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Gloucestershire County Council (Environment Profile 2011)

KEY FACTS

> Gloucestershire produced 4860kt end user CO2 emissions in 2008, the third highest for a County or Unitary authority in the South West.

> Between 2005 and 2008, end user CO2 emissions decreased in Gloucestershire by 2%.

> Gloucestershire produced the second highest emissions for Road Transport for any County or Unitary authority in the South West.

> Gloucestershire residents were responsible for a total of 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per capita in 2008, 6% higher than the South West average. Between 2005 and 2008 per capita emissions reduced by 3% in Gloucestershire

> There are 7 Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) in Gloucestershire. This was the second highest reported for a unitary/county authority in the South West. The highest number was in Gloucester City Council with 3 areas.

> This compares with 94 river water bodies within Gloucestershire. Our latest assessment of these classified 3.2% as bad, 13.8% as poor, 60.6% as moderate and 22.3% as good.

> Gloucestershire County Council was not in the top ten highest producers of residual waste produced however were in the top half of the league table in the South West, with 605.00 kg/household. This was the fourth highest to be produced in Gloucestershire.

> Gloucestershire County Council in 2009/10 against the other South West Councils, was in the top half of the recycling league table with 41.63%. The highest rate of recycling in the SW was Cotswold District Council with 60.4%.

> Gloucestershire County Council  landfilled 178,046 tonnes, which was the third highest amount of tonnes landfilled in the South West. This was also the fourth highest percentage landfilled (60.76%) in the South West.

> In June 2010, the population of Gloucestershire was 593,500. This made up 11.3% of the total population of the South West, of 5,273,700.

> The number of households in Gloucestershire in 2033 is predicted to be 26.6% greater (67,000 households) than in 2008, below the 30% increase predicted for the region, and for England (21.1%).

> Larger population centres at risk of flooding include : Gloucester, Cheltenham and Cirencester. To see locations at risk of flooding in Gloucestershire, please click here for the Environment.

> Gloucestershire is covered by a number of Catchment Area Management Strategies including: Severn Corridor; Cotswold; Severn Vale; and Bristol Avon and North Somerset Streams.

> Gloucestershire County Council had an allocation of 113,928 tonnes and landfilled 116,639 tonnes (102.4%)  of their BMW. This was the highest reported in the South West. Only two councils in the South West exceeded their allocations. They were Gloucestershire County Council and South Gloucestershire Council.

Gloucestershire County (showing all districts)
Gloucestershire County (showing all districts)
GloucesterForest of DeanStroudCheltenhamTewkesburyCotswold
Act to reduce climate change and its consequences

CLIMATE CHANGE

CARBON DIOXIDE - END USER

  • Gloucestershire produced 4860kt end user CO2 emissions in 2008, the third highest for a County or Unitary authority in the South West (after Devon and Somerset).
  • Between 2005 and 2008, end user CO2 emissions decreased in Gloucestershire by 2%, from 4963kt to 4860kt.
  • The highest proportion of end user emissions in Gloucestershire in 2008 was Industry and Commercial, accounting for 36% (1745kt), followed by Road Transport with 32% (1562kt). Gloucestershire produced the second highest emissions for Road Transport for any County or Unitary authority in the South West.
[ Zoom ]
CO2 Levels 2005-08: Gloucestershire
CO2 Levels 2005-08: Gloucestershire
  • Gloucestershire residents were responsible for a total of 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per capita in 2008, 6% higher than the South West average of 7.8 tonnes per capita.
  • Between 2005 and 2008 per capita emissions reduced by 3% in Gloucestershire from 8.6t to 8.3t.

Please note - we are reporting on end user CO2 emissions, which are used as the National Indictor for Sustainable Development for the UK. An alternative measure of CO2 is available from the Stockholm Institute. As the data presented is from 2008, the local authority comparisons for the South West include district authorities in Cornwall and Wiltshire which have now been replaced by Unitary Authorities.

 Source: Sub-national energy consumption statistics, DECC

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

  • There were 267,200 domestic electricity meter points in Gloucestershire in 2009, 11% of the regional total of almost 2.4 million.
  • An average of 4,552 kWh of electricity was used per consumer in Gloucestershire during 2009, 2% (104kWh) higher than the regional average of 4,448 kWh and 10% (400 kWh) higher than the Great Britain average of 4,152 kWh.

