wild’
Remember that we are a part of nature – not above it!
A habitable, equitable planet, full of biodiversity, everyone has a purpose * UBI [did the respondent mean Universal Basic Income?]
You can’t engage people who are struggling to cope with cost of living especially those in marginalised communities.
To support mental health through the city via gardening, providing a safe environment to either work or talk or both
Creating/maintaining green spaces.
Pollution free city
Tackling climate change/saving Island
Everyone needs to be near a real space where people grow things together
A citywide enablement of community composting schemes – a toolkit covering regulatory requirements so people can get started
Need to build trust
I believe the key is getting big organisation connect together; Southampton City Council, Southampton Voluntary Services, So:Linked, University of Southampton. Come together and show the same vision. From there, we can reach out to more people and small organisation / community
Building our natural flood defences e.g. at Chessel Bay, there is a natural barrier which is eroding rapidly, better to deal with this now rather than wailing until we have to build a sea wall to protect the railway with consequent loss of biodiversity
Key smaller stakeholder group to feedback first.
Make info accessible and transparent so all information can be accessed.
Linked with sustainability and climate change strategy for the education and children’s services
Link with the National Education Parks projects (schools and education)
Connect with “Learning through Landscapes” and Southampton Environmental Education Network
Connecting people with Nature
Connecting people with Green Spaces
Being able to access green spaces by bike, walk, public transit.
Having natural areas that everyone can access.
Feeling safe in neighbourhoods.
Having green space, plants and trees on streets and front gardens.
Proper respect for nature through knowledge and understanding
Promote more events for more people to engage with nature
Need more transparency in terms of what SCC gets up too e.g. spraying pesticides/mowing
People, harmony and oneness with my surroundings and all beings that inhabit them. This needs a new language to talk about it.
Connect networks better
Map what’s already out there – connect the dots. For example, So:Linked Local Information Compilations (SLIC) and Southampton Sustainability Directory which forms part of Southampton Climate Action Network
Working with young groups like scouts, nurseries, perhaps linked with near charities
What will happen with this information?
These comments are being used to inform Southampton Voluntary Services’ responses to the Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity strategy consultations.
These quotes are also being shared with Southampton City Council’s lead on these consultations, by way of feedback. We will ask how voices such as those of Southampton’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector can be heard through both the next stages of strategy development and project delivery.
As demonstrated by the vibrancy of the Green Network meetings, we know that there are many people and organisations committed to improving the city’s green infrastructure and biodiversity, and in doing so are improving people’s health and wellbeing at the same time. SVS sees these organisations as crucial to a greener, healthier city and therefore play an important role in policy and strategy.
More information
If you would like to know more about the work of Southampton Voluntary Services:
- For the Green Network, please contact Alex Ivancevic
- Southampton Voluntary Services’ policy responses and working together, please contact Rob Kurn (Chief Executive) or Rebecca Kinge (Development Worker).
Website: SVS Team – Southampton Voluntary Services (southamptonvs.org.uk)
Or call us on 023 8022 8291
03.10.23