An article by Malcolm Baldwin of Staverton

Loading...

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

My email to Mr Mangnall urging bolder thinking on the governments proposals to increase woodland cover from 13% by only another 2% by 2060.  Click to enlarge.

Anthony’s reply to me

…and my response

The government has put out proposals for improving safety for cyclists and other non-vehicular traffic.

Highway Code consultation link.  Online survey.  Tell them if you agree or not.

Nick Arding has summarised these changes for the SCAG transport working group (Staverton Climate Action Group)

The transport sub-group of the Staverton Climate Action group is meeting at the Sea Trout this Tuesday (1st Sept) at 7pm.  Contact johnforte@btinternet.com for more details or just turn up.  This is a general meeting to debate ideas on what direction to take the group.  Cycling will be a focus.

Act quickly to claim this grant that runs from this September for only 6 months. It pays up to £5,000 per home all up-front in the form of a voucher. You have to contribute 1/3rd of the total cost. So for works costing around £7,500, you’d receive £5,000 and pay £2,500. If any occupant is receives income-based or disability benefits, it’s £10,000 per home with no contribution needed from the owner.

Applies to social housing too, but it’s the owner that claims.

£10,000 for households on benefits is a huge sum and we want to reach all such homes in the parish. Can you help? Do know anyone who might qualify. It could pay for external wall insulation, which can slash bills, whilst increasing comfort.

All the information you need is on our Green Homes Grant page.

Only government registered Trustmark companies are able to do the work and order books will fill, so contact one for a free survey and assessment asap.

Advice

• Free independent impartial advice available on the green homes grant from South Dartmoor Community Energy on 0800 112 3044 or info@sdce.org.uk.
• Citizens Advice South Hams on 03 444 111 444. If you’re on benefits, get advice on the Green Homes Grant as well as energy bills, debt etc.

Devon Climate Emergency Response Group (DCERG) made up of DCC and others have set up a group buying scheme for solar panels with the aim of achieving cheap prices for homeowners.  Experienced buyers will select the best value panels and negotiate a deal.  Anyone can register for further info with no obligation.

More info at www.solartogether.co.uk/devon/home

Not all contractors seem aware of this in my experience.  A heat pump installation project should qualify for 5% VAT, including the cost of enabling building works, provided that material costs do not exceed 60% of the total project cost.  If materials are greater than 60%, you still get 5% on the labour only.  If you’re over 60 or on certain benefits, this 60% test doesn’t apply, and you qualify for 5% whatever.

If you’re using several contractors as well as your heating engineer (e.g.  digger driver to dig trenches for the ground source piping, or a builder to alter a room to accommodate the heat pump), speak to your heating engineer about acting as main contractor.  The other contractors will invoice at 20% VAT to your heating engineer who will then bill that work on to you at only 5%.  This obviously involves admin and temporary cashflow costs for the heating engineer so expect a small charge to cover it – e.g. 2.5% commission.

The same 5% VAT rules also apply if you’re doing work that is primarily designed to improve the insulation of your house.

VAT notice 708/6 – link

Extract from an email from Cllr Hodgson 17th Aug 2020

Both Devon County Council and South Hams District Council are actively developing Climate & Biodiversity Emergency Action Plans, both are also developing their Post-COVID-19 Recovery Plans.  There is clear overlap in both these plans, in particular around working with the new behaviour changes such as reduced travelling, but also at recognising and valuing the new resilience that is emerging in the general public and in particular local communities.  People and organisations that have long petitioned governments and local authorities to develop policies and practices that will support and lead us to a sustainable future can now find a much more open door and some leadership evolving through dedicated and well-informed local authority officers who are producing the kind of draft action plans, many of us would only have dreamed about just six months ago.

I urge all of our local residents to get informed and respond to the opportunities for public views and consultations to these draft plans and proposals as they evolve.  You can sign up via these links for the regular updates and newsletters coming out of both DCC: https://www.devonclimateemergency.org.uk  and SHDC: https://www.climatechange.southhams.gov.uk/climate-emergency

Last November, Totnes Town Council hosted a week of sessions and workshops to bring together individuals and groups from around the town and adjacent parishes to develop themes and actions for a Community Climate and Ecological Action Plan.  The document with outcomes are at the link (and a copy is attached to this email): https://jacqihodgson.org/totnesclimateecologicalemergencyactionplan/    The next steps will be to combine this work with the outcomes of other local action planning days and reveal priorities and pathways of linked actions that can take us individually and collectively towards a resilient, safe and happy future for everyone.

See you later,

Best regards,

Jacqi

Cllr Jacqi Hodgson

Devon County Councillor for Totnes & District

South Hams District Councillor for Dartington & Staverton

Totnes Town Councillor – town Mayor

Open up the map at www.widenmypath.com/, pop in your postcode, and you’ll see all the proposed or suggested cycle path improvements in your area.  Click on the little bicycle sign to find out more.  If you agree with any of them, just click the thumb to add your vote.  Takes only a few minutes.

It looks like this….

This September and October, Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESOC) and Transition Homes Community Land Trust (THCLT) will be holding a series of free public events.  These will be part of TRESOC’s feasibility study into the development of a solar photovoltaic (PV) array plus on-site battery storage and electric vehicle charging points at THCLT’s 31-home Clay Park development.

If the study – funded by a Rural Community Energy Fund grant of almost £30,000 – proves the case for solar, the new socio-eco housing development at Clay Park in Dartington could benefit from its own supply of affordable green energy. A micro-grid would be set up to supply the site, taking renewable solar energy direct to residents at a below-market rate. It is estimated that the PV array could generate 180,000 kWh of energy, worth nearly £30,000 a year, on which residents would save approximately 10%.  As well as improving local energy resilience, this would save an estimated 45 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually.

TRESOC would be invited to become the energy supplier at the progressive development, and to own and operate the system. TRESOC intends to raise the capital to install the solar PV panels, microgrid, and operating system, estimated to cost £180,000, through a community share-offer. Clay Park residents will be able to purchase shares in the scheme if they so wish.

Both TRESOC and THCLT are keen to involve the local community for the two walk and talk events, which are open to everyone. These take place at 10.30am and 12.30pm on Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th September, at the Clay Park site. TRESOC’s Operations Manager, Sally Murrall-Smith said, “Children are very welcome to come to these with their parents, and there will be fun renewable things for them to do while the grown-ups enjoy the tour. Please meet at the Clay Park site – the entrance is opposite the Kingdom Hall on the Dartington road.”

The Green Energy focus groups will be held between 11am and 12.30pm on Thursday 24th and Saturday 26th September. These events will be for prospective tenants of Clay Park. THCLT has planning permission for 31 highly energy-efficient eco-homes, offering a choice of affordable rent or shared ownership for local people in housing need. If you would like to put your name down as a prospective resident of either rented, shared own or market housing, please email info@transitionhomes.org.uk. The venue for these events will be announced nearer the time. To register, email admin@tresoc.co.uk or call 01803 867431.

In October 7th, there will be an online community meeting between 7-8pm. To participate, please email admin@tresoc.co.uk or call 01803 867431.

The Rural Community Energy Fund is delivered by the South West Energy Hub on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). The energy hub is led by the West of England Combined Authority, working in partnership with Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership.

TRESOC is a Registered Society with 550 members, 94% are local to Totnes. As with the 2011, 2012, and 2014 share-offers, the minimum investment will be £20, meaning TRESOC membership is open to anyone, regardless of income. This provides the community with access to a local, ethical, and sustainable investment opportunity. It is expected that TRESOC will buy wholesale electricity from a green energy supplier at such times when the solar PV is unable to meet demand at Clay Park. Any surplus electricity will be sold to the National Grid. TRESOC currently supplies commercial customers at 10% less than grid price but hopes to improve on this during the modelling.

Transition Homes Community Land is a volunteer-led community project with a small staff. Clay Park is its first development and is designed to meet some of the need for affordable housing in the Totnes area. As an offshoot of Transition Town Totnes, its scheme of 31 eco-homes at Clay Park, in Dartington parish, has been designed to be as low impact as possible within the existing planning framework of the South Hams. The majority of the homes (70%) are affordable rental and shared ownership for local people in housing need, with a proportion of market housing required for cross-subsidy.

Sally Murrall-Smith
sally.murrall-smith@tresoc.co.uk
www.tresoc.co.uk
01803 867431

Nicola Lang
info@transitionhomes.org.uk
www.transitiontowntotnes.org/transition-homes

Event details

Walk & Talks
Come and explore the site and ask questions in an informal setting. This event is open to everyone. Convenient weekday and weekend times. Children welcome; kids renewable energy making activities on site.
Meet at the Clay Park site (entrance opposite the Kingdom Hall on Dartington road)
Thursday 10th Sept: 10.30am and 12.30pm
Saturday 12th Sept: 10.30am and 12.30pm

Green Energy Focus Groups
Interested in becoming a Clay Park resident? Want to pay a fair price for green energy? Fancy borrowing an electric car? Help design how residents will interact with their energy system.
Totnes (venue TBD)
Thursday 24th Sept: 11am-12:30pm
Saturday 26th Sept: 11am-12:30pm

Online Community Meeting
7th October: 7-8pm