IT’S slogan is Better Colchester.

And Colchester Council has set out its stall for what it wants to make the borough better in the years ahead.

It is planning investment in tackling climate change, supporting young people, improving housing, boosting the economy and celebrating heritage over the next few years.

The Lib Dem and Labour coalition which runs the council has set out its Better Colchester strategic plan, or vision, for the town through to 2023.

Its five main priorities are tackling the climate change challenge and leading sustainability, creating safe, healthy and active communities, delivering homes for people who need them, growing a fair economy so everyone benefits and celebrating the borough’s heritage and culture.

Fighting climate change will be the top of the agenda. The Colchester Woodland Project, which will see 200,000 trees planted, is underway, glyphosates have been banned but it is acknowledged there is much more work to do.

Council leader Mark Cory said: “Every decision now is assessed on its climate impact. We have got to embed it across the whole organisation and we are arranging a budget to do it.

“We are way ahead of many other councils and we have done a number of fantastic projects which mean we have reduced our carbon footprint by half ahead of schedule. But now we have to do the hard work and plan for the future.”

The Wivenhoe councillor says the authority is planning to bid to become the “electric bus town of Essex”, which could bring Government funding to change public transport options.

A transport strategy for Colchester is also being prepared with partners in the hopes of tackling the town’s congestion and air pollution woes.

To create safer communities the council is ready to invest around £4 million into a new police backed Youth Zone.

The facility would be run by charity OnSide and built at a as yet undecided council-owned site, preferably in the town centre.

“We are committed to finding a way of developing it whether we have the support of Essex County Council or not. It will cost in the region of £9 million but OnSide bring in outside investors.”

The Youth Zone will be a one-stop-shop for young people’s services, tailored to suit Colchester’s needs, with things like mental health support and careers advice on site.

Mr Cory said it was desperately needed due to “brutal cuts” in such services over recent years.

Over the next five years, the authority plans to deliver 350 new council homes including building on garage sites, by buying back old properties and refurbishing them, innovative airspace developments and more.

Mr Cory said it was a key ambition of the authority to provide safe and suitable homes for its residents.

To boost the economy, the We Are Colchester Partnership is creating a Town Deal Bid, in the hopes of securing up to £25 million in seed funding from the Government. It could be game changing but nothing is guaranteed.

But Mr Cory said the authority’s commitment to the Northern Gateway development and a third stage of its Amphora Place office scheme showed it was focused on making the town attractive to investors.

Work to improve and better utilise heritage assets like St Botolph’s Priory and the Roman Circus will continue and lighting up of the town’s Roman Wall will also come into effect in the coming weeks

Mr Cory said: “Colchester has so much going for it we need to think big and keep pushing the boundaries. Let’s be proud of our history and be ambitious about our future.”