One and a half million pounds of funding is heading to the county to help develop more eco-friendly homes and communities for the future. A share of the cash will also be used to convert existing homes to greener more energy-efficient technology and to find ways to switch housing onto new localised generation of energy from waste in and around Lincoln.
The Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee has won £1.5m from the Government’s £10m fund to promote a more sustainable way of developing future housing projects that have a lower environmental impact and fit within the new Eco-Town Standard.
The Committee handles planning strategy covering North Kesteven, West Lindsey, City of Lincoln and Lincolnshire County council areas and the grant award will ensure benefits are spread across this wider region.
The fund will be used to develop know-how within the authorities to become green-champions for moving forward with sustainable housing and energy projects within the three districts, focussing on Gainsborough and the three suggested growth areas for Lincoln at the Western Growth Corridor and around the proposed Eastern Relief Road to the north east and south east of the city.
In Gainsborough, subject to further feasibility work, it will support a highly innovative project to retrofit existing housing and explore options for new build. This could include the remodeling of a traditional terrace and street, introducing greenspace and common services.
There are also plans to maximise benefits for a District Heating System fed by the Energy from Waste generation scheme being built in North Hykeham and possible extension of that technology to take advantage of other heat sources in the future.
Councillor Darren Grice, vice-chairman of the Joint Planning Committee, said, “The money will help us develop strategies to ensure future large-scale urban extensions in a large part of Lincolnshire are as sustainable as possible.
“New strategies and policies covering the area will highlight sustainability and healthy environments as a key aim in developing new and existing communities and carrying through green action on the ground.”
“In our bid we made it clear that our wish was to move towards zero carbon development that is highly adaptive to climate change and meets the standards of the Eco-Towns initiative, focussing on urban developments around Lincoln and Gainsborough. We very much look forward to bringing this aspiration to reality in setting out a greener future across our districts.”
“This announcement demonstrates what benefits can come about when Councils join together and collaborate for the benefit of local people and businesses.”
Although the funding falls within the Government’s ‘Eco-Towns’ project, for Lincolnshire it seeks to ensure development comes up to the standards of the new Eco-Towns Planning Policy Statement rather than establishing designated Eco-Towns in themselves.
The new planning guidance is a sort of rulebook for greener planning policies and includes a move to ensure more energy is from a renewable source and allows for councils top consider plans for such sources to quicker.
The exact division of the funding in undertaking various studies, master planning and project management and in carrying out energy schemes has get to be set by the Department for Communities and Local Government.