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Investing in communities and the environment: our pledge

During our consultation in 2011, the local community asked the question: ‘what’s in it for us?’ In response, we considered how we could invest in the local environment and the communities of Rural West Wyre and Fleetwood.

Our commitment to investing in the communities and environment of Rural West Wyre and Fleetwood is much more than a statutory obligation. We want to make real, long lasting improvements in line with the needs of the local area. Whether this is by jobs, protecting and enhancing the environment or purchasing locally and responsibly.

We therefore produced our ‘People and Places’ brochure, in which we outline how we think we can make a difference to the local area.

Below is a summary of the brochure which is available from us. You can view the full brochure here.

We would like your views on our proposals for investing in local communities, which are detailed below. You can give your views through our online form or by emailing us direct at .

Investing in the community

We care about the local community and we want to use our time, facilities and resources to benefit local people.

Some of the ideas we have had include:

• Setting up a social enterprise to carry out activities and improvements that matter to local people
• Create an education centre where students can come to learn about energy, geology and the environment of the area
• Help improve safety in the community, for example, by supporting the North West Air Ambulance and teaching young people about road safety
• Chart the heritage of the area by supporting archaeological work, societies and the Fleetwood Museum

Environment and conservation

The flora and fauna of the area are vitally important and many areas are internationally recognised for their importance in bio-diversity.

We want to actively improve natural habitats, nurture native species and encourage diversity, enhancing wildlife, conservation and land stewardship.

Here are some of the things we think could improve the natural landscape:

• Improve the diversity of hedgerows
• Provide heritage and nature interpretation boards on the Wyre Way
• Provide screens for birdwatchers
• Create ditches in land not used for farming, attracting lapwings
• Assist the community in controlling jet skis on the estuary
• Promote the Wyre Estuary Country Park as a venue for wildlife enthusiasts
• Offer support for groups that use our land
• Support our tenant farmers in increasing the diversity of habitats and wildlife on their land in partnership with organisations like the RSPB and the Wildlife Trust

Local sourcing

A development of this scale will utilise the skills and products of a wide range of contractors through our supply chain.

If our plans are approved, we would encourage our contractors to commit to the same levels of safety and responsibility we maintain at Halite and we will source locally wherever possible.

Some of our suggestions include:

• Off-setting our carbon footprint and reducing carbon dioxide emissions
• Sourcing products from social enterprises, charities or community organisations where possible
• Designing our buildings to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly
• Using ethically-traded products
• Minimising waste and recycling wherever possible
• Recycling and reusing wherever possible

Creating jobs

The construction of the project would create valuable jobs during the seven-year build programme, with a further 40 people employed in the long-term.

A recent economic study has shown that the development would create over 2,000 jobs at its peak, with around 17 per cent of those going to local people.  It would also see an investment of up to £660m in the Lancashire and UK economy.  Read the full report here.

Wherever possible, we would train and employ local people and offer employees the highest standards of training and ongoing learning.

Our other ideas include:

• Ensuring our employees and vehicles are well presented and buildings are clearly signposted
• Encouraging our people to take an active part in the community
• Communicating with our employees about our focus on safety and responsibility, at work and in the wider community
• Contribute to academic learning and research in subjects such as engineering and ecology by working with colleges and universities
• Encouraging employee fundraising and payroll giving

This is just the start of the conversation. We welcome your views and suggestions on how you think Halite can have a positive impact on Rural West Wyre and Fleetwood.

We would like you to give us your thoughts.  To do this, you can give us your thoughts through our online form.

Alternatively, you can email us your thoughts direct at or ask to receive a paper copy of our People and Places brochure.

When we have received your views, we will create a shortlist of the most feasible suggestions and explore them in more detail. It may not be practical to go ahead with all your suggestions, or all those outlined above. However, we promise to:

• Be clear about what we can and can’t do
• Keep you updated
• Listen to your views
• Tell you what we plan to do and how this has benefitted your community

We look forward to hearing from you.