Climate Emergency

The Council is committed to making changes across all our services to play our part to tackle the Climate Emergency and it is one of the Council’s seven key priorities, as set out in our Stronger Futures plan.

The objectives that underpin this priority include:

• Reducing the carbon footprint of the Council

• Support the decarbonisation of energy, industry and business

• Improve sustainable transport and infrastructure

• Enable low carbon buildings, homes and development

• Enhancing green spaces

• Reduce waste and increase recycling

As an organisation we have a target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and are leading by example to help the borough to be carbon neutral by 2045.

Below are some examples of the work we’ve done so far to help achieve this

Background

Ash Tree Day Nursery, run by Chestnut Nursery, is a premier childcare facility situated in the heart of the Blacon community. Offering full and part-time nursery places, pre-school, after-school club and holiday club services for children aged 0 to 11 years, Ash Tree provides comprehensive childcare solutions to meet the diverse needs of local families. As childcare providers, they are continuously looking at the future and the impact humanity is having on our planet. By reducing emissions, they hope to set an example for others to follow.

Support

Groundwork, a charity that support local communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience, was appointed as the delivery partner for Cheshire West and Chester's UKSPF grant programme. The UKSPF programme provided Chestnut Nursery with a decarbonisation grant which was matched funded by the business. Groundwork assisted the business with their grant application process, including:

• Visiting the site to review all their energy consumption measures, specifically electricity.
• Calculating their carbon emissions and undertaking a cost/benefit analysis for solar panels
• Developing an action plan and business case for investment

Outcomes

As a result of our support, Chestnut Nursery was able to install solar panels on their roof, offsetting all of their electricity consumption for the three sites in Blacon and Saughall, saving them £29,670 in cost savings and 13 tCO2e in carbon savings.

Solar panels on the roof of the nursery

Jason, from Chestnut Nursery, said: “We are now producing enough electricity to offset the consumption of all three of our settings in Blacon and Saughall. Without your assistance and the grant money made available by Cheshire West via Groundwork, we would never have made it to this point.”

To read more case studies from local businesses who have been supported with decarbonisation projects, please visit Groundwork’s website.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has a strong background in woodland establishment, tree planting and habitat creation and continue to be a strategic partner of The Mersey Forest, Cheshire and Merseyside’s Community Forest.

Over the last four years, new woodlands have been created across three sites in the borough, in Wervin, Picton and at Grange Farm, thanks to funding through the national Trees for Climate programme, helping to boost biodiversity and contributing to Cheshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

The trees at Grange Farm site are growing well, despite the dry summer

This winter, four sites will begin to be planted on Council owned land, with an estimated 200,000 trees going in the ground for phase one. A site in Picton, next to the M53, will include riparian planting along a brook on the site, plus a series of natural flood management interventions, which will decrease the risk of flooding on the site and in the wider catchment.

There will also be innovative tree conservation projects on sections of this site, with Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood under threat from wildfires in its native America, and the native Common Ash resilience program - using natural colonisation to select specimens resilient to Ash Die Back. The aim is to preserve two species from disease and climate change (1 in 3 tree species is under threat of extinction - BBC 2023). The Picton site when planted will also help with noise and traffic pollution in the area as it matures.

The new woodlands are part of a strategy to create a ‘safe space for nature’, incorporating a wide range of complimentary habitats such as wetlands and bodies of water (ponds, ephemeral ponds and scrapes), grassland and wood pasture with a diverse species of flora, hedgerows and protection of veteran/aging trees.

Existing woodlands have been incorporated within the designs and will be managed for disease and climate resilience using established silvicultural systems. The combination of the diverse habitats and ecotones will maximise opportunities for flora and fauna to occupy, flourish and disperse along habitat corridors.

