After making the decision not to continue to the next stage of exploring community owned energy opportunities with Batheaston and St Catherine, The Community Energy Network partnership sent a letter (below) to local residents, explaining the grounds for this decision, and our intention to look into other ways to support interested residents with guidance about energy efficiency and renewables.
The letter also included:
- comments from Councillor Sarah Warren, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Bath and North East Somerset, on the status of the project, and learnings from it
- notes on the roles of the partners within the Community Energy Network, for clarification
Letter to residents
We are writing to update residents following the recent Energy in Your Community workshop and subsequent discussions.
A workshop on 3rd February was held as part of the Energy in Your Community (EiYC) project, which sits within the Community Energy Network (CEN) partnership.
Background
St. Catherine Parish Meeting, Batheaston Parish Council and Grow Batheaston applied to take part in the project, which uses an approach called Future Energy Landscapes (developed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) to help communities discuss possible locations for renewable energy. This process is designed to start conversations with communities at a very early stage, before any renewable energy proposals are developed. It provides a structured way for local people to explore where renewable energy might, or might not, be appropriate in their area.
This process differs from that used by commercial developers, where renewable energy sites are selected in private, with no community involvement until a developer applies for planning consent.
In every community we work with, people care deeply about the landscapes where they live. Listening to everyone’s views is the central purpose of this engagement process.
Local issues raised
After the first workshop, a number of concerns were raised locally. A key concern, raised by residents, related to the map used during the workshop. The map was intended as a discussion tool to explore where renewable energy might or might not be suitable. However, we recognise that it could have appeared to show proposals for renewable energy sites. Whilst this was not the case, this understandably caused concern.
Our response
In light of the concerns raised locally and the feedback we received following the workshop, CSE will not be continuing their community-led Future Energy Landscapes process in Batheaston and St. Catherine.
It should be noted that halting this community-led process does not prevent renewable energy developers from submitting proposals through the normal planning process.
As part of their ongoing practice of learning from community engagement, CSE will reflect on the feedback received about how discussion materials are introduced.
Next steps
In addition to the concerns that were raised about renewable energy, many residents expressed strong support for the principle of clean, local, affordable energy, and for tackling climate change.
The Community Energy Network works widely across Bath and North East Somerset, including supporting residents with home energy advice through the Energy at Home project. Over the coming weeks, the Community Energy Network and local groups will continue to reflect on the feedback received and explore what forms of local energy or climate action might have broad support in the area. Further communications and activities will follow, pending the outcome of these conversations.
Councillor Sarah Warren, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Bath and North East Somerset, said: “B&NES council remains fully supportive of the development of renewable energy capacity in the right places, and welcomes the support of partners CSE and Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE) in facilitating community discussions to explore where these might be.
We acknowledge that parts of the process in Batheaston didn’t go exactly as we would have wished, and lessons have been learnt by all partners. “It is unfortunate that we have only been able to hear from a small number of residents in Batheaston and St. Catherine to date. Given the strength of views expressed by some so early in the process, we felt that it would not be practical to continue the EiYC discussions in this area at this time.
“We hope very much that the local organisations who initiated the EiYC process will not be put off from taking forward further energy-based community discussions locally in partnership with BWCE and CSE. These might encompass support for residents with making their homes more energy efficient in the first instance, whilst continuing to raise awareness of the positive possibilities of renewable and community energy appropriately located in the local area.”
If you have any suggestions, please contact Community_Energy@bathnes.gov.uk so they can be considered in the conversation.
More information and project updates are available at www.bathnes.gov.uk/energy-your-community, where you can also sign up to the Community Energy Network newsletter to be kept updated.
Yours sincerely,
Community Energy Network partnership
Notes
The Community Energy Network is run by a partnership of Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES council), Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE), the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), the University of Bath and the Community Wellbeing Hub to support local action on energy. Here is more on the partners and their role in the Energy in Your Community project:
- Bath & North East Somerset Council: Local council with climate emergency declaration working to ensure benefit from renewables stays local. Managing the Community Energy Network.
- Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE): A local not-for-profit organisation that installs community-owned renewable energy and is looking at how to supply this at lower cost to local people. BWCE also provides home energy efficiency advice, including free expert home visits and energy surveys. On this project, BWCE’s role is to advise on community ownership, technical, economic and governance issues, if sites are identified through the process.
- Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE): CSE is a charity supporting people and organisations across the UK to tackle the climate emergency and end the suffering caused by cold homes. Leading on Future Energy Landscapes process as applied in areas working with Energy in Your Community.
- University of Bath: Independent evaluation of the project.
