Buildings and Energy Group
A new Buildings and Energy Group got going after the Unleashing in October. The group initially agreed to focus on three areas: developing an outreach programme, building links with London Borough of Lambeth in order to play a role in the new Local Development Framework (LDF), and contributing to the development of the Roupell Park Energy Centre.
 
Members of the group are currently collaborating with Lambeth to establish exactly how Transition Town Brixton can complement the borough's own energy efficiency communications work, ideally with pooled resources. We are also hoping to develop a presentation or resource for group members to use in their own neighbourhoods to stimulate local community groups in the manner of Hyde Farm Climate Action Network.
 
We made a submission to the consultation on the evaluation of framework for the LDF but we are only likely to get to grips with this process when we are asked questions about what the LDF itself will contain. Hopefully this process will begin in 2009.
 
We are collaborating with the borough and other stakeholders in the development of a proposed energy centre on the Roupell Park estate on Brixton Hill. A new combined heat and power plant is currently being commissioned to heat and power the estate and there is space in the building to develop a community resource. This may take time, given the freeze on funding in the borough until 2010, but we are happy to be part of the steering group. A pressing need is to get people from the estate itself involved and a community energy action day is planned for the spring, in part to enable this.
 
The group has also developed a simple A4 guide to beating the cold for local people which we hope can be easily revised and updated.