Support

Representation ID: 2616

Received: 20/03/2021

Respondent: NEAT

15 years is a long enough period to introduce some genuinely strategic approaches.
At present the approach is mainly reactive (e.g. responding to demand for housing) without any apparent attempt to alter trends that could render Bradford a truly appalling place to live (does the council carry on feeding demand for housing until we have a Hong Kong-style city full of skyscrapers?).
15 years is enough to introduce 2 strategies:
1) Make clear the consequences of population growth and encourage families of 1/2 children maximum;
2) Tackle mental health issues (described by a psychotherapist as "of epidemic proportions). The Council must familiarise itself with research evidence for the benefits of contact with the natural environment (ecotherapy). MIND (the mental health charity) and Dr. Jo Barton (Essex University) are good starting points. To provide ecotherapy for all, surviving green spaces must be preserved and expanded. This would halt declining biodiversity.