The survey on local views about community-owned renewable energy in the area of Wellow, Peasedown and Shoscombe is now LIVE. All views, whether supportive, against, or unsure are welcome and valuable, so please do take the time to read it through and complete the questions. And do fill in the comment boxes with your additional thoughts. You can learn more about the local process that led up to this current survey here.
As highlighted on our Why Future Wellow page, our village has a much higher than average carbon usage, with a significant proportion of that coming from the energy that we use in our homes. A community-owned renewable project would go a long way to reducing our area’s carbon consumption. It would give us ownership of any development as well as a say in how it is shaped, and any profits would be returned to the community for our benefit. You can learn more about community energy here.
But for this type of project to work, our community has to want it. This is why it’s so important that as many of us as possible take part in the survey, and have our say.
As well as the information linked above, we pulled together some FAQs to address some confusion about the survey.
Are there plans for wind turbines in Wellow Valley?
No.
There are no proposals to build wind turbines or solar farms as part of the Community Energy Survey.
This is a survey to collect our views about community-owned renewable energy in the combined area of Wellow, Peasedown and Shoscombe.
The deadline to take part is Wednesday 15th July.
We should all have our say – fill it in here.
Are there any identified sites for wind turbines and solar farms?
No.
In widely advertised community meetings and surveys with local residents some general locations for renewable power were suggested for community discussion.
No meaningful investigation of these has been done.
The survey is to get our views on community-owned renewable energy before any locations are investigated.
You can read about what’s happened so far here.
Who’s carrying out the survey?
The Community Energy Network (CEN).
They are a partnership between Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bath and West Community Energy, the Centre for Sustainable Energy and The University of Bath, and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
What happens after I fill out the survey?
The CEN team will collect all the survey responses.
There will be a community meeting to feedback the results.
If Wellow, Peasedown and Shoscombe decide that a community-owned renewable energy project is NOT for us, then this process will end.
What happens if we decide that we DO want community-owned renewable energy?
Potential locations will then be identified and investigated for viability.
There will be more community discussions to ensure any project is one that the community wants.
It could result in our area having our own community-owned renewable energy asset.
You can find out more about community-owned energy here.
What about commercial projects?
This community led process gives local people the chance to explore ideas openly and at a very early stage, long before any proposals exist.
Commercial developers, by contrast, typically select sites privately and only engage with communities once they apply for planning consent.
What part has Future Wellow played in this?
We heard about this survey and thought that everyone should know about it and have a say.
We have spread the word by sharing the information produced by the CEN in the email Parish Post, the printed Parish Newsletter, on village noticeboards and in the shop, and by inviting the CEN team to the village show.
What should I do about this?
It’s important that we all have our say.
Paper versions of the survey are available in the Wellow village shop, at The Hive in Peasedown, or from the Community Energy Network.
I have more questions…
The CEN team will be at The Hive Fun Day on Saturday 20th June and the Wellow Village Show on Sunday 12th July.
They can also be contacted on community_energy@bathnes.gov.uk .
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