- Coronation Community Orchards Funding
South Kesteven District Council has successfully applied to the Coronation Living Heritage fund to create up to 31 new orchards across the district.
The funding, with comes from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will be allocated via grants to communities across South Kesteven to plant a network of new mini-orchards.
More information will follow soon via a press release from the council.
The Witham/Slea project was a £1.2million biodiversity project the Council was able to deliver alongside partners North Kesteven District Council, the Environment Agency and the National Trust. The project ran from 2019 and ended in June of this year, and supported and developed the blue green corridors along the River Witham and River Slea; by reconnecting rivers with their floodplains, creating habitats that would naturally occur along the rivers and improving existing habitats in order to support a diverse range of species. This was achieved with 14 individual projects, designed to improve the freshwater habitat, ensure the entire ecosystem is more fully supported, and benefit the local communities.
The project covered 7.05 hectares of blue/green corridor along the River Witham and River Slea, improving 5.29 hectares of previously managed area in order to attain a better conservation status. The project also improved access for the 13,700 residents of Grantham and Sleaford, and supported the environmental and physical infrastructure for the 6000 houses envisaged in the towns. For more information on the individual projects, click here to view the Blue Green website.
- Paper and card recycling scheme to be introduced across South Kesteven
South Kesteven District Council's Cabinet approved the initiative which will bring a separate recycling collection for clean and dry paper and card. Residents will receive a new purple-lidded recycling bin ahead of collections starting in 2024.
- Energy efficiency upgrades scheme
South Kesteven District Council has allocated funds of more than £6 million for home energy efficiency upgrade improvements, combined with funding from the Social Housing Decarbonisation fund.
Over 300 homes in the South Kesteven area are now able to benefit from this initiative, and letters have begun to be sent out to eligible properties to notify residents. These energy efficiency upgrades will result in lower energy bills and a warmer, more comfortable home at zero cost to residents.
To ensure the success of these upgrades, the Council has partnered with E.ON, who will be managing the scheme on the Council's behalf and who are experienced in enhancing energy efficiency in homes. To support their delivery, E.ON have selected a trusted contractor partner, Advanced ECO, who will carry out home assessments and final installations.
Benefits of the work
Upgrades available through this scheme could offer a range of benefits, including:
• Help to lower energy bills
• Improved energy efficiency
• Warmer winters and cooler summers
• Reduced noise for a quieter home
• Renewable energy source (if solar panels are suitable for your home)
• A fresh and modern appearance for your home
• Reduced condensation, mould and humidity.
Eligible homes can expect to receive a letter from the Council and E.ON over the coming weeks which will include more information regarding the scheme and next steps. If you are happy, we will then put you forward for improvement works. Each eligible home's improvement package will be selected after a free home assessment and then improvements will be installed at a date and time agreed with you.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 01476406080 or you can contact E.ON by calling 0333 202 4820 (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday), and quoting: South Kesteven SHDF
To find out more about this scheme you can visit www.eonenergy.com/shdf
SKDC celebrated National Tree Week (2021) by planting a total of 50 native trees across the district November through December.
The trees, each at least five years old, were planted in Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.
The trees included a mix of species such as wild cherry, rowan, silver birch, hornbeam, medlar and whitebeam which have been selected for their benefits to biodiversity.