Nibley council offices - car park extension

Claire Young and Ruth Davis at
the potential Park and Ride site

Earlier this year, we reported that the Conservatives were considering closing the Kingswood Civic Centre and extending their Badminton Road office to accommodate a council chamber and extra staff.

They are now proposing to keep the council chamber at Kingswood but move the staff to Nibley, which still requires the car park to be extended.

Your Focus Team requested and received plans that demonstrate this will still leave room for the planned Park and Ride. This now needs to be bigger than originally planned due to all the new homes being built in Yate.

Planning application submitted for council office solar scheme

The planning application has now been submitted for the proposed solar scheme on land next to the Badminton Road Council Offices at Nibley.

Last week we reported on a meeting we had with officers about the proposals. You can now view the plans and make comments online.If for any reason that link doesn't work, go to the planning application search page and enter the reference number PK14/4785/R3F. You have until 6th January to make comments.

Solar scheme and safeguarding Park and Ride site at Badminton Road

Earlier this year, we reported that the council was proposing to put solar panels on land next to the council offices at Nibley. This week Ruth Davis, Claire Young and Paul Hulbert met officers to discuss the plans before an application is submitted. This would be a very small scheme compared to the commercial solar farms that have sprung up in the area recently, the aim being to provide electricity for the council offices.

Claire Young and Ruth Davis at the site

While keen for the council to save money in a positive way and use greener energy, your Focus Team was concerned that enough space should be left for the long-planned park and ride.This now needs to be bigger than originally planned due to all the new homes being built in Yate. The good news is that the latest plans allow for a 236 space car park, with the possibility of further spaces behind the offices. The solar panels would go on the slightly higher ground towards the back of the site in the top picture, which isn't suitable for car parking.

The site is just opposite the Badminton Road council offices

Your Focus Team is campaigning to get the park and ride built, along with other transport schemes in the Yate area. Go to http://letsgetyatemoving-ldthornburyandyate.nationbuilder.com  to back the campaign and share your experiences and ideas about local transport.

Have your say on council solar schemes

Next week South Glos Council will be holding exhibitions on plans to install ground mounted solar PV schemes on land it owns next to the Badminton Road Council offices and between the M4 and the A4174 Ring Road at Moorend.

The schemes are much smaller than the commercial schemes in the area, approximately 2.5 acres at Badminton Road and 5 at Moorend, compared to over 100 acres at Says Court Farm for example. The aim is to supply electricity for the Badminton Road offices, reducing running costs at a time of rising energy prices and reducing carbon emissions by 700 tonnes a year. Both of the sites are only low grade agricultural land, having been used for landfill or sewage works previously.

The pre-planning consultation runs until 10th September. When the formal plans are submitted in late September there will be the usual opportunity for local residents to comment then too.

The exhibition will be in the reception area of the council offices on Badminton Road on Monday 1 September between 3pm and 7pm and on Tuesday 2 September between 3pm and 8pm.

Your Focus Team has already asked for assurance that the Badminton Road scheme won't stop the Nibley Park and Ride being built in the future.

Solar Farm planning application approved

The proposal we told you about back in April for a solar farm at Says Court Farm, in the countryside to the west of Nibley Lane, has now been approved by South Glos Council's planning committee.

The conditions were largely as in the report but with two additions (the conditions proposed by the Coal Authority and Network Rail). The condition about what should happen at the end of the 25 years was reworded so that it also required removal of the apparatus if the generation of power ceased some time before then.

During the meeting, officers also clarified the use of the community benefit fund. While still objecting to the application, Westerleigh Parish Council had negotiated on a "without prejudice" basis a community benefit of £1000 per MW generated, which could mean up to £17,500 a year for environmental projects to benefit the local community. Officers emphasised that their recommendation did not depend on this, it was a unilateral undertaking by the applicants, AEE Renewables. In the first year, £7000 will be available for ecological improvements on site, in conjunction with Avon Wildlife Trust.

Good news on energy

Energy prices are soaring hitting everyone, especially the vulnerable. Your Focus Team has won cross-party backing on South Glos Council for two energy initiatives:

• At Dave Hockey’s suggestion, officers are investigating a council-run collective energy switching scheme. £5000 has been identified to piggy back on the Bristol "Switch and Save" scheme (www.bristolswitchandsave.org.uk) which would allow local residents to gain discounts on their power bills of between £60 and £250 pounds per year.
• Claire Young successfully proposed setting aside £15,000 of Invest to Save money to help kick-start a Community Energy Co-op in South Glos. These organisations support communities to develop renewable energy projects, including on community buildings and schools, and offer people a share in the profits of local installations. Bath and West Community Energy (www.bwce.coop) and Bristol Energy Co-op (www.bristolenergy.coop) are both running successfully in neighbouring authorities.

Solar Farm application - have your say

AEE Renewables have submitted their application for a solar farm at Says Court Farm, in the countryside to the west of Nibley Lane.

You can view the details and make any comments you may have on the South Glos website. The closing date for comments is 1st May.

The best map is shown as "PLANNING STATEMENT(APPENDIX A: LOCATION PLAN)" - the South Glos location plans are muddy and not easy to locate the site from.

Could YOU be a volunteer advisor to help tackle fuel poverty?

Do you live in South Gloucestershire, are you over 50? Do you want to make a difference in your local community? The Centre for Sustainable Energy is looking to recruit volunteers who are keen to learn about energy and willing to share their knowledge in the community.

