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Season's Greetings from 2B!
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In 2017, it has been our pleasure and privilege to work in, or travel through, some wonderful landscapes across the UK. We thought we would put a selection of images on a
Google Map, so here it is:
2B UK Landscapes 2017
It is worth zooming in and clicking the thumbnail images - in some areas there are quite a few images close together.
Meanwhile, a few of our highlights for 2017 follow...
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| The Greater West Project |
Continuing into 2017 with Environmental Colour Assessments, followed by stakeholder workshop sessions, this project aims to reduce the effects of overhead line electrification on the three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) crossed by the Great Western Railway: the Cotswolds, Chilterns and North Wessex Downs.
The workshops involved the AONBs, Natural England and Local Authorities, as well as the teams at Balfour Beatty and Network Rail, facilitated by 2B, to move towards consensus on the most effective mitigation measures to be developed. Thanks to everyone for the constructive contributions. |
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| Slow the Flow: Calderdale |
Slow the Flow has had a fabulous year, winning several awards for their efforts to reduce flooding in Calderdale, including the Sustainable Water Industry Group (SWIG) Awards "Best Project" for 2017.
The momentum continues unabated, with practical works on the ground, and continuing publicity, including our own You Can Slow the Flow programme. |
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| Tansterne Biomass Power Station |
| In spring 2017, Tansterne Biomass Plant won "Best Renewable Energy Project in the Humber Area", at the Humber Renewables Awards, against a field of strong contenders. Congratulations again, to GB-BIO. |
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| Matt |
| Matt Machouki joined us in 2017 to help fill the gap left by Amanda's maternity leave (more below). Matt has settled well into 2B, taking up landscape assessment and design work with great enthusiasm. His practical skills (as a former Landscape Contractor) were put into use during the installation of the Hebden Bridge Town Hall rain garden planter - part of our "You Can Slow the Flow" information campaign. |
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| Amanda |
| Amanda and Dan have a lovely baby girl, Evelyn, born on 1 September. Amanda started her formal "Keeping in Touch" sessions from mid-November 2017, but we are looking forward to seeing more of her in 2018. She has been trying to organise us since she joined us from University in 2011 - and we still need her help! In the picture above, Amanda plants the raised bed at Hebden Bridge Town Hall, whilst Dan looks after Evelyn inside. |
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| Solar Farm, Scotland |
| We have just heard that our input, into a screening request to Angus Council, has helped the authority to conclude that a full EIA is not required for this substantial solar farm. Of course, a Landscape and Visual Appraisal, and other environmental reports, will still be required to accompany the planning application. But it is good to know that all the hard work, tramping around the lovely landscapes of Tayside, and working with the client to produce a comprehensive mitigation strategy, was worthwhile. |
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| Hull and Haltemprice Integrated Water Management Design Charrette |
We were pleased to contribute to the above event in 2017, and even more pleased to hear the big players (Yorkshire Water, Environment Agency, Hull and East Riding Councils) putting SuDS and Green Infrastructure front and centre of the their strategies for Living with Water. Have a look at their website here, watch the promotional video and note the four fabulous landscape projects, which were used to illustrate the green vision, at the end of the video (from 2:07) - provided by a local landscape consultancy, you know.
Exciting news should be forthcoming in 2018 - locally, in terms of development of the "Living with Water" initiative, and nationally, with potentially important moves by the water authorities towards wider SuDS adoption.
Perhaps SuDS will finally become the appropriate, sustainable norm for all developed areas, despite the government's failure to implement the 2010 Flood and Water Management Act. |
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| Landscape Institute |
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Work with Technical Committee continues on guidance for: Photography and Photomontage, Urban Forestry, Green Infrastructure and Landscape-led local plan policies.
Don't know where we find the time. On reflection, yes we do, somewhere around 9pm at night...
But these are the things that keep us informed, useful and relevant.
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| and finally... |
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2018 will be our 20th birthday. We will be celebrating our phenomenal growth (which has seen us become a global practice of more than three people) with an announcement about our new satellite offices, which span the entire width of Yorkshire. Expect a news item some time around the beginning of April.
We hope you have a lovely break over Christmas and are looking forward, to what will no doubt be a challenging 2018, with positive optimism.
With our very best wishes, from
Bill, Elizabeth, Amanda, Matt and Emily
01430 423204
PS: we hope you like this email, and our website.
They are responsive, you know, like us.
If you were not riveted by this email and don't fancy seeing something similar in a year's time, please reply to this email with "remove" in the title.
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