Bishops Stortford is a small but fast-growing country town situated on a river and is subject to a number of natural and man-made environmental risks. The River Stort offers many leisure activities but also provides real flood risk with parts of the town centre being subject to flood risk every few years (add frequency and map). The recent and proposed major housing and retail developments have decrease the natural absorption of rain water and increase the risk of flooding in times of very heavy rain.
The rapid expansion of the town has meant that it is not capable of self-sufficiency in water provision and water for residential and business requirements is pumped in from outside sources.
Sewerage facilities have needed to be upgraded (?) and are fully stretched at present.
Despite its rural setting, Bishop’s Stortford is subject to pollution primarily from traffic sources. The area around the Hockerill traffic lights is the worst spot in town, where pollution levels in the rush hour frequently exceed safe levels (details).
There has been little attempt so far to make the town self-sufficient in energy. Only a few houses have solar panels and no business premises (true?). There are no wind farms close by and this appears unlikely for aesthetic reasons.
The elements of the overall vision relevant to environmental issues are:
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Make a positive contribution to the sustainable development of Bishop’s Stortford, economically, environmentally and socially;
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Provide an environment which is safe both day and night
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Provide new residential developments which complement the current character and cultural heritage of the town but which are sustainable in terms of infrastructure of the town in general.
EO1. Reduce the level of flood risk in relevant areas.
EO2. Provide flood and drainage mitigation measures in new developments.
EO3. Decrease the level of pollution, especially in the most affected areas (e.g. Hockerill) to within recommended safety levels.
EO4. Reduce energy use in existing homes and business premises and ensure new homes and business premises are designed to minimise energy use and CO² emissions.
EO5. Ensure the streets in the area provide a safe environment for residents.

EP1. Introduce new measures to prevent flooding in the Stort flood zone unless there are very exceptionable circumstances (quantify?).
EP2. Ensure that any new developments include mitigation measures to ensure that they do not increase flood risk in any area.
EP3. Any new developments should include drainage measures to ensure minimal run-off.
Impermeable surfaces will not be allowed. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) must be included in any new developments. Balancing ponds should be used where possible to manage water flow.
EP4. All new dwellings will be designed to have a predicted water discharge of not more than
80litres of water per day (Code for Sustainable Homes, DCLG) (check).
EP5. Introduce measures to lower the level of pollution in the danger zones (especially Hockerill).
EP6. Publicise measures to improve energy conservation in existing homes and business premises, including insulation, solar panels, best practice etc. Work with developers to ensure that new dwellings and business premises include energy saving and CO²-reducing measures to national and county standards.
EP7. Work with police and other bodies to ensure crime and fear of crime is kept to a minimum.
Ensure new developments include measures for minimising anti-social behaviour while maintaining the correct degree of freedom and space.