Winchester Action on Climate Change

After a period of consultation the WinACC Plan for 2008/09 has been approved by the WinACC Steering Group and can be downloaded below:

Download: WinACC Plan for 2008/09 [PDF, 170kB]

More than 40 people attended the third Open Meeting of WinACC on 2 February, which - in accordance with the WinACC rule - lasted for ninety minutes.   The meeting fell into three sections. Rebecca Chivers of the Environment Centre (tEC), Southampton, described a proposed rural communities initiative for which tEC is seeking funding.  The plan is to promote energy conservation and more sustainable transport in two villages - Cheriton and Bishop’s Sutton.   If funded the project will last from April to November 2008; and the help of City and County Council officers, as well as WinACC volunteers, will be sought. More information about this project will be posted on the website once tEC hears the result of its funding application. 

WinACC’s response to the City Council’s Local Development Framework: Issues and Options paper has been endorsed by seven organizations that support WinACC: Architecture PLB, the City of Winchester Trust, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Partnership, Sparsholt College, Winchester Friends of the Earth, A2 Housing Association and Winchester Area Community Action (WACA).

St Bede’s Church of England Primary School, Gordon Road, Winchester is a popular city centre school with just over 300 pupils on roll.  In December some parents who are supporters of WinACC formed a group to reduce the school’s carbon footprint. The group was launched at the School’s Christmas Fair with a ‘How to Have a Greener Christmas’ Stall.  Fifty parents joined the group at that event.  The project has the support of teachers, senior staff and Governors.

The LDF Core Strategy: Issues and Options paper presents a wide range of options covering some of the most important policy areas that will determine the way Winchester City Council will address the challenges of climate change. This response is largely restricted to answering Question 15 of the questionnaire in the paper. However, the principles outlined in the response apply equally to many other topic areas in the LDF and these answers to Question 15 should also be taken as responding to other questions in so far as they relate to climate change.

The Big Lottery Fund has just announced a new, multi-million pound scheme to help communities become more energy efficient and ease the financial impact of rising energy costs.

The Community Sustainable Energy grant scheme will help local organisations tackle pivotal environmental issues by becoming more energy efficient.

The scheme, worth £10.1 million, will be managed by the Building Research Establishment. Groups will be able to apply for grants to install small-scale energy efficient technology such as wind turbines or solar panels on sites including village halls, visitor centres or schools. Funding to improve building insulation will also be offered.

The Editor
Hampshire Chronicle

Dear Sir,

At a recent meeting of Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC) the question was raised ‘Why do shops leave their doors wide open in cold weather?’ In a recent survey of the Broadway and High Street in Winchester I noted 47 shops with their doors wide open when the outside temperature was only 6°C. Although I did not check the inside temperatures on that day it is common experience that many shops set their heating relatively high and far above the legal minimum for a workplace of 16°C. So it is not hard to imagine what happens to a lot of that warm air.

Press release

‘Time is running out if the richer countries are to play their part in minimising the dangers of runaway climate change’.    That is the message from Winchester Action on Climate Change, the local group set up last autumn with the support of a wide range of local organisations including Winchester City Council and the University of Winchester.  

A discussion forum has now been set up, please join the discussion!

Action Groups

45 people attended the open meeting of WinACC on Saturday 1 December and the following Action Groups were reported on, or proposed, and discussed. Contact details are given of those who have initiated the groups and/or are willing to lead them: