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Cherwell District Council has granted Heat Upper Heyford's outline planning permission 
 

Heat Upper Heyford & Upper Heyford Parish Council & Upper Heyford Parish Alltoments are delighted to announce that Cherwell District Council has granted outline planning permission for the small energy centre which will supply heat to the village. 

 

It is important to note that while this is excellent news we are a while away from having spades in the ground and the project physically starting.  This response means that Cherwell District Council has been satisfied that we have answered the points they raised. 

 

Schemes like this require a huge amount of detailed analysis, technically complex engineering design alongside tight legal and governance structures to manage the energy supply and maintenance of the system.

 

In the UK Low Carbon Rural Heat Networks are a relatively new technology and depend on organisations who are interested in the longer term vision of community heating. Swaffham Prior is the first scheme like it to be realised UK.  Organisations who socialise the costs of electricity, who include renewable energy generation as part of their heating solution and who work to secure tariffs which are affordable over the longer term for residents of their communities.

 

We believe passionately in the need for our communities to take initiative, to innovate and to take responsibility to reduce our reliance on carbon. 

 

As a partnership of village voluntary organizations we are delighted that Cherwell District Council is supportive of these plans. The outline planning permission enables us to continue to develop our project with the fantastic support we’re receiving from SIB (the Social investment business), who are connecting our scheme, and others like this in the UK, introducing us to experts who are passionate, knowledgeable and skilled in the areas we need support, and sharing learning and resources across these projects. 

 

Projects like this take time, creativity and tenacity. They also rely heavily on the vision and generosity, and determination of the volunteers involved. (Particular mentions must go to Andy Meaney, Chris Coe and Neill Brody) 

 

If you are think you might like to get involved and volunteer in this exciting, and potentially ground-breaking project email heatupperheyford@gmail.com 

 

We are particularly interested in people who are good at comms and social media finance and governance backgrounds. Although our preference is that you live locally, we are open to involvement from passionate people further afield. 

 

And lastly a few thank yous - to Sandy our consultants Scene who have worked tirelessly on the phase 2 report and planning application. 

 

And to Gen, Adam, Selma and Dan from SIB for their positive energy, enthusiasm and skills. SIBs support has been light a ray of sunshine, their can-do attitude about overcoming challenges with creativity and community support has been integral in the realization of this project to this stage. 

 

Our project has made national news! Read the BBC article here

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Heat Upper Heyford remain committed to 4 principles 

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• Provide the same temperature of hot water and central heating as your existing oil or gas boiler at the same, or less cost.

• Provide a sustainable and reliable supply of renewable heat energy for decades to come.

• Help to cut the carbon footprint of the village contributing towards the UK’s 2050 Carbon Neutral goals.

• Help to reduce or remove fuel poverty in the village 

Thermal Camera

18th November 2024

We have been loaned a thermal imaging camera via the Draught Busters scheme. The camera is on loan from Cherwell District Council and will help Upper Heyford residents identify poorly insulated areas in their homes. It is very simple to use but you do have to follow a few easy steps outlined in the crib sheet below.

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If you would like to borrow the camera, please send us an email and we put you on the waiting list heatupperheyford@gmail.com

Here are some helpful links to help you on your draught proofing journey:

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Interpreting thermal images of your home: 

Draught proofing guide:

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Draught Busters Event Saturday 9th November.

Let's bust those draughts! Come along to the village hall between 11am-3pm and order your draught busting materials- this is all free and funded by Cherwell District Council. Have a browse through the materials below to see what you need and pop in on Saturday where we will be taking details for your order. If you are unsure, we have volunteers who will be able to chat through the options with you so you can go home, measure up and email us with your order.

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For people who are older, or unable to do things themselves, we have a small team of volunteers who will come and install your materials for you.

HUH Newsletter

4th of June 2024

HUH Valley News Article 

4th of June 2024

HUH Meet With Social Investment Business

20th February 2024

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To keep the scheme moving forward, Heat Upper Heyford met with Social Investment Business. SIB is a charitable foundation that grant funds and invests in social purpose organisations throughout the UK https://www.sibgroup.org.uk/ 

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They are currently in the early stages of developing funding for community heating schemes. The aim is to offer grant support to existing groups with their feasability costs to fully develop the techical, governance and finance specifications to set up and operate their district heating project.

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We welcomed Deputy CEO Genevieve Maitland Hudson to Heyford and gave her a tour of the village and potential bore hole and power centre site.  A video was made of the visit, which includes an interview with HUH's Andy Meaney, outlining the project and explaining what is needed to help push our project forward.

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The footage will be part of a presentation to help obtain funding for community heating schemes. 

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Volunteer Skills Needed

12th of December 2023

Valley News Article

7th of December 2023

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Newsletter Scheme Update

21st of November 2023

Ecology Report Somerton Road Site.

14th of September 2023

As part of the planning process, an ecology survey was carried out in in May this year. We have received the report back and are we pleased to say the HUH scheme can comfortably meet and hopefully exceed the ecological needs of the Upper Heyford Parish Allotments' land.

The full report can be viewed below:

HUH On BBC Oxford Radio

14th of August, 2023.

Listen to Heat Upper Heyford’s Charlie Henry discuss Heat Upper Heyford’s proposed scheme on BBC Oxford’s Sophie Law Show. The segment is about the Government plans to stop the installation of oil boilers by 2026 and what alternatives are out there. The segment also includes Avril Roberts from the Country Land and Business association at the beginning. The whole segment is worth listening to but Charlie’s interview can be found at 2:26:47

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Let's Keep Talking!

1st of June, 2023.

We had a chat with three upper Heyford residents; Janet, Leanne and Mike. In these interviews they share their thoughts on the scheme, what they think will be the benefits and their concerns. If you have any concerns, thoughts, ideas or questions, please get in touch with us. An open dialogue between us all will help make the scheme a success for the whole village. heatupperheyford@gmail.com

We also welcome messages via our Facebook page 

Heat Upper Heyford Newsletter 
                   15th May 2023

Village Zoom Meeting



 

April 21st 2023

Watch a recorded version of the village Zoom meeting held on Thursday 20th of April. Heat Upper Heyford's Andrew Meaney gave an update on the project and we were joined by Emma Fletcher and Mike Barker, Directors of the Swaffham Prior Community Interest Company.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

March 29th 2023

As Part of the Cherwell District Council planning process for the heat network scheme, our lead consultants Scene requested an EIA screening for the proposed area for the borehole array and energy centre. The EIA screening was carried out by Cherwell District Council to assess the significant effects of a project or development on the environment. We have now received an EIA decision from Cherwell District Council with a view that the environmental impact of the Heat Upper Heyford scheme will be minimal. The documents received can be viewed below. Along with the EIA request, we have also had an ecology survey carried out in the barn and the field. Elite Ecology visited the proposed site and a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Report is being prepared and will be ready by the end of May.

 

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Test Borehole A Success!

Our latest newsletter covers all of the action from January's test borehole drilling. Watch the video below to hear how TownRock Geothermal Geologist David Walls and Geothermal Engineer, Emmet Strachan, carried out their work at the site.

Test Borehole Briefing Note

December 2022

FUNDING APPROVED FOR STAGE 2

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We’re continuing to make progress with testing the feasibility of a heat network in our village. The latest news is that we have been successful in receiving approval for funding for the next stage of feasibility studies. It seems as though we’re the only village in the country with approval to move a heat network onto this stage, which is quite exciting!


Our grant funding is subject to a couple of conditions, which are taking some time to work through with the funding body (Greater South East Net Zero Hub – formerly the Greater South East Energy Hub) to ensure we are well set to meet them. If you want to find out more follow us on Facebook or if you're in our village then sign up to our mailing list. 

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One development that we’ve been asked in Phase 2 to test in our village context by GSENZH is a so-called ‘ambient loop’ system. This takes low-temperature around the network from a borehole array or air-source heat pumps, and this low-temperature supply is then compressed at each property to achieve temperatures required for heating and hot water. The benefit of such a system is that it reduces heat loss from pumping higher-temperatures around the network; what we need to test in Phase 2 is its suitability for retrofit situations such as ours, and, of course, whether it meets HUH’s objectives for a heat network in Upper Heyford.


While we work through the necessaries in the next few weeks, do please get in touch if you have any questions. In the meantime, please Like our Facebook page; look out for our next visit to the scheme at North Aston; and an interview we’re doing with someone in the village who has gone through the process of fitting solar panels to their propert

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YIPEEEEEE


You can read the full report here 

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Headlines of the Avieco feasibility report are: 

  • it is recommended that we progress to a detailed Phase 2 investigation and then to the development of a high temperature (72 degrees centigrade) heat network, supplied by either ground or air source heat pumps

  • 162 out of 165 village properties are in the potential heat supply zone (the three properties currently excluded are Manor Farm, and Lilliput / Valley View on Lower Heyford Road)

  • potential land parcels and an Energy Centre location have been identified on the Poors Allotment field (to the east of the allotments) and on adjoining land owned by New College

  • forecast operational costs of heat production for ground source heat pumps (the most likely option) are lower than direct electric heating, oil, LPG or individual household air sourced heat pumps, and are slightly higher than mains gas. The operational costs shown in the report do not allow for the recently reported +50% increase in domestic gas prices nor for any operational savings from generating our own solar electricity to power the Energy Centre

 The challenges we (HUH) foresee are -

  • obtaining grants or capital investment to build the scheme which take a sufficiently long term perspective (i.e. 40 to 60 years, the life of the primary infrastructure)

  • gaining sufficient village support (potentially 100+ properties)

  • determining who constructs and then operates the scheme (governance)

Next steps

  • We have applied for Phase2 grant application we will find out by mid-m

  • Visit to North Aston on Saturday 12th March to see scheme in operation and to talk to residents
    (for more details ask Chris Coe or email heatupperheyford@gmail.com)

Read the full report here.

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Click here to read the full report

WE GOT THE GRANT! HOORAY!

We were awarded £40,000 from the Rural community Energy Fund to conduct a study to see if a community heat network is suitable for our village.

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Click here to view the newsletter 

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April 2021

Click here to read our April newsletter

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Image by Canary. 



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March 2021

Click Here to read our newsletter 

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(Image by Rhena)

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