Sustainable Development Fund Committee 4/11/20

1.     To appoint a Chair for the ensuing year

Nomination received:           Councillor M James

2.     To appoint a Deputy Chair for the ensuing year

Nomination received:           None

3.     To receive apologies for absence

4.     To receive any disclosure of interest by Members or Officers in respect of any item of business

5.     To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 20 May 2020

6.      To agree the revised Terms of Reference

7.     To agree the role of Advisory Members of the Committee and the process for their recruitment.

8.     To agree the Scoring Template

9.     To consider whether the public should be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following item due to the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 12 and 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

10.   To consider the report of the Funding and Grants Officer on the following applications.

SDF/112020/1 – A Sustainable Future for Theatr Gwaun
Theatr Gwaun is a combined theatre, cinema & events venue. The theatre has a high electric consumption for the running of the digital projector (24 hours/day), freezers, fridges, lighting and water heating which amounts to around £5,000 per annum.

The Group (a registered charity) is committed to reducing energy consumption and are already in the process of replacing existing halogen lights with LED types and replacing old fridges and freezers with modern energy-efficient ones. To further reduce their energy usage they are looking for funding to install 20kW of solar panels on the south-facing theatre roof which should generate electricity to the value of £2,000 per year. Any excess energy generated will be sold back to the local supplier at a rate of 5p per kWh using the Government’s Smart Export Guarantee scheme.

SDF/112020/2 – Marloes & St Brides Village Hall – Enhancing Our Solar Panel System

The Hall Committee have secured a grant to install a Solar PV System for the hall. Work on this is due to commence in November of this year.  The SDF funding is to purchase and install a Battery System to supplement the PV.

The PV installation has already been designed to help provide a warm, dry and carbon-neutral village hall; it includes a pair of storage heaters into which power can be diverted during daytime, rather than export it to the grid. The addition of a battery will not only give the option of storing any PV power surplus as electricity for use during evening events; in winter months the battery can also be recharged at night when grid electricity is cheap and there is usually a surplus of renewable generation. This will result in reducing running costs of the hall, minimising community carbon footprint, and helping to stabilise the grid.  Heating the hall is one of the major annual costs.

SDF/112020/3 – Pembrokeshire Mencap Ltd 2020 Efficiency Works

The project is broken down into 4 items,

1 –  Water supply to pond.  A small pond has been constructed to provide varied habitat. A rainwater collection tank exists already but pipework needs to be laid to connect the tank to the pond, in order to replenish the water with rainwater collected from the roof of the centre. Providing a better environment for the pond life and also avoiding the use of de-chlorinated mains water, thereby reducing water consumption.

2.   Improve the insulation to hot water pipes at the Centre, thereby reducing heat loss and power consumption and reduce the associated carbon footprint.

3.   Install a UV control on the inlet to the male urinal. There are a number of controls available on the market, but due to the plumbing system a UV controller that can be powered by battery in needed.  The benefits will be reduction in water consumption and consequently lower water bills.

4.   Funding is requested for a solar powered unit for the wash station, where students and staff can wash tools and hands after working in the gardens. This will reduces the use of electrical water heating thereby reducing carbon.

SDF/112020/4 – Sustainable Pembrokeshire Islands
The funding request is for Lighthouse water system improvements (Skokholm), UV sterilisation system and solar panels and system upgrade (Skomer).

The lighthouse on Skokholm accommodates staff and volunteer.  Island accommodation is basic.  Safe drinking water, hot water and limited power are essential.  Currently there is no hot water which means boiling water on a gas cooker when it is required. There are existing solar hot water panels which are in good condition however a new pump and pipework are needed to restore functionality.

Skomer North Haven accommodates staff, volunteers and researchers, up to 8 individuals at any one time but many more over the course of a season. The building receives drinking water from a spring but this water fails the PCC annual water tests, so all residents are required to boil the water before drinking. This results in a high usage of bottled propane gas and the island boat (with a petrol engine) making numerous trips to the mainland each year to collect the gas required.

Skomer’s power supply is limited and carefully managed. PV arrays serve all buildings, but the panels and battery storage are over 15 years old and inefficient. When solar generated power runs low the only alternative is a back-up diesel generator. Our aim is to make the solar collection and storage system as efficient as possible to cut generator run time.

SDF/112020/5 – First trial seaweed and shellfish farms in Wales
Establishing the first Welsh trial restorative ocean farms for the production of seaweed and shellfish.

The organisation (community benefit society) has 5-year licenses for 2 trial farms in Ramsey Sound. The trials farms are designed to identify the optimum species & farming practices in Pembrokeshire.

The first seeded seaweed lines & native oysters will be deployed in November 2020.

This 18 month project requiring funding is to enable the monitoring of stock performance & environmental factors at these farms (December 20 – June 2022), so that the consent process for future farms can be streamlined & this can act as a template for others to duplicate.

Funding will pay for qualified consultant to provide time to the project for monitoring and guidance, suitably equipped work boat, specialist growing equipment, staff time & fuel to visit farms.

SDF/112020/6 – Newport: Decarbonisation through Biodiversity
To mobilise the community in carbon reduction. Engage at least 80 people in planting trees & shrubs on suitable identified sites; increase habitats & biodiversity connectivity on public & private land (including 50 private gardens, on farmland and public land); and engage residents in ‘citizen science’ through recording & sharing at least 3,000 local data points on biodiversity. NAEG will work with the Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership’s Biodiversity Implementation Officer, using the Land Use Planning Tool, to identify suitable sites for planting.  Deliver 2 biodiversity awareness/ education events at the school to increase biodiversity and raise awareness. Those participating in the scheme will receive eco-friendly static window stickers, acknowledging PCNPA SDF support.

Funding will pay for a part-time self- employed Biodiversity and De-Carbonisation Officer (BDO) (£10,920) to lead the project and engage local people as well as organisations including Newport Town Council, Newport Forum, Newport Gardening Club, The Friends of Newport and Nevern, Newport Paths Group, Ysgol Bro Ingli and Newport Youth Club. They will also invite appropriate National Park and Local Authority officers and local PCNPA youth representatives and the local YFC, to form a Project Steering Group to oversee the work of the BDO.

SDF/112020/7 – Pembrokeshire Energy Efficiency Programme (PEEP)
Revenue funding (staff costs) to pay for 12 month research into the feasibility of PEEP – a county-wide energy efficiency programme – and run a pilot to test-drive the findings from the initial research before expanding the programme throughout the county.