A system of monitoring species, changes in floristic composition, invertebrates, bird populations and mammals is established and is part of the Biodiversity Net Gain Habitat Monitoring and Management Plan. All woodlands and forests created are also registered to be part of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

• Carbon Sequestration

The woodlands are part of the Cheshire West and Chester Council's climate strategy and the combined areas will sequester approximately 76,000 tonnes of carbon by year 30.

• Linking people with nature

Linking people with nature is an important part of aim of the woodland creation. The sites have an all-year program of volunteering and educational opportunities that allow volunteers to enhance and maintain the woodlands and be part of species monitoring. The sites are being assessed Forestry and Ecological training.

• Sustainable silviculture

The woodlands are managed by a continuous cover silvicultural system with small parcels of high quality of timber and forest products. By selective felling and long-term rotations (60 -100 years) within sub compartments and combined with a 15-year coppice regime, the woodland will provide revenue for management. The silvicultural system used will eventually create a diverse age and canopy structure vital to support biodiversity across the sites. The forest designs have been carefully considered to be able to respond to future tree diseases and climate threats, allowing species changes without compromising the woodland as a whole.

Funding for housing retrofit to support the Council’s vision and ambitions in the housing section of the borough's Climate Emergency Response Plan is a significant challenge. The Council has been successful in applying for various rounds of national funding for housing retrofit in the borough, helping to support our decarbonisation ambitions and improving the energy efficiency of homes for our residents.

In 2022, the Council and Sanctuary Housing received a grant of £596,000 from DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) to carry out retrofit improvements to housing stock in Blacon, Chester. Working in partnership (with additional funding from Sanctuary) the scheme delivered retrofit improvements to 123 homes in Blacon with various energy saving measures incorporated. The improvements made to the homes included the installation of Solar PV systems, air source heat pumps and external wall insulation.

The scheme was praised by DESNZ for the way that the partners worked with the community to encourage and support residents to have retrofit measures in their homes. Residents attended community sessions held by the contractors managing the works and additional quality assurance checks on site gave them confidence in the works. The contractors tried to be as quick and efficient as possible in the homes and received praise from residents for their quick response and professional attitude.

Schools across west Cheshire are making the most of free Bikeability training to ensure their pupils have the skills to get on their bikes and cycle to and from school.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Road Safety team works closely with Bike Right to ensure everyone has the training they need to take to pedal power.

Schools in the borough can request free Bikeability training to levels 1, 2 and 3 as well as Bikeability Plus Balance and Learn to Ride. To enquire about or book training in your school, please contact Bike Right.

Pupils at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School completed their Bikeability training in September 2025. This video explains what is covered in the training.

Adult and Family Training

If you live, work or study in Cheshire West and Chester, and are aged 18 or over, Adult Cycling Training is available. You can get tailored training at a level suited to your needs, all based on the National Cycle Training Standards and split into easy to understand modules.

Family Cycle Skills is a free, fun training package to help people cycle together. The training will enable families to plan enjoyable group rides, switch from driving to cycling the school run, help other family members to develop their cycling skills and grow their confidence.

Sessions can be up to six people and there needs to be at least one child and one adult on each session. For more details and to book a place visit Family Cycle Skills (bikeright.co.uk).

The Council is supportive of local reuse initiatives, which play a key part in helping to deliver on the aims of our ten year waste strategy and our Climate Emergency Response Plan.

Repair cafés are one of the local community initiatives that are playing their part to create a circular economy, repairing items to keep them in use for longer, rather than discarding them.

Their popularity has grown in recent years, with more TV programmes showing ways people can repair much loved items for them to continue to use and treasure.

By encouraging residents to extend the life of their possessions, repair cafés reduce the demand for new products and minimises environmental impact.

There are now several repair cafés hosted on a regular basis across the borough. These include:

• Tattenhall Repair Café
• Chester Repair Café
• Helsby Repair Café

They are all run by groups of volunteers and can often help repair a wide range of items from bikes, clothing and wooden items to kitchen appliances, mobile phones and laptops.

