Carbon Neutral Fund will support climate action and biodiversity projects

Services from across the council have put in expressions of interest to the latest round of the Carbon Neutral Fund.

For the first time funding is available over 2 years, giving projects more certainty and flexibility to plan.

The latest round of the Carbon Neutral Fund will be decided by councillors at the Policy & Resources Committee tomorrow, Thursday 6 October.

A total of £7.8 million is expected to be allocated between 29 climate action and biodiversity projects.

They include:

• Restoring heritage seafront lighting with energy-efficient LED lights
• Low carbon heating in two children centres/nurseries
• Further development of the fast chargers for electric vehicles
• Subsidised home composters and water butts for residents

The Carbon Neutral Fund is part of the 2030 Carbon Neutral Programme which was approved in March last year. Priorities for the fund are projects which will reduce carbon emissions, conserve or improve biodiversity, or help the city adapt to the effects of climate change.

The Carbon Neutral Fund, along with the one-off Climate Action Fund for transport and travel projects, has funded £8.9m of projects since 2019.

At Budget Council in February, councillors agreed £14 million for the 2030 Carbon Neutral Programme. This includes the funding available to projects that submitted Expressions of Interest in July 2022 and £5.8 million ring-fenced to progress three council priorities: liveable neighbourhoods, operational building improvements, and air quality monitoring.

Current and past Carbon Neutral Funded projects 

Transport

• Installation of fast electric vehicle (EV) chargers (£50k)
• School streets project (£25,5k)
• Bus exhaust converters to lower emissions (£99,5k)
• Air quality monitoring (£160k)

Energy and Water

• Supporting schools with energy efficiency projects (£500k)
• Low carbon (heat pump) pilot at Carden Community Centre and Portslade Town Hall (£190k)
• Water efficiency measures across the council’s property portfolio (£50k)
• Energy audits and improvements on 10 of the council’s larger commercial properties (£50k)
• Replacing existing lighting with low energy LEDs in some sports facilities (£187k)
• Hollingdean depot HGV EV charging infrastructure (£408k)
• EV fast charging points at four council housing locations (80k)
• 30 EV fast charging points in parks depots (£31,6K)

Nature and environment

• Wilding Waterhall (£41k)
• Wildlife and wildflowers in grass verges (£80k)
• Tree planting (£1 million)

Circular economy

• Madeira Terrace restoration – reducing embodied carbon (£300k)

Waste

• Community composting (£33,960)
• Drinking water fountains (£72,6k)

Climate adaptation

• Eldred Avenue Sustainable Drainage Scheme (£50k)
• Preston Park Sustainable Drainage Scheme (£80k)
• Strategic Sustainable Drainage Scheme programme (£110k)

In addition, in 2021 £3.9m of Carbon Neutral Funding was allocated to transport and travel projects including infrastructure such as charging points to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles and local investment in pedestrian crossings, cycle facilities, bus network and rights of way improvements to encourage people to travel more sustainably.

The separate Climate Action Fund also funded £1.4m of transport and travel projects to help take forward the recommendations of the city Climate Assembly held in September-November 2020.

More information

Read the Carbon Neutral Fund report (agenda item 60) for the Policy & Resources Committee. Watch the meeting online through the council's webcast.