Chairperson: Bob Wemyss, SNH
Present:
Bob Wemyss (SNH), John Cunningham (CnES), Martin Scott (RSPB), Carol Mair (WIFT), Neil
Macleod (CnES), Martin Malcolm (NHS), Sara Bartram (NHS), Norman Macdonald (WIE), Helen
Mackenzie
Apologies:
Malcolm MacPhail (Scottish Water), David Macleod (CnES), Cath Morrison (WIE), Simon Scott
(WIFT), Frank Rennie (UHI), Scott Connor (TEAS), Mary Harman (SNH)
In Attendance: None
Item
Decision/Note
1
Minute of meeting
of 5 October 2006
The minute of the meeting of 5
October 2006 was approved as
read.
2
Matters arising
from the meeting
of 5 October 2006
There were no matters arising not
already listed in the Agenda.
3
Sustainability
Themes and
Indicators
Bob Wemyss presented the latest
draft of Sustainability Indicators
and Themes and invited
agreement. Since the last
meeting, Bob Wemyss had
collected a large amount of
baseline data. The various
Indicators now required targets to
be assigned to them and it was
agreed that the relevant agencies
should supply any existing targets
before the Indicators are passed to
the relevant Forums for the
production of the remaining
targets. It was felt that the
Indicators should be prioritised in
terms of areas where the
Community Planning Partnership
wanted to make progress. Derek
McKim had suggested a wider set
of Community Planning
Partnership Indicators which the
SEF should take notice of and Bob
Wemyss undertook to speak to
Derek about this.
1
Action
Who?
When?
Bob Wemyss to
distribute agreed
Indicators to
service agencies
to allow existing
targets to be
assigned.
Bob Wemyss
ASAP
Bob Wemyss to
speak to Derek
McKim regarding
wider Community
Planning
Indicators.
Item
Decision/Note
Action
Who?
When?
4
Green Living
Leaflet
Mary Harman had produced an
illustrated draft of the ‘Green
Living’ leaflet which was circulated
for comment. It was felt that there
was maybe too much text within
the leaflet and that each section
should be restricted to two or three
bullet points. The feasibility of
taking repeated outdoor walks in
the Western Isles climate was
questioned and it was felt that
there should be some indoor
alternative to this to reflect local
circumstances. An interactive
element should be incorporated,
for example a formula for
calculating your own carbon
footprint and tickboxes for the main
measures. It was important that
lead agencies for each area
approved the content of the leaflet,
for example TIG, CnES Transport,
CnES Waste Aware etc.
Mary Harman to
revise leaflet in the
following areas:
 alternatives to
outdoor walks;
 reduced
number of bullet
points for each
section;
 inclusion of an
interactive
element;
 tickboxes
against main
measures; and,
 approval by
lead agencies.
Mary Harman
For next
meeting
5
Community
Appraisal Project
Helen Mackenzie referred to
proposals by the Community
Planning Partnership’s Community
Engagement Action Team to carry
out a new Community Appraisal
exercise throughout the Western
Isles. The previous Appraisals,
from the 1990’s, lacked
commonality and could not easily
be compared in key areas. The
current exercise will be led by
Community Planning Partners and
will ensure that the resulting data
will be useable for service
planning. The SEF should
consider appropriate, non-service,
questions, asking itself the test
questions: What would the results
tell you?; and, What would you do
with the results?
Members to give
some thought to
environmental
questions for
inclusion in
upcoming
Community
Appraisal exercise.
Feedback to Helen
Mackenzie.
All members
ASAP
2
6
Item
Decision/Note
Action
Who?
When?
State of the
Environment
Report, 2007
John Cunningham referred to
proposals by Western Isles
Development Trust’s Environment
Committee to carry out an
Environmental Audit of the
Western Isles. The Trust had been
established to negotiate community
benefit for the entire Western Isles
from any renewables scheme that
might come to the islands. The
Environmental Audit would identify
areas where mitigation might be
required to reduce the impact of
the proposed schemes. The Audit
was also designed to identify areas
where changing human activity in
the environment and climate
change were threatening existing
environmental systems. The SEF
had a duty to facilitate the
refreshment of the 1995 State of
the Environment Report and it was
felt that WIDT should be supported
in dealing with the environmental
aspects of the work, leaving the
social and economic updates to
others.
John Cunningham
to feedback to
Western Isles
Development Trust
in the following
terms:
 the term
‘declining
human activity’
should be
changed to
‘changes in
human activity’;
and,
 explicit
reference to the
potential use of
the document
as a basis for
local SEA
assessments
should be
made.
John
Cunningham
ASAP
Donald A Macleod
(Integration
Manager, New
Community
Schools) to be
invited to next
meeting.
Diane
Macleod
For next
meeting
John
Cunningham
ASAP
It was felt that the completed Audit
report might be a valuable
resource for local agencies
requiring to SEA their policies and
plans.
7
Projects
Helen Mackenzie referred to two
previous projects that had been
‘sponsored’ by the SEF –
Sandwick Garden Project and
Sgoil na Loch Sustainability
Project. Schools appeared to be a
very fertile area for developing a
sustainability ethos and it was
agreed to invite Donald A Macleod,
Integration Manager from the
Comhairle’s Education
Department, to the next meeting of
the SEF to hear about initiatives
currently underway in island
schools.
No promotion of
the SEF’s
sponsoring role to
be undertaken at
this time.
It was agreed that the SEF’s
project support role be not
promoted in the meantime.
8
Membership of
SEF
John Cunningham was asked to
circulate a list of the current
membership of the SEF to ensure
that representation on the group
was sufficiently wide.
3
Current
membership list to
be circulated.
Item
Decision/Note
Action
Who?
When?
9
AOCB
Derek McKim had submitted a
Consultation Document regarding
the Strategic Environmental
Assessment of the 2007 – 2013
European Regional Development
Fund programme. It was agreed
that little could be done given that
the consultation period had closed
but it was felt that the SEF should
have an ongoing role in
commenting on applications to the
Fund and on the general
development of the local
programme. It was pointed out
that the Assessment of the
programme was strictly
environmental and that social and
economic factors were not to be
considered. These other factors
could be critical in the Western
Isles where the windfarm debate
was finely balanced on the tension
between environmental impact and
socioeconomic benefit.
Bob Wemyss to
speak to Derek
McKim regarding
an ongoing role for
the SEF in
assessing local
ERDF projects
between 2007 and
2011.
Bob Wemyss
ASAP
10
Date of next
meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting
should include teleconferencing
facilities for SEF members in the
Southern Isles and that it should
take place in the Western Isles
Enterprise Board Room. A
proposed date would be circulated
in due course.
Organise next
meeting in WIE
Boardroom with
teleconference
facilities for Uist
members.
Diane
Macleod
For next
meeting
4