THE city council has been accused of lacking "ambition" in its vision for Nottingham.

A draft of its development strategy for the next two decades sparked a row last year when it omitted almost any reference to environmental issues.

Greater Nottingham Health and Environmental Partnership (HEP) was asked by the council to examine how issues such as renewable energy, pollution and congestion could be included in the plan.

But now the HEP says most of its proposals for action on the environment have been ignored. Alan Simpson, chairman of the HEP, wrote to Jane Todd, the chief executive of the city council, to complain.

He said: "It would not be right for HEP to endorse something that fell so far short of most of the specific policy areas we had been looking at."

Mr Simpson, who is also the MP for Nottingham South, said he estimated 18 proposals had been ignored, and just six included, but "with the loosest commitments".

He added: "My worry is that without measurable targets, not only does the document lack ambition, but it treats the environment not as 'cross-cutting' but cake decoration."

The council has managed the creation of the plan on behalf of the regeneration body, One Nottingham.

It is supposed to reflect the views and aspirations of the city as a whole, with both organisations and individuals contributing. To identify priorities, views were taken from 266 organisations at meetings and focus groups.

The most popular theme to emerge was the environment, with almost one quarter of people making that a priority.

The vision has four key aims, relating to building Nottingham's economy around science and technology, transforming neighbourhoods, giving children a good start in life and tackling poverty.

A document called the Sustainable Community Strategy has been written to explain how the aspirations set out in the vision will be delivered in the next decade. In it there are objectives to improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy, protect natural resources, recycle more waste, develop jobs for local people in the environmental sector, and "ensure everyone understands the environmental challenge".

Liberal Democrat councillor Tony Sutton has also criticised a lack of targets. "It is a weakness because there are not targets around environmental sustainability. They have to be more careful to put specific targets and actions," he said.

Labour councillors, however, have supported the strategy, which is in its 'final draft' before it is agreed later this year.

Coun Jon Collins, told the Executive Board, said: "I think it is a good document. Once we have got full comments back from all the organisations we have referred it to, there will be some minor changes and we will have a document around which we can base the work of the council."

charles.walker@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk