Local Energy Plan for Settle and district

The potential development of renewable energy schemes in and around Settle was looked at during a workshop facilitated by Action on Climate Emergency (ACE) Settle and Area’s Energy Group on 21^st May 2022 to take the first steps in drawing up a comprehensive Local Area Energy Plan.  Following the showing on 22^nd March of the film “We the People” a survey of those attending indicated strong support for a wide range of renewable energy technologies in our district with the emphasis on solar and wind power as well as anaerobic digestion and heat pumps, with community ownership of installations being the most popular means of implementation.

The workshop which followed invited attendees representing local interests, to indicate how they felt about local landscape and amenities, focussing on Settle, Giggleswick and Langcliffe, before being invited to propose how a range of renewable energy projects might make a local contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while addressing increasing home energy budgets.

A ‘Future Energy Landscape’ model was used to run the workshop.  Created by CPRE – The Countryside Charity and CSE the Centre for Sustainable Energy (:  https://www.cse.org.uk/downloads/file/future-energy-landscapes-design-and-rationale.pdf) , the consultation method is being used by a range of communities around the UK to help with looking at local landscapes and available renewable energy technologies and combining the two in a draft Local Area Energy Plan.

ACE wish to involve a wide participation in this exercise and to find out your views a report on the outcome of the workshop can be viewed on ACE’s website:   https://acesettleandarea.org/about-ace/energy/ Alternatively feedback will be welcomed face to face – at ACE’s August Green Cafe to be held 10.30-12 Noon on 13th August at Settle Victoria Hall’s Refreshment Gardens. You can also express your views through organisations that you are involved with who will be sent this report, and by contacting us directly by email: consultation@acesettleandarea.org

The consultation will run until: 15^th August 2022. Workshop participants will reconvene on 6th September (7-9pm) at Catholic Church Hall, together with anyone who would like to get involved, to look at feedback and to draw up a draft Local Area Energy Plan for Settle, Langcliffe and Giggleswick and beyond, as appropriate.

The final report will be presented to the local councils of Settle, Giggleswick and Langcliffe for endorsement and will ultimately contribute to a Yorkshire-wide plan being drawn up by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.