Climate Change Bond investment update
We are very excited to have just paid out the first interest payments to those who invested in the UK's first 'Climate Change Bond'. This £1m Community Municipal Investment fund is helping us deliver our Environment Strategy. Some of our projects enabled by the fund so far have included:
- solar panel installations across six West Berkshire locations at a cost of £520k
- £100k habitat restoration project in partnership with Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
- tree planting and habitat creation as part of the Dunstan Park and South East Thatcham Flood Alleviation Scheme costing £100k
- improvements to the local walking and cycling infrastructure, including a £100k upgrade to the Thatcham to Brimpton towpath
- starting our retrofitting programme to update our traffic lights and district lighting to LEDs
1 in 6 people who invested in the Bond liked the idea so much they have donated their interest back to the scheme. The additional funds are being used to support our project with BBOWT to introduce wildflower verges on roads in the district.
We have successfully secured a grant of £487,000 for decarbonisation works from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administered by Salix.
Feasibility studies have been carried out at three local schools in Hermitage, Hungerford and Thatcham, as well as at Thatcham Family Hub, who will all receive carbon reduction upgrades. Work is expected to start summer 2021 and finish by the end of September 2021.
Earlier this year, The Downs School in Compton was awarded a Government grant of £232,000 to be spent on decarbonisation projects to help the school be greener.
The funding was used to install 31 new aluminium windows across various buildings in the school, LED lighting across 80% of the school buildings, and solar panels for two buildings.
We congratulate The Downs School on completing this project in a tight timescale, especially as the work coincided with the return of pupils to school after the Covid-19 lockdown.
To help protect rare ground nesting birds, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) have employed three seasonal wardens. Chris, Clare and Zoё have been interacting with visitors at Greenham and Snelsmore Commons, highlighting the importance of keeping to the main paths in order to give rare ground nesting bird species, such as Woodlark, Dartford Warbler and Nightjar, the best chance to breed successfully. The photo to the right shows one of the Woodlarks enjoying our local commons (photo from Zoё Burfitt, BBOWT)
Anyone visiting either Greenham or Snelsmore Commons should look out for signage informing them on how they can help to protect ground nesting birds.
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We have recently completed work to widen a section of footway alongside Reading Road, Burghfield Common.
The project was carried out within the Highway boundary to achieve a width of 1.5 metres where possible. The widened section is 280 metres in length and runs from the junction of Reading Road with Man’s Hill, to opposite a new residential development called The Collection. Three crossing points, with tactile paving to assist visually-impaired pedestrians, have been incorporated into the new layout. In addition, the developer Crest Nicholson is providing a new central island to allow people to cross more safely to and from their residential development.
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As the weather starts to get nicer we know a lot of you may be doing work to your gardens. We ask that you think twice about having a bonfire.
A lot of people are at home at the moment and any one of your neighbours may be vulnerable or suffering from respiratory issues, including Covid. During this difficult time please put their needs first.
You can stockpile green waste, create a compost area or take it to your local household waste recycling centres. You can find out more about our garden waste collection here.
Formal complaints can lead to legal action so please make sure you are familiar with government rules which you can read here.
It’s been a year like no other for us in the Environment Team, and for everyone else too.
We’re incredibly proud of the way local people have responded to the pandemic, and we’re proud of the part we’ve played in supporting local communities and progressing with our Environment Strategy aims.
A new e-booklet reflects on our contribution to the district’s response and looks ahead to our plan for recovery, which you can view by clicking on the link below.
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