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The SUN Project

SUN or 'Sustainable Urban Planning Networks for Green Spaces' was a European Union LIFE-funded project, that focussed on enhancing wildlife habitats in an urban setting. The SUN Project raised awareness of biodiversity and strove to engage 'stakeholders', actively encouraging people to take action for wildlife. The 3-year project, which ended in August 2006, built on existing good practice to develop innovative approaches to help biodiversity.

The funding enabled the seven project Partners to undertake ten Tasks, that formed the basis of the SUN Project. The majority of these Tasks focussed on the identification and involvement of stakeholders through a series of innovative projects, workshops and public events. The outcomes will help guide London and other cities within the EU in developing their biodiversity strategies.

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Download the BBAP 2006-2009 in full or in sections
Please note the full BBAP is 159 pages

Green gardening project

Wild at Heart Biodiversity information leaflet

Find out what it's all about and how you can take part! For a quick outline
click here for the
'Wild at Heart' leaflet

The SUN Project in Bromley

Through the SUN Project, the London Borough of Bromley has received £150,000 and contributed to the ten Tasks required, but with the BBAP already established, much emphasis was given to Task 6, relating to the practical implementation of the BBAP. Other Tasks related to the dissemination of information and the undertaking of a BBAP review, for example.

In Bromley there were 11 wide-ranging, practical implementation projects. These included: encouraging 'green' gardening amongst residents; enhancing school grounds for wildlife; promoting and enhancing wildlife 'corridors' (see The Beck Corridor page); involving local people in the surveying and recording particular species; extending volunteer involvement in the conservation of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation; enhancing transport routes for biodiversity; providing guidance on biodiversity to developers and businesses; holding walking festivals; producing a biodiversity pamphlet; promoting biodiversity awareness amongst youth groups.

Take a look at the listing here to find out more about them!

Highlights of SUN Project

•		Review of BBAP.
•		Establishment of BBAP website.
•		Production of BBAP leaflet, business card, logo.
•		Employment of additional officer.
•		Increased awareness/networking of youth groups; training programme for youth leaders; joint funding for resources; Darwin Challenge events.
•		Trial of advice, support and practical implementation on three schools; approach may be replicated for other schools.
•		The holding of stakeholder workshops which sort views from attendees including of a church, Friends groups, teachers, recorders.
•		The creation of an education pack and promotion of watching wildlife whilst walking to schools (Walking with Beetles to School) and recording amount of walking accomplished.
•		The implementation of a series of smaller projects along the Beck Corridor (eg. establishment of stag beetle loggeries), installation of interpretation and establishment of walking route to be published as ‘Explore the Beck Corridor’.
•		The holding of practical events/walks for targeted groups (eg. golfers on value of woodland/chalk grassland, business hedge-planting, school use of rights of way and observation of associated wildlife).
•		Establishment of green gardening planting at St. Mark’s Church, Biggin Hill and awareness raising amongst local residents.
•		Promotion of a neighbourhood approach to amphibians – ID sheets and talk in the vicnity of Kingswood Glen.
•		Raised profile of biodiversity and specific meeting of BBAP targets through walks, talks and events (eg. photograph workshops).
•		Enhancement of transport routes (eg. tree planting in Beck Corridor, sowing of wildflower seeds).
•		Holding of ‘Taste of the Wild’ Weekend.
•		Holding of SUN Conference to share experiences with other national/European organisations and availability of experiences on SUN website.
•		Holding of events on Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (eg. Well Wood).
•		Establishment of Walking Festival to promote value of green spaces.
•		Joint production of web-based Green Chain Educational Resource Pack.
•		Purchase of survey equipment.
•		Promotion of biodiversity theme in Environmental Awards.

Lessons

•		Potential to attract large funding for biodiversity works including employment of officer.
•		High degree of effort required in personnel time is high in relation to capital works on the ground.
•		Niche/need for community support in urban areas in encouraging involvement in council sites or encouraging effort on private sites.
•		The value in identifying/targeting specific groups/engaging under-represented stakeholders as part of BBAP action and the need for specific effort to make it happen.
•		Views from the wider SUN partnership that biodiversity message is possibly most effective in reaching the unconverted through ‘by stealth’ approaches.
•		Sharing best practice between SUN partners and with others; collation of other examples across the UK of approaches to encourage BAP involvement in SUN partnership .
•		The need and value in thinking innovatively about projects and not simply using easy/tried-and-tested approaches; developing alternative thought-processes on approaches and setting examples of best practice.
•		The importance of collaborative working within the Council, between SUN partners and within/between various organisations contributing to BAPs to ensure things are achieved; issues in relation to complexities of ‘politics’ within community organisations.
•		The need for all partners to consciously promote/implement BBAP actions and report on them in order that progress may be monitored.

The SUN Partnership

SUN was a project that involved six partners from the UK and one from Italy.

In addition to the London Borough of Bromley, the SUN Project partners were:

•		London Borough of Sutton (chair)
•		London Borough of Redbridge
•		London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
•		CiP Hounslow (leisure trust working in partnership with the London Borough of Hounslow)
•		Global to Local
•		Legambiente (an environmental organisation in Rome, supported by the local authority).

The experience of each Partner in developing a biodiversity strategy and then implementing it with the involvement of stakeholders was varied. The Project enabled the sharing of ideas and approaches. The Project challenged the Partners to do things 'differently' and in an innovative way.

The Partnership reported to the EU on a regular basis. Reports and outcomes, including the SUN Conference held in June 2006, can be found here: select this link

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