Please note - there is no County level information available on this, therefore figures here are based on aggregated District level information.

Source : AEA for DECC

[ Zoom ]
Energy Consumption 2005-09: Gloucestershire
Energy Consumption 2005-09: Gloucestershire

TRANSPORT

[ Zoom ]
Estimated traffic volume in Gloucestershire (1993-2009)
A graph showing estimated traffic volume in Gloucestershire (1993-2009)
Source: Department of Transport

COMMUTING

  • In all the local councils in Gloucestershire, the most popular methods of travelling to work, are by car, and foot.
  • Within the South West, there are 58.76% of people travelling to work by driving a car. The second highest method of travelling to work is by foot with 12.17% going by this method. Travelling to work by bus or train combined in the South West only comes to 6%.
  • There is no specific information for Gloucestershire County at this time. Information for the individual districts is available on their own pages.

Source : Office of National Statistics

Protect and improve air, land and water quality

AIR QUALITY

  • There are seven Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) in Gloucestershire. This was the second highest reported for a unitary/county authority in the South West. The highest number was in Gloucester City Council with three areas.

Source : DEFRA

WATER QUALITY

  • This compares with 94 river water bodies within Gloucestershire. Our latest assessment of these classified 3.2% as bad, 13.8% as poor, 60.6% as moderate and 22.3% as good.
  • The main reasons for less than good status include: excessive quantities of silt, high levels of phosphate, nitrate and metals.
[ Zoom ]
WFD water bodies from Gloucestershire
A map showing Water Framework Directive (WFD) water bodies from Gloucestershire

Please note - Water bodies do not fit exactly within local authority boundaries. The figures have been derived from those water bodies whose centres are within the district in question. If all water bodies within a district had been included, double accounting would have taken place. Some water bodies have yet to be classified. For the purpose of this exercise, these have been removed from the figures published.

Source: Environment Agency    

LAND USE

  • Land use within Gloucestershire County area, is predominantly green space. However, two councils within the county of Gloucester are significantly different. These are Cheltenham, and Gloucester City which are much more urban in nature, and green space is nearer 50%, and gardens are up to around 20% of the land use.

  • The South West average for green space is 90%, and the average in England is 87%.

  • For detailed information to the former district level, please see their individual pages.

  • Gloucestershire is the second smallest County Council in the South West. The largest County Council is Devon. The smallest authority in the South West is Bournemouth.

[ Zoom ]
Landuse in Gloucestershire County (2005)
A graph showing landuse in Gloucestershire County (2005)
Source: Communities and Local Government

QUALITY OF LIFE

~ Overall Standards within England remain the same as last year, with no change in the Cleansing Index score, which is 76, out of a possible 100.

~ 63% of standards for all LEQ indicators were either Good or Satisfactory.

~ The South East joins the South West as top performing region overall, for the first time this year.

~ The South West has been either the top performing region or joint top performing region since the 2007/08 Survey. 

  • The survey carried out between April 2006 -March 2007, is available down to Local Authority Level, please click here for the details. There are no County Summaries. Please see district pages for their reports.

 Source: Keep Britain Tidy

NITRATE VULNERABLE ZONES

  • Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are areas of land that drain into waters polluted by nitrates, such that the ecosystem is at risk of being disturbed, or the water is likely to exceed 50 milligrams of nitrate in each litre.
  • Within Gloucestershire County Council, there are a number of areas designated NVZ and a number of areas of deferred slurry storage.
  • NVZ regulations come fully into force on 1st Jan 2012, except in deferred Slurry storage areas which have until 1st Jan 2013
  • For more information on NVZ, please see Environment Agency pages.
[ Zoom ]
Gloucestershire Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs)
Gloucestershire Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs)

CATCHMENT SENSITIVE FARMING

  • Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) gives advice on dealing with diffuse pollution from agriculture and the impact on water courses.CSF is a voluntary initiative, where as NVZs is a statutory obligation. CSF looks at : best practice on manure and pesticide usage; Promoting good soil structure; protecting watercourses from run-off and best practice on stock management.

  • There are two Welsh Catchment Sensitive Farming projects overlapping into Gloucestershire area. These are the Wye, and Leadon.

