Green infrastructure plan and carbon reduction activities for Essex

We are now a couple of weeks into lockdown and the county council’s seven Green Flag country parks remain open for exercise.

Please stick to your local area and avoid travelling great distances to have a day out. We have been getting reports that people are using these spaces to informally gather. This is not in the spirit of the lock-down rules and if we are to beat this pandemic, we need to reduce all opportunities for the virus to spread.

A similar message applies to our recycling sites. They have been very busy over the post-Christmas period but please do consider whether your visit is entirely necessary and whether you can dispose of your rubbish by using the normal council run kerb-side collections. Bulkier items can usually be collected by arrangement with your district council.

Through the Essex Climate Action Commission we are shaping up our carbon reduction activities and are already well advanced in planting trees across Essex.

Archive: Councillor Simon Walsh planting a tree at Great Notley Country Park (Image: Archant)

Some small-scale community-based tree plantings are also happening, and we continue to encourage parish councils and landowners to see if they have any spare corners for more trees.

The county council has produced a green infrastructure plan which looks to incorporate much more open space into the way we plan new developments, improve existing town centres and make more of they countryside network of paths, tracks, public woods, commons and riversides.

Our coastline is one of longest of any county in the country and is a fantastic resource for wildlife and recreation. Of course, it is difficult to visit until restrictions lift, however, this year we have ambitious plans to open the first Essex section of the National Coast Path.

This really is something to look forward to as it adds another dimension to something we already know; Essex is one of those places that has so much to offer, why go anywhere else!