A session for potential volunteers is being held at Yate Library on Tuesday 24th July 2012. If you are interested in helping older people at risk of, or already suffering from, fuel poverty then please visit the CSE website.

Smart meters to be rolled out

The Government has published plans for the national rollout of smart electricity meters nationwide over the next few years.

They have set out the overall timetable for the installing 53 million smart meters in 30 million homes and businesses across Great Britain, estimated to have a net benefit to the nation of £7.3 billion over the next twenty years.

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne said:

“Smart meters are a key part of giving us all more control over how we use energy at home and at work, helping us to cut out waste and save money.

“In combination with our plans to reform the electricity market and introduce the Green Deal for home and businesses, the rollout of smart meters will help us keep the lights on while reducing emissions and getting the best possible deal for the consumer.”

Smart meters will deliver a range of benefits to consumers, energy suppliers and networks:

• Consumers will have real time information on their energy consumption to help them control energy use, save money and reduce emissions. By 2020, the average consumer (with both electricity and gas) is expected to save around £23 per year on their energy bill as a result of smart metering. There will also be an end to estimated billing.
• Suppliers will have access to accurate data for billing, allowing them to improve their customer service and reduce costs, for example by reducing call centre traffic, ending visits by meter readers, and better debt management.
• Energy networks will have better information with which to manage and plan current activities as well as the move towards smart grids to support sustainable energy supplies.

The rollout of smart meters will take place in two phases. During the foundation stage, beginning now, the Government will work with industry, consumer groups and other stakeholders to ensure all the necessary groundwork is done for the second stage, the mass rollout.

The Government expects the mass rollout to start in early 2014 and to be completed in 2019.

Green scheme will lead to lower bills

Money-saving “Smart Meters” will soon be available to borrow free from libraries across South Gloucestershire, thanks to a successful proposal made by the Liberal Democrats at the South Gloucestershire Council meeting this week.

Smart meters measure the electricity being used by home electrical appliances and enable users to find ways to reduce their electricity consumption. When a library loan scheme was introduced last year in York, the overwhelming demand for the meters meant that the number available for hire had to be doubled.

Bringing the scheme here was the brainchild of local Councillor Dave Hockey (pictured right with a smart meter). Speaking after the meeting he said, “I am delighted that South Glos Council unanimously backed this Lib Dem proposal which has proved to be so popular with local residents in York. Residents will now have the chance to borrow a smart meter for a week to check which of their appliances are the heaviest users of electricity in time to take action and cut both their bills and their carbon footprint - brilliant!'”

Energy problems - and advice on renewable energy

With the cold weather and economic problems, many people will be worried about their fuel bills this winter. Local MP Steve Webb has discovered that the vast majority of people in "fuel poverty" are missing out on the special deals for vulnerable people. You can read more on Steve's blog and in The Times.

If your thoughts have turned to alternative forms of energy, you might be interested in SG Futurenergy, a partnership between South Gloucestershire Council and the Severn Wye Energy Agency which offers advice on renewable energy. The scheme also offers grants and low interest loans to help people install renewable energy.

Energy savers wanted!

South Gloucestershire residents are being asked to take part in anew energy saving competition.

Communities will go head to head in the competition to see who can reduce their energy consumption the most over a 6 month period. Winners will be awarded an Eco Hamper for each household as well as tickets to travel to an International Awards Ceremony in Brussels.

All participants will receive a variety of energy saving gadgets and eco goodies throughout the competition, including energy saving lightbulbs, eco kettles and hot water tank jackets, and will have the chance to win spot prizes of standby saver gadgets, water powered clocks, fridgesaver plugs and wind up radios and torches.

Competition organisers are looking for 10-15 households in South Gloucestershire

To take part or find out more contact the Severn Wye Energy Agency (www.swea.co.uk) on 0800 512 012.

(Thanks to our sister blog for this item)

Wind farms for South Gloucestershire?

South Glos Council is considering building wind farms on seven council-owned sites in the area. Some sites would only take one wind turbine, but four sites could accommodate up to four turbines each, so that's about twenty turbines in all. The turbines would be connected to the electricity grid, and each could earn up to £25,000 a year (note the "up to").

The sites have been identified by a "desktop planning" exercise - looking at sites more than 450 metres from the nearest house, not actually visiting sites or telling occupiers yet. We presume they've picked sites with reasonable wind velocities.

The proposal is included in a report which is about to be presented to members of the South Glos cabinet. The council will not reveal the site locations until all occupiers have been contacted.

The Evening Post has more on the wind turbines here.

Renewable energy

It was good to see the new wind turbines installed at Avonmouth recently. They're certainly an impressive sight - this photo was taken from Portishead.

In the meantime, we're doing our bit to make small-scale renewable energy cheaper. A while ago a £50 fee was introduced for people wanting advice about permitted development - in other words, whether or not you need to put in a planning application. It turned out that they were even charging for advice on applying to put in solar panels and the like - just the wrong message when you want to encourage them! Now, after pressure by Lib Dem councillors, the charge has been removed completely for advice on renewable energy proposals.

P.S. Those wind turbines weren't the first renewable energy project at Avonmouth. Back in the Eighties the Wessex Water sewage treatment works, which generates electricity from methane, was connected to the mains network. The Evening Post headline at the time was "Power from the people"!