The social side of the repair cafés also plays an important role in the circular economy model, providing a place for knowledge sharing and collaboration, and a space for the community to come together to play their part to create greener, thriving neighbourhoods.

Two of the local repair cafés have been able to get up and running thanks to funding through the Cheshire West Crowd, a platform that helps community groups and local organisations to create, fund and deliver their project ideas, with funding from the Council contributing to their success.

Watch the video below about the Tattenhall Repair Café.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s transport team are delivering School Streets in the borough as part of our plans to improve road safety, encourage walking, wheeling, cycling, and scooting to and from school and improve the air quality and environment outside schools.

School Streets is an initiative whereby the street or streets immediately outside the school entrance are closed to non-essential motorised vehicles at school opening and closing times.

Only people walking, wheeling, cycling, and scooting are permitted access to the School Street zone while the restriction is in place, with exemptions given to emergency vehicles and Blue Badge holders. Permits will be given to residents living and businesses working within the zone.

Reducing the use of private car journeys to and from school should lead to:

• Less road danger from traffic
• Less anti-social behaviour from inconsiderate parking and dangerous driving
• More children walking, cycling, and scooting to school
• Reduced congestion and local pollution from idling vehicles.

Two schools in the borough, Our Lady’s Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School and Woodlands Primary School in Ellesmere Port have been taking part in a pilot School Streets project, which launched in 2023.

The Street Steward at Our Lady’s Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School feedback on how the scheme had been going after a few weeks of it being in place: “The scheme has worked brilliantly. We have had no parents park on Windsor Drive - with the exception of one car with a blue badge. The residents I have spoken to are very happy. The parents and children are over the moon. I have heard 'I want to walk/skate/scoot ' numerous times and everyone is so much happier.”

Some of the responses received through a survey shared with families and local residents in the areas of the School Streets Pilot project, include:

“Best thing that has ever happened in the 30 years I've lived here. I've tried on numerous occasions to get something sorted as it was always an accident waiting to happen. I am very impressed with the system that has been put in place. Thank you.”

“Keeping the school street closed is a great idea, I now feel it is safe for my daughter to come out of school and cross the road easily.”

The Council is aiming to start another three School Streets during 2025-26. Consultation with schools is underway and public consultation with residents and parents at Guilden Sutton Primary School started in October 2025.

Find out more about School Streets

Background

International Pheromone Systems (IPS), based in Neston, is a leading provider of sustainable pest management solutions, specialising in pheromone-based insect monitoring and control. The company operates from a facility that supports both research and manufacturing activities, requiring a stable and energy-efficient infrastructure. IPS is committed to reducing its environmental impact and operational costs by investing in renewable energy solutions. IPS sought opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions as part of its sustainability strategy. With rising energy costs and an ambition to transition towards Net Zero, the company explored solar PV as a viable solution.

Support provided

Groundwork, a charity that support local communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience, helped IPS to identify the potential benefits a solar PV system could bring to their organisation and guided them through the investment process. This support included:

• Conducting an energy assessment to analyse current electricity consumption.
• Evaluating the feasibility and financial implications of installing a solar PV system.
• Calculating projected cost savings and carbon reductions.
• Assisting with the grant application process and business case development.

The company were successful in securing £20k through the Council’s Climate Emergency Fund Decarbonisation Grant, with match funding provided by IPS.

Outcomes

With the support provided, IPS successfully installed a 93 kWp solar PV system on their roof, providing significant cost and carbon savings.

• £12,170 in annual cost savings
• 11.4 tonnes of CO2e emissions reduced per year
• Identified additional opportunities for emissions reduction.

A spokesperson from IPS said: “The support has been pivotal in enabling IPS to take the first big step towards achieving Net Zero. The costs for a business to install a solar PV array can be quite daunting but with the assistance in identifying a great supplier and enabling grant funding for the project plus making the whole process as easy as it could be, we have finally been able to achieve it.”

Overview

West Cheshire is emerging as a vibrant hub for community-led energy generation. These are energy projects that are initiated, owned, and managed by local communities rather than large corporations or government bodies.

Chester Community Energy, Neston Community Energy, and Bretton Hall Solar Farm, demonstrate how community leadership and technical ambition can drive meaningful climate action at a variety of scales.

• Chester Community Energy Ltd. (CCE) is a volunteer-run Community Benefit Society that installs solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on public and community buildings. With over 160 kWp of solar PV installed across nine sites, CCE reinvests surplus income into local sustainability projects and energy education.
• Neston Community Energy Ltd. (NCE) is a newer group focused on developing local electricity generation in the CH64 area. It has undertaken a feasibility study for solar deployment at the Clayhill Landfill Site, which if developed, could demonstrate how brownfield land can be repurposed for clean energy generation.
• Bretton Hall Solar Farm, led by YnNi Newydd, is set to become the UK’s largest community-owned solar farm. Located on the Cheshire-Flintshire border, the site covers 49 hectares of land currently used for sheep grazing, which will continue after construction. The site will retain its important role and capacity in alleviating flood risk in the local area whilst increasing biodiversity, with improved soil structure and management of natural resources and wildlife. The solar farm will generate up to 30 MW of electricity generating c.35million kWhs per year, enough to power 8,000 homes while enhancing biodiversity and offering community share ownership.

Together, these projects span the full spectrum of community energy: from rooftop solar on schools and churches to large-scale solar infrastructure with national significance.

Impacts

Economic:

• Over £150,000 raised through community share offers by Chester Community Energy.
• Bretton Hall Solar Farm represents a £20 million investment with long-term revenue for local reinvestment.
• Host organisations benefit from reduced energy bills and improved financial resilience.

Social:

• 91 members and five volunteer Directors at Chester Community Energy; growing participation in Neston Community Energy’s open meetings.
• Bretton Solar farm will generate employment and training and opportunities for local companies for the work to build and maintain the solar farm.
• Bretton Solar farm will be owned by its membership, the construction finance will be raised and offer shares in the society to local investors and organisations. The development will then be owned by its members on a one member-one-vote basis. After a few years, the project will begin to generate a surplus. 100% of the profits generated will be distributed via a community benefit fund to other projects providing sustainable community benefits.
• Chester Community Energy engage with the local community through educational outreach activities including live solar monitoring tools, school engagement, and public consultations.

Environmental:

• Chester Community Energy have installed over 163 kWp of rooftop solar installed across Chester, saving 30+ tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• Bretton Hall Solar Farm will generate 30 MW of clean electricity, displacing 6800 tonnes of CO₂ every year during the 40-year lifetime.
• Biodiversity enhancements include wildflower meadows, hedgerow restoration, and ecological stewardship on solar farmland.

A new report today says Cheshire and Warrington is taking a leading role in the green revolution set to unlock a multi-billion-pound investment stream and thousands of new jobs alongside a major reduction in the region’s carbon footprint.

The North West Net Zero Hub’s newly released North West Clean Power Plan projects a rapid expansion in the clean energy workforce, with Cheshire and Warrington among areas to benefit from up to “35,000 new roles across the North West by 2028”.

The report also forecasts “billions of pounds of investment flowing into the region in the next few years” as a result of national energy policy.

Today Cheshire and Warrington leaders said the report findings would complement collective efforts to make the region “the healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and growing economy in the UK”.

The report states Cheshire and other parts of the North West are set to be “global leaders in clean energy innovation and industrial decarbonisation, attracting new businesses and developments to supercharge the region’s economic growth.”

Cheshire and Warrington is at the forefront of this, with the Prime Minister visiting Cheshire in February to announce £11 billion of funding for the Hynet Hydrogen production and carbon dioxide capture programme centered on the Origin Cluster in Ellesmere Port, creating 6,000 new jobs, removing millions