North York Moors villages take steps to cut carbon footprint (From Gazette & Herald)

North York Moors villages take steps to cut carbon footprint

12:31pm Wednesday 8th July 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

REMOTE communities in the picturesque North York Moors National Park are going eco-friendly – and saving money.

Villagers in Appleton-le-Moors, Spaunton, Bransdale and the Esk Valley are taking part in the Community Renewable Energy project which aims to help national park communities reduce their carbon footprint by cutting energy consumption.

Richard Gunton, the park’s director of recreation and management, said: “It is an experimental project which tests new models and seeks to develop best practice.”

Funded mainly by Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, and the National Park Authority, the project has seen a special energy group set up in Appleton and Spaunton, which has now become a community interest company.

Mr Gunton said: “A grant scheme has been introduced to encourage and help residents with energy efficiency measures and install small scale renewables such as wood burners, solar hot water and heat exchange.”

Meanwhile in Bransdale, the community has worked with Yorwoods and the National Trust, with the result that 18 houses in the isolated beauty spot are to be fitted with biomass, wood-burning heating equipment.

The Forestry Commission has agreed that an area of local forest will be dedicated to the sustainable supply of fuel for the village, said Mr Gunton.

A processing site is being built to handle woodfuel production and young people are being invited to be trained in the harvesting and supply of woodfuel.

The Esk Valley Energy Group has been set up as an industrial provident society with the aim of developing and managing local rewnewable energy supply.

Mr Gunton said: “Funds generated from the sale of energy will be invested in further community projects.”

The first is a hydro-electricity generator at Ruswarp Mill and licences are now being sought from the Environment Agency.

Nellie Trevalyan, a former Ryedale District councillor who played a key part in master-minding the Appleton venture, said original plans for a community wind turbine had been ruled out by the villages in favour of a wood burning scheme.

As a result, residents were now switching from oil heating systems to wood, and a community woodland has been provided.

Thirty-five acres of woodland for use now, and replanting, has been made available close to the villages, Mrs Trevalyan said.

“These are exciting enterprises which have so much to offer in terms of saving energy, using alternative fuels and being eco-friendly,” she added.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)