A new £120,000 fund is being launched today (Monday, 30th January) to support the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The Amenity and Accessibility Fund (AAF) is designed to support projects that improve access and help people enjoy the AONB.
It was developed because a new Dry Fuel Store is going to be built at Sizewell B power station and this fund is designed to mitigate any impact this building may have on the AONB.
The official launch of the AAF to stakeholders was held at lunchtime today (Monday) at the Sizewell Sports and Social Club. It was followed by a drop-in event during the afternoon, which gave local people the opportunity to find out more about the fund and the type of projects it can support, as well as guided walks round part of the AONB to show areas which could benefit from the fund.
Speaking today, Sizewell B power station’s Director Jim Crawford, said: “I am very pleased to launch this fund, which I believe will make a major contribution towards how the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is enjoyed by local people and visitors alike.
“As a company, EDF Energy has a strong track record of respecting the environment. Locally, Sizewell B has received The Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark for the positive way we manage the Sizewell estate in partnership with Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The Amenity and Accessibility Fund builds on our ongoing commitment to invest in this area.”
The fund is being managed by EDF Energy, Suffolk Coastal District Council and Suffolk County Council in consultation with the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Unit. An initial £120,000 is being paid into the fund by EDF Energy and then further payments of £20,000 made each year.
Chair of the funding panel Cllr Richard Smith of Suffolk County Council explains: “This new fund will make a real difference, by harnessing the good ideas of individuals and groups, then providing them with the resources to turn their ideas into reality for the benefit of everyone who uses the AONB. It is designed to get projects off the ground, which would otherwise never happen.”
Anyone can apply for funding including charities, businesses and individuals, however projects must take place within the locality of the Sizewell B site and its wider AONB and Heritage Coast vicinity, including the Deben estuary in the south to the Blyth estuary in the north.
Cllr Andrew Nunn of Suffolk Coastal District Council and Vice Chairman of the AONB's Joint Advisory Committee added: "This fund came about from an agreed need to mitigate any impact that the new Dry Fuel Store may have on the AONB. We now have in place the funding to help support projects in and around the AONB and so give the whole area a positive boost.
"The funding panel want to see projects that improve the environment and natural character of the area, improve sustainable access to the area, conserve habitats, and increase the enjoyment and experience of the AONB for residents and visitors. I hope groups take this real opportunity to make a real difference locally.”
The Amenity and Accessibility Fund is a rolling programme with an annual deadline of March. Successful projects will be selected by the funding panel who will meet once a year. The panel includes representatives from EDF Energy, Suffolk Coastal District Council and Suffolk County Council.
To view the full fund guidelines and download an application form visit www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org and go to the ‘Grant Funding’ web pages.
ENDS
For more information please contact Stephen Henry in the EDF Energy press office on 01728 653378 or email: stephen.henry@edf-energy.com
Notes to editors
Planning permission for the Dry Fuel Store was granted in July 2011 and construction will start in the summer of 2012.
Dry Fuel Storage will replace the current system of storing spent fuel at Sizewell B in the fuel storage pond, which is expected to run out of capacity in 2015.
The Dry Fuel Store provides a solution for effectively managing spent fuel from Sizewell B after this date. This is a mature technology, which has been tried and tested worldwide.
Sizewell B is due to operate until 2035, with the possibility of life extension beyond that. Construction is expected to take about eighteen months to complete.
As part of the project an Amenity and Accessibility Fund has been developed to improve access to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which surrounds the existing power station.
Successful projects will be expected to further improve the environment of the AONB, and people’s enjoyment of it. It is hoped that there will also be work around broadening the access to the area.
Find out more by visiting http://www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org
EDF Energy
EDF Energy is one of the UK’s largest energy companies and the largest producer of low-carbon electricity, producing around one-sixth of the nation's electricity from its nuclear power stations, wind farms, coal and gas power stations and combined heat and power plants. The company supplies gas and electricity to more than 5.5 million business and residential customer accounts and is the biggest supplier of electricity by volume in Great Britain.
EDF Energy’s safe and secure operation of its eight existing nuclear power stations at sites across the country makes it the UK’s largest generator of low carbon electricity. EDF Energy is also leading the UK's nuclear renaissance and has published plans to build four new nuclear plants, subject to the right investment framework. These new plants could generate enough low carbon electricity for about 40% of Britain’s homes. They would make an important contribution to the UK’s future needs for clean, secure and affordable energy. The project is already creating business and job opportunities for British companies and workers.
Through Our Sustainability Commitments, EDF Energy has launched one of the biggest environmental and social programmes of any British energy company and the company has since been awarded the highest ranking of Platinum Plus in Business in the Community’s 2011 Corporate Responsibility Index, the UK’s leading voluntary benchmark of corporate responsibility.
EDF is the official electricity supplier and a sustainability partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The company is also helping its customers and others use energy more sustainably through products and initiatives such as Team Green Britain, smart meters and electric vehicle research.
EDF Energy is part of EDF Group, one of Europe’s largest power companies. The company employs around 15,000 people at locations across the UK.
For more news from EDF Energy please see www.edfenergy.com/media-centre/. To find out more about the UK's energy challenges look at www.edfenergy.com/energyfuture/