Source : Environment Agency

[ Zoom ]
Catchment Sensitive Farming projects in Forest of Dean
A map showing the Catchment Sensitive Farming projects in Forest of Dean

POLLUTION INCIDENTS

  • For the period April 2005 - March 2010 inclusive, there were 5 incidents of major impact to water in Gloucestershire. In addition there was one incident of major impact to land, air and water.

  • For the same period, there were 3 incidents of significant impact to land and water, 22 incidents of significant impact to water, a further 5 incidents of significant impact to land, and 5 incidents of significant impact to air.

  • For the period April 2010 - March 2011 inclusive, there were no incidents in Gloucestershire of major impact to air, land or water.
  • For the same period, there was 1 incident of significant impact to air, 1 incident of significant impact to land, 1 incident of significant impact to land and water, and a further 4 incidents of significant impact to water.

Source: Environment Agency

FLYTIPPING

  • During 2009/10 there were 3107* reported incidents of flytipping in Gloucestershire, the fifth highest for a county or unitary authority in the region. This was a 9% decrease from 3428 incidents in 2008/09.

Source: DEFRA

* Please note: there is no data for flytipping at County Level. Figures used here are made up of aggregated district totals.

Please note: incidents of fly tipping are reported differently by each council. One may log black bin bags out on an incorrect day as a fly tipping incident where another council do not log this. Please be aware of these reporting discrepancies on Flycapture when looking at the data in comparison to other councils.

MUNICIPAL WASTE

  • Gloucestershire County Council was not in the top ten highest producers of residual waste produced however were in the top half of the league table in the South West, with 605.00 kg/household. This was the fourth highest to be produced in Gloucestershire.
  • In 2009/10, South Hams had the lowest level of residual waste in the South West with 341.04kg/household. The highest in the South West was Isles of Scilly Council with 1,452kg/household. 
[ Zoom ]
Recycling in the South West (2009/10)
Recycling in the South West (2009/10)
 

  • Recycling and composting has increased significantly in the South West, from 14.9% in 2000 / 2001 to 43.5% in 2009 / 2010. Gloucestershire County Council in 2009/10 against the other South West Councils, was in the top half of the recycling league table with 41.63%. 

  • The highest rate of recycling in the SW was Cotswold District Council with 60.4%,  and the lowest rate in the SW was Isles of Scilly with 18.9%.

Source: DEFRA  

TOTAL MUNICIPAL WATE LANDFILLED

  • Gloucestershire County Council  landfilled 178,046 tonnes, which was the third highest amount of tonnes landfilled in the South West. This was also the fourth highest percentage landfilled (60.76%) in the South West.

  • Bournemouth Borough Council landfilled the least percentage waste in 2009/10 (37.8%). Plymouth City Council landfilled the largest percentage of waste in 2009/10 (64%).  Devon County Council however landfilled the largest amount in tonnes with 194,720 tonnes. 

[ Zoom ]
Gloucestershire Waste disposal
A graph showing Gloucestershire Waste disposal
Source: Environment Agency
Put people and communities at the heart of what we do

POPULATION

  • In June 2010, the population of Gloucestershire was 593,500. This made up 11.3% of the total population of the South West, of 5,273,700.
  • Of this population, 18.3% were aged under 15, 62.9% were of working age (16 – 64), and 18.8% were of pensionable age (65+). These proportions were very similar to the South West values, with a slightly greater proportion of the population of pensionable age, than is the case for England (16.5%).

Source : Office of National Statistics

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Population Growth in the South West: 2008-2033
Population Growth in the South West: 2008-2033

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS

  • The number of households in Gloucestershire in 2033 is predicted to be 26.6% greater (67,000 households) than in 2008, below the 30% increase predicted for the region, and for England (21.1%).

[ Zoom ]
Household Estimate and Projections 1991-2033: Gloucestershire County Council
Household Estimate and Projections 1991-2033: Gloucestershire County Council

Please note - Figures to 2008 are based on ONS mid-year population estimates and projected rates of household formation from trends in Census and Labour Force Survey data. All projections are 2008-based. The 2008-based household projections are linked to the Office for National Statistics 2008-based Population Projections, and are not an assessment of housing need or do not take account of future policies. They are an indication of the likely increase in households given the continuation of recent demographic trends.

