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The London Legacy Development Corporation has awarded more than £2 million to 16 local community projects in the first bidding round of the 2022 Carbon Offset Fund.

The LLDC Planning team collects carbon offsetting monies from developers who build new development that requires planning permission in its area. Development is required by planning policy to be net zero carbon and achieve as much carbon reduction through on-site measures as possible. Any gap between this and net zero has to be met by payment of a financial sum that can be used by the Local Planning Authority towards funding of projects that reduce carbon emissions elsewhere.

Projects that applied for funding needed to be in one or more of the following categories, energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, embodied energy and behavioural change.

The 16 successful projects bring a range of benefits to communities and organisations across Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. For example through reduced energy demand, better insulation, reprocessing of food waste locally to use for local food growing, and reducing carbon emissions through changed behaviours by education and engagement with communities, schools and businesses. In many cases projects are being match funded and the LLDC funding award is enabling projects to take place or to achieve greater benefit.

Lyn Garner, CEO of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said

“The breadth of applications and the benefits that they bring to local people and the local area is genuinely inspiring. The Carbon Offset Fund will make a huge difference to communities and organisations across the area and we hope this significant investment will genuinely enable these groups to help reduce carbon emissions in the local area.”

The policies supporting this approach are set out in the LLDC Local Plan and the London Plan. The LLDC’s ‘Getting to Net Zero’ Supplementary Planning Document (2022) sets out the approach in more detail and sets the amount the per tonne of carbon that should be paid by a development scheme. This sum is currently £95 per tonne of carbon. S106 Agreements that are attached to a developments planning permission are used to secure the payment of the carbon offset monies.

All monies paid by development to offset its residual carbon emissions are held in the Carbon Offset Fund. The LLDC does not directly spend the carbon offset monies received. Instead, it holds funding rounds to allow those with carbon offsetting projects to bid for funding towards the implementation of those projects. The ‘Getting to Net Zero’ Supplementary Planning Document includes information on how funding bids can be made, including an application form.

Funding Rounds into which projects can bid for projects are advertised in advance and bids are assessed based on the criteria set out in the application form with its supporting information. To date the LLDC has held one Funding Round, with the window for applications being 16th March and 16th June 2022.

A full list of successful projects is as follows:

Repowering London 

Project name: Repowering Newham: Solar PV at Stratford Library and Atherton Leisure Centre

Borough: LB Newham

Summary: Installation of community-owned solar panels at Stratford Library and Atherton Leisure Centre

Funding awarded: £37,200

Stokey Energy

Project name: Leaside Trust Development: Energy Efficiency, Renewables and Behavioural Change

Borough: LB Hackney

Summary: 

• Delivering improvements (improved insulation & air tightness, solar PV panels and air source heat pump) to two buildings owned by the Leaside Trust at Spring Lane, Clapton. These facilities are used to support the provision of adventure sports programmes.
• The project will be supported by an educational initiative.

Funding awarded: £176,924

London Stadium

Project name: Workforce Entrance Solar PV

Borough: LB Newham

Summary: 

• Installation of solar PV panels on a new workforce entrance to the London Stadium (subject to planning permission)

Funding awarded: £41,000

London Stadium

Project name: Bridge 4 Canopy Solar PV

Borough: LB Newham

Summary: 

• Installation of solar PV panels on two canopy structures, constructed from re-used materials, at London Stadium Bridge 4 (subject to planning permission)

Funding awarded: £121,000

London Stadium

Project name: Chiller Compound Canopy Solar PV

Borough: LB Newham

Summary: 

• Installation of solar PV panels on a canopy structure, constructed from re-used materials, at London Stadium chiller compound (subject to planning permission)

Funding awarded: £96,000

London Stadium

Project name: Bridge 1 Entrance Canopy Solar PV

Borough: LB Newham

Summary: 

• Installation of solar PV panels on a canopy structure, accommodating a green roof consisting of sedum and wildflower planting, at London Stadium Bridge 1 (subject to planning permission)

Funding awarded: £28,000

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Project name: Library of Things Waltham Forest

Borough: LB Waltham Forest

Summary: 

• Establishing a Library of Things kiosk at Leytonstone Library. This is a social enterprise which allows people to borrow household items, rather than to purchase them, therefore reducing waste that it is ultimately taken to landfill.

Funding awarded: £43,000

The Bromley-by-Bow Centre

Project name: Sustain-A-Bow – Solar Panels

Borough: LB Tower Hamlets

Summary: 

• Installation of solar PV panels at the Bromley-by-Bow Centre (a GP Practice and Community Centre, offering a range of services including advice, learning and employment support, as well as physical and mental health support).

Funding awarded: £15,636

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Project name: Two Sheltered Sites – Solar PV and Communal LED Lighting Upgrade

Borough: LB Waltham Forest

Summary: 

• Providing solar PV for two sheltered accommodation sites (Downland Court, E11 and Turners Court, E15) for older residents living independently.

Funding awarded: £78,900

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Project name: Solar PV for 60 properties

Borough: LB Waltham Forest

Summary: 

• Installation of solar PV Panels for 60 residential properties, achieving cost savings for residents on their electricity bills

Funding awarded: £240,000

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Project name: Two Sheltered Sites – Solar PV and Communal LED Lighting Upgrade

Borough: LB Waltham Forest

Summary: 

• Providing solar PV for two sheltered accommodation sites (Downland Court, E11 and Turners Court, E15) for older residents living independently.

Funding awarded: £78,900

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Project name: John Walsh and Fred Wigg Tower – Solar PV, Vertical Wind Turbine and LED Lighting Upgrade.

Borough: LB Waltham Forest

Summary: 

• Installation of three communal solar PV systems and vertical wind turbines at John Walsh Tower and Fred Wigg Tower in Leytonstone, providing heating/hot-water fuel cost savings for low-income residents

Funding awarded: £170,250

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Project name: 19 off-grid small blocks

Borough: LB Waltham Forest

Summary: 

• Installation of solar PV upgrades at 19 low rise general needs residential blocks in E11 and E17. The intention is that by reducing the need to buy electricity to serve the communal service blocks, the project will reduce services charges for residents.

Funding awarded: £68,020

Mad Leap CIC

Project name: Source: scaling an urban, decentralised approach to circular bioresource management.

Borough: LB Hackney; LB Newham; LB Tower Hamlets

Summary: 

• Scaling a circular food model whereby food waste is processed where it is produced, and the by-products used to grow food for local consumption.
• This model, which uses community scale anaerobic digestion (AD) and in-vessel composting (IVC), will be trialled at Gainsborough Primary School (LB Hackney), Teviot Estate (LB Tower Hamlets) and Custom House and Canning Town Estate Regeneration Programme (LB Newham)

Funding awarded: £486,685

London Borough of Newham

Project name: Transformative Actions: Heating, Hot Water and Boiler System Upgrade

Borough: LB

Summary: 

• Contributing to the upgrade of the heating, hot water, and boiler system at Toynbee Studios (LB Tower Hamlets). Technologies funded include: a building management system, point-of-use electric water heaters, and air source heat pumps.

Funding awarded: £132,000

London Borough of Newham / One source

Project name: Shipman Youth Zone

Borough: LB

Summary: 

• Supporting the replacement of a poorly-insulated, gas-fire heated building with a new well insulated building, through the provision of extensive PV and heat pumps

Funding awarded: £212,000

Notes to editors:

2022 is a special year for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park marking 10 years since the world’s spotlight shone on London for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In that time the Park has delivered on its legacy promises creating a must-visit destination for east London attracting six million visits a year, world class sport and entertainment events, thousands of new homes and two new business districts. That progress continues with more homes and jobs to be delivered and projects like East Bank, the most ambitious cultural and education district the country has seen for a generation, set to open soon. It’s a legacy to proud of and one that will continue and inspire generations to come. #passthebaton