Industry News

Newswire – CABE: Rural communities are being encouraged to apply for funds to masterplan their growth in a sustainable way (closing date for bids - 15 January 2010). The new £1m competition is being run by Communities and Local Government and Defra.  The Rural Masterplanning Fund is a competition aimed at assisting local planning authorities to prepare sustainable masterplans for community extensions to rural market towns & villages.
 
It was announced by government as a response to the Taylor Review on rural communities in 2008, which recommended new policies for market towns at risk from unsympathetic development & homogenous housing estates.  Successful councils will receive advice from CABE and the Homes and Communities Agency to help their communities develop in an intelligent way, supporting a sustainable economy & transport system that enables more people to work locally and use local services.
Press release ~ Application process and related documents ~ Taylor Review on rural communities ~ Defra: Affordable rural housing ~ CABE responds to draft PPS7 - Sustainable development in rural areas
 
DECC: Up to 125,000 households in England with working ‘G-rated’ boilers can now apply through the Energy Saving Trust for a voucher which will entitle them to £400 off the price of a new, modern ‘A-rated’ boiler, or a renewable heating system like a biomass boiler or a heat pump.
 
The Government’s Boiler Scrappage Scheme has already triggered some companies to complement (& in some cases match) the offer and it is expected others will follow suit.  People are advised to shop around to find the best deal which suits them before applying to the Scheme.  According to the HHIC, the average cost of a boiler and installation is around £2,500.
Press release ~ Energy Saving Trust - Boiler Scrappage Scheme ~ Heating and Hot Water Industry Council ~ See also separate Warm Front Scheme
 
Newswire – IDeAIDeA,through the Healthy Communities programme (HCP), plans to support the preventative public health sector to understand where efficiency savings can be achieved and how to realise them.  It is currently asking local authorities & partnerships to work with them to trial this theory in practice.
 
The business case for health improvement rests on the distinction between prevention & cure.  For example, working with older people to maintain their independence and stay healthy will help reduce social services costs, as well as improve outcomes for residents.
 
The HCP has published a review - Valuing health: developing a business case for health improvement - which looks at the evidence & research on the financial & non-financial impact of health improvement. HCP are now seeking local authorities & partnerships to work with to test out this theory in practice.  Expressions of interest should be submitted by 19 February 2010.
Press release ~ IDeA: Healthy Communities programme ~ Valuing health: developing a business case for health improvement
 
LR: From 3 January 2010 Land Registry has withdrawn one of the methods used by lenders to discharge registered charges (mortgages).  The ENDs method (Electronic Notification of Discharge) has been in place for about 10 years, but it has been superseded by the more efficient & 100% electronic e-DS1 method which is available via the new Land Registry portal.  This change is in advance of the withdrawal of Land Registry Direct in Spring 2010.
 
Land Registry has informed affected lenders - most of whom are signing up for the new portal.  This means they'll be able to continue to discharge mortgages electronically via e-DS1.  Most e-DS1s are processed automatically by Land Registry systems and will provide an instantaneous completion of the discharge application.  
Press release ~ Current ENDs users ~ e-DS1 practice note ~ e-DS1 slideshow
 
ScotGov: The Beauly - Denny power line upgrade has been approved on the basis that the upgrade will boost grid capacity along the line and help unlock Scotland's onshore & offshore renewables potential. There are over 50 potential projects totalling around 4.2 Gigawatts (GW) in the north of Scotland (66% of peak Scottish demand), that will further secure Scotland’s supply, while allowing it to continue to export the surplus. 
 
The overhead line will be 137 miles / 220 kilometres long and will replace the existing single circuit 132kV overhead transmission line with a 400kV double circuit overhead line providing more reliable capacity. It will comprise approximately 600 towers.  The average height will be 53m, compared to the current 815 towers of an average height of 33m. The upgraded line must be in place within 10 years.  

The consent states that construction of the line must begin within 4 years, and that electricity transmission should begin within 6 years of the start of construction.
Press release ~ Full background on the Beauly-Denny decision ~ Energy Consents Unit
 
WAG: Jane Hutt, Minister for Business & Budget, has announced details of a second tranche of Invest-to-Save funded projects that are intended to deliver more effective & efficient public services. The Fund is available for projects that
improve the way public services procure goods & services
* streamline business processes
* introduce ICT to improve delivery
* make better use of the public estate
* reduce the costs of corporate functions & routine business through shared services and other collaborative approaches
Press release ~ Invest-to-save fund
 
BIS: An EU Galileo contract has been won by consortium involving British satellite manufacturers SSTLLord Drayson, Science & Innovation Minister, said:  "This is great news for Surrey-based satellite manufacturer SSTL and the British space industry.  The contract for 14 satellites will provide approximately €236m (£212m) of work for SSTL and cement their position as key player in this booming industry."
Press release ~ EU Galileo ~ Galileo (Esa) ~ Surrey Satellite Technology Limited  ~ British National Space Centre (BNSC)
 
MoD: The Ministry of Defence’s very own ‘Dragon’s Den’ has received its 1,000th equipment proposal as defence researchers share their ideas to help frontline troops. The Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) was set up 18 months ago to harness & fund cutting-edge ideas that could be used in defence and so far over 150 proposals have been given research funding from the CDE, with more than 60% of those funded coming from SMEs.
 
Projects that have benefited from CDE funding include D30 Labs, based in Hove – awarded £96,000 to develop its shock absorbing material for troops’ helmet lining.
Press release ~ Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE)
 
ScotGov: Funding of £96.6m has been awarded to more than 1,000 projects across rural Scotland. The cash investment comes from the Rural Priorities scheme within the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP).  Projects approved from this round alone will create or sustain more than 200 jobs and brings the total investment approved to £257.8m.
 
Projects funded from Rural Priorities range from tiny grants for small farm-based projects up to sizeable awards for developments which will completely transform communities across Scotland.  Rural Secretary, Richard Lochhead, claimed that the funding will ‘boost Scotland's economic recovery, tackle climate change and position rural Scotland to deliver for the twenty-first century’.
Press release ~ Scotland Rural Development Programme ~ Rural Priorities case studies
 
ScotGov: Scotland's world-leading renewables industry has taken a huge step forward First Minister, Alex Salmond, claimed last week, as The Crown Estate unveiled plans to develop almost 5GW of offshore wind energy off the country's east coast.
 
EDP Renováveis and SeaEnergy (EDP-SER) will be development partners for the Moray Firth zone, while SeaGreen Wind Energy Ltd - equally owned by SSE Renewables and Fluor - has secured the exclusivity zone agreement for the Firth of Forth.  Elsewhere, ScottishPower Renewables and SSE Renewables were each part of consortia successful in securing exclusivity agreements in two of the remaining 7 zones south of the border.
 
Mr Salmond also announced plans for talks involving Ofgem, National Grid and energy firms in Glasgow next week to help to resolve on-going concerns over the higher Grid connection charges levied on renewable energy producers north of the border.
ScotGov press release ~ Related ScotGov press release - Grid links across the Irish Sea ~ Related DECC press release ~ The Crown Estate ~ EDP Renováveis ~ SeaEnergy (EDP-SER) ~ SeaGreen Wind Energy Ltd ~ SSE Renewables ~ Fluor ~ ScottishPower Renewables ~ Higher Grid connection charges
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