Source: Communities and Local Government

NEW HOMES ON PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED LAND

  • The proportion of new buildings built in England on previously developed land, rose 23% between 1994-2009. More than half of local authorities in the South West has an increase higher than the English average.
  • Over the same period in the South West, South Gloucestershire had the highest overall increase with 57%, and the lowest was Isles of Scilly with -10%. The second lowest local authority was  jointly Cotswold and Torbay with only a 5% increase over the same period.
  • For the period  2006-2009, only 4 councils achieved over 90% of new dwellings on previously developed land in the South West. These were Bournemouth (97%), Poole (97%), City of Bristol (95%) and Christchurch (94%).
  • In Gloucestershire, for the period 2006-2009, all councils except 2 (Gloucester and Tewkesbury) achieved over 50% of new dwellings on previously developed land.

Source: Communities and Local Government

FLOODING

  • One in six properties in England are at risk of flooding.  In the South West over 200,000 properties are at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea and around 6,000 properties are at risk from coastal erosion in the South West.

  • The causes of flooding in Gloucestershire are varied; rivers, and surface water or combinations of the two, depending on location.

  • Larger population centres at risk of flooding include : Gloucester, Cheltenham and Cirencester

  • To see locations at risk of flooding in Gloucestershire, please click here for the Environment Agency flood map

Source : Environment Agency

PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND FLOOD RISK

  • The Environment Agency lodged objections to 6,200 planning applications in England and Wales on the grounds of flood risk in 2007/2008 up from 4,750 in 2006/2007. Of these, 1,160 objections were in the South West, accounting for almost 19% of the national total. 

  • An additional 21 applications for minor development were also approved contrary to Environment Agency advice in the South West.  One of these was in Gloucestershire County area, specifically within Cheltenham District.  

  • In 2008/09, a summary report was published which had no detailed information to local authority level.

  • The number of planning applications to which we objected on flood risk grounds fell slightly to 5,198 in 2008/09 compared to 6,232 in 2007/08, representing 43% of consultations received. This is the first fall in the proportion of consultations objected to since 2001/02.

Source: Environment Agency

Work with businesses and the public sector to use resources wisely

WATER RESOURCES

  • Gloucestershire is covered by a number of Catchment Area Management Strategies including: Severn Corridor; Cotswold; Severn Vale; and Bristol Avon and North Somerset Streams.
[ Zoom ]
Catchment Area Management Strategy (CAMS) for Gloucestershire
Catchment Area Management Strategy (CAMS) for Gloucestershire

Source : Environment Agency

ECO FOOTPRINT

  • The ecological footprint is an indicator of the total environmental burden we place on the planet. It represents the area of land needed to provide raw materials, energy and food, and to absorb pollution and waste created. It is measured in global hectares (a hectare of land with world average productivity) and is usually expressed as a per person measure. The Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) calculates the ecological footprint of consumption activities.
  • One of the main features of an ecological footprint indicator is that it is based on consumption, not just domestic production. It takes into account the impact of all products that are consumed, whether they are produced in the country of consumption, or elsewhere in the world.
  • In 2006, an average UK citizen had an eco-footprint of 4.64gha, which is significantly above the available budget of 1.89 gha. The South West Regional average was 4.74 gha.
  • There is no information available at County level, please see the district pages for detailed information.
  • The ecological footprint of all local authorities in the UK is significantly above the available global budget. If everyone in the world consumed the same as a UK citizen we would need nearly three planets worth of resources.

Source: Resource Accounting

LANDFILL ALLOWANCE TRADING SCHEME

  • In 2009/10 the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW)  landfilled by the 16 local authorities within the South West was 1,032,967 tonnes against their combined allocation of 1,134,910 tonnes.

  • Gloucestershire County Council had an allocation of 113,928 tonnes and landfilled 116,639 tonnes (102.4%)  of their BMW. This was the highest reported in the South West. Only two councils in the South West exceeded their allocations. They were Gloucestershire County Council and South Gloucestershire Council.

[ Zoom ]
Amount landfilled in 09/10 within the South West
Amount landfilled in 09/10 within the South West

Downloads

 

Please use these images in presentations/reports, but remember to reference the South West Observatory Environment Module Local Profiles 2011.

 PDF 2011