Needs of communities surrounding industrial parks
With sustainability and energy efficiency at the forefront of public and political attention, the EU-funded Low Carbon Industrial Manufacturing Parks Project (LOCIMAP) has launched the findings of a fact-finding study in communities surrounding four major industrial parks: BASF Espanola SL, Kalundborg Kommune, Kokkola Industrial Park and Sembcorp. Goal of the survey of the industrial sites in Spain, Denmark, Finland and England and representatives of their local communities was to establish the interaction between parks and their surroundings, identifying the perceived benefits, but also the concerns and obstacles in the communities. Notable results included the perceived payback for local communities of living close to industrial parks – communities listed competitive rates on electricity and heat, as well as possibility and availability of facilities for personal development and training. In terms of issues, clean air and health were identified as possible concerns of the local community, whereas tourism and property values were not considered priorities. While all parks acknowledged support for renewable energy sources through legislation, only few governmental or municipal support arrangements were in place to encourage industrial development. These results will feed into follow-up work and the resulting white paper, which is expected next year. As a next step, the project will focus on the CO2-targets set for the industrial parks, as well as identifying the energy- and emissions-saving potential by better integration of services. Preliminary findings and summaries of the deliverables are available at www.locimap.eu.
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Countries
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, United Kingdom