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Climate change emergency

A climate emergency was declared by the Council on 16 July 2019.

We’re now developing a district-wide greening programme along with measures to try and reduce our carbon footprint as a Council and a community.

How we’re responding to the climate emergency

‌Since the declaration of a climate emergency in Newark and Sherwood, we’ve been:

Reducing our carbon emissions

We want to be carbon neutral by 2035. Working in collaboration with the Carbon Trust, we’ve identified potential carbon reduction projects to help us reduce our carbon emissions.

We’re currently focusing on reducing our emissions relating to our corporate and leisure buildings and transport.

Community Plan

Our Community Plan is the main document detailing how we’re working towards a better future. It includes a number of key objectives and actions that will help us respond to the climate emergency: 

  • improving the cleanliness and appearance of the local environment
  • protecting, promoting and enhancing the district’s natural environment
  • improving the health and wellbeing of local residents

What actions are we taking now?

Across the Council, there are several actions already underway to help combat the climate emergency.

These include:

  • reporting on our carbon footprint annually. Climate Emergency Update 2022 [181kb]

  • minimising the use of peat in all our gardening operations, something we have done for the last ten years

  • upgrading our parks and gardening powered equipment to electric rather than petrol tools, for example our strimmers, leaf blowers and chainsaws

  • including 'no mow' areas in our parks and gardens and leaving areas of grass for wildlife in pockets all around the district

  • encouraging everyone in the district to think about the environment, to reduce, reuse and recycle as part of everyday life and providing way to help you dispose of your waste responsibly

  • monitoring and taking measures to stop air pollution

  • installing electric vehicle charging points in our car parks with further expansion planned for 2023

  • launching and completing a major programme of tree planting and conservation across the district with an ambition to plant 10,000 trees over five year - find out more about our tree planting programme and some of the ways you can help support our environmental aims on our trees and nature conservation page

  • developing a Tree Strategy which will be out for consultation in 2023

  • bike hire scheme through Brompton Bikes with several locations throughout the District

  • developing new Residential cycle and car parking standards SPD and Wind energy SPD

  • focusing on Biodiversity & Net Gains  

Solar PV installation 

We have undertaken a feasibility study for Solar PV installation on a range of our corporate and leisure sites in order to gain further understanding in relation to costs involved, payback, carbon savings and if installation is practical.

In 2023 Solar PV installation will take place at the below sites:

  • Newark Sports and Fitness Centre
  • Southwell Leisure Centre
  • Dukeries Leisure Centre
  • The Beacon
  • Vicar Water

These sites will generate an expected 400,000kWh of energy per annum and save an expected 90 tCO2e per annum. The completion of this project will assist the Council with making carbon savings and generating renewable energy which will assist us with reaching our 2035 net carbon neutrality target.

LAD2 Energy Efficiency Improvements to Homes  (Green Homes Grant)

The LAD2 programme of works completed in September 2022, in partnership with Eon, and a total of 50 properties have been retrofitted with energy efficiency measures, enabling cost savings on energy bills and to support low-income households in Newark and Sherwood. This comprised of energy efficiency improvements in 36 private sector housing properties. 15 properties benefited from External Wall Insulation (EWI) and 21 properties had Solar PV panels installed. Whilst 14 properties owned by the Council (part of the Council’s social housing portfolio) benefited from the installation of Solar PV panels.

Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP)

The Local Area Energy Plan is a pathway broken down into components that show the district’s route to achieve net zero by 2050. It will list the interventions and where they will have the most impact, for example, heating system installations in this area and public electric vehicle chargers in this town.

The LAEP will focus on three key areas;

  • Retrofitting of existing housing to improve energy efficiency of homes (private and Council owned homes)
  • Switching to low carbon road transport (private and Council owned)
  • Deployment of renewable generation (on Council owned land/properties)

The plan will also outline the route to switching to low carbon private and Council owned transport. Installation of public charge points would be funded, and whilst the District Council has already purchased two electric vehicles, it would continue the investment into low carbon transport for council-owned vehicle fleets. Homes in EPC band D-G would be assessed and, if deemed suitable, would be fit with fabric retrofit improvements or low carbon heating systems. This investment would result in the decarbonisation of energy across the district. Potential local opportunities for renewable generation on council-owned land, using technology such as solar panels and wind turbines, will also be identified.

We expect the LAEP to be developed by Autumn 2024 with the interventions recommended delivered by 2050.

What can you do?

Download our Nottinghamshire Wide Green Rewards App

You can earn green points by shopping locally, cycling, using public transport or simply turning off the lights at home!

In Newark and Sherwood, we’re giving away two vouchers each worth £20 every month:

  • The first voucher goes to the top Green Points earner
  • The second voucher will go to a Green Points earner chosen at random

Download the app and sign up to Green Rewards at www.notts.greenrewards.co.uk to see how living greener could help you win! 

Make your home more energy efficient

Advice on how you can make your home more energy efficient can be found here

Information on Community Sustainability can be found here

Information on Business Sustainability can be found here

Grants and Funding Opportunities

NSDC Community Grant Funding

University of Nottingham Business Grants

Nottingham County Council Funding

UK Shared Prosperity Fund