More than £500,000 for carbon-cutting in Solihull
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) grants local council more than half a million pounds to reduce CO2 emissions and act on climate change across Chelmsley Wood.
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is taking direct action on climate change with a grant of more than £500,000 from WMCA, funded through the government’s net zero accelerator programme, which will be used to cut carbon emissions in Chelmsley.
Cllr Andy Mackiewicz on the bridge over Kingshurst Brook in Chelmsley Wood, image courtesy Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
The town is one of the largest housing estates in the region, largely built between 1966 and 1970 to provide relatively high-density housing for the local manufacturing industries. The decline of those industries hit the area hard, with deep felt social and economic deprivation. But Chelmsley, which is close to both Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre, has a great deal of potential. The new money is a significant investment in the town’s future.
The aim is to use the money to introduce measures that benefit local residents and businesses. It’s thought this could involve energy retrofit assessments, where people are helped to find ways to improve their energy efficiency and reduce fuel costs by installing insulation, solar panels and/or low-carbon heating solutions. As well as tech-based interventions, plans will also be considered for improvements to neighbourhoods to boost the natural environment and enhance opportunities for active travel.
What’s more, this new initiative is one of six such schemes taking place across the West Midlands.
Cllr Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Planning at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, says: ‘We are delighted to have secured this funding to create a plan that will focus on climate action by enhancing the natural environment, improving air quality and reducing net carbon emissions. This exciting project will be the first of its kind in Solihull and we believe it can deliver real benefits to Chelmsley Wood – an area of the borough which has high levels of fuel poverty and where there is potential to improve the energy efficiency of homes.
‘This project will put the community of Chelmsley Wood at its heart while setting out a plan for how the area can benefit from climate action and being more sustainable. We will be starting the process of talking to the residents in the new year to make sure the planned actions meet what the community want.’
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