Community Energy Visioning

Special thanks to Karen Bradley and residents from Bonsall

At CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire, we know that the climate emergency is the biggest threat to the countryside. Whether through the flooding of prime agricultural land, or the disappearance of cherished wildlife and landscapes, we need to urgently reduce our carbon emissions to avoid the devastation of rural life.

Low carbon countryside

Renewables still account for just around half of UK electricity, so we know that a low carbon energy future will mean that we need to have a lot more wind turbines, solar panels, and hydro schemes across the country. What’s more, many of these schemes will be sited in rural areas – after all it’s where the space is.

Unfortunately, the main approach we currently have for establishing rural renewable energy schemes in this country is badly wrong. Too often developers come to rural communities with a plan that suits their priorities in terms of location, design and profitability. This leaves people living in the local area suddenly faced with a proposal they have little chance of genuinely influencing. Inevitably this leads to conflict, local opposition to renewable energy schemes, and in the long run, fewer renewable energy schemes actually going ahead.

We want to ensure that the transition to a low carbon future is fair for those living in the countryside. Your support is crucial to achieving this goal. Donate now to help us make a difference!

CPRE’s vision

For the past year, CPRE has been developing an alternative approach to planning renewable energy in the countryside. This approach recognises the importance of the local landscape context, gives a voice to the priorities of rural residents, and empowers communities to pro-actively prepare for a future with more renewable energy. We call it Community Energy Visioning.

CPRE’s process for creating a ‘Community Energy Vision’ involves running a series of three workshops. During these workshops, residents in a local community share their opinions on what renewable energy could go where in their local landscape, and under what conditions. The workshops are designed for anyone to take part in and we always try to ensure that as wide a sample as possible from the local community takes part (offering cake helps!).

The visioning process

The community energy visioning process involves a series of workshops

The first workshop explores what is important to residents and why
The second workshop investigates the energy needs of the local community and which types of renewable energy people might be willing to adopt
Finally, residents explore possible locations for their preferred renewable energy solutions

After the workshops are complete, we write up the results into a vision document and work with local artists to produce illustrations. These depict the future of the local landscape with the renewable energy schemes proposed.

Community Energy Visioning in Bonsall

We teamed up with CPRE Derbyshire to facilitate three community workshops in the village of Bonsall, near Matlock. During the workshops, we spoke to over forty people who shared their opinions about the future of this rural community. Read the full outcome from the Bonsall Community Energy Visioning project.

Community Energy Visioning in Woodsetts

We hosted three community workshops in the village of Woodsetts near Rotherham to help residents explore where and how renewable energy could be generated in the countryside. Read about the Woodsetts community project.

It’s thanks to generous funding from MCS Charitable Foundation that we were able to deliver this approach at a local level, following successful pilots by CPRE, the countryside charity.

CPRE PDSY consultant, Andy Tickle tells us more; “Our process allows the local community to understand its energy needs and enables them to take important steps towards greener energy and allied CO2 reductions, by reducing energy demand and increasing the supply of local renewable energy sources. In doing so, we hope to give local communities a voice so that they can help improve and protect their local environment.”

The Community Energy Visioning projects were welcomed by residents, with locals in Bonsall commenting; “Credit for revitalising the lapsed Bonsall Energy Group must sit with the CPRE’s facilitator and volunteers. They offered structure and knowledge together with encouragement and enthusiasm and so enabled diverse personalities to conjure a unified vision to progress the work. The professionally produced report with its high quality visualisations is a most valuable asset to the village group. It stands as an ‘ambassador’ signalling excellence, ambition and commitment. Thanks are due to the CPRE team and the artist for their quality of work and commitment.”

Community Engagement and Inclusion – Highly Commended

We are thrilled to announce that our Community Energy Visioning project was highly commended at The Community Energy Awards 2023. The judges praised our efforts, saying: “By fostering inclusivity, innovation, and knowledge sharing, the project not only empowered the communities of Bonsall and Woodsetts but also served as a beacon of inspiration for similar endeavours across the country.”

This recognition highlights the positive impact of our work and the importance of community-driven energy solutions. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and grateful to everyone who contributed to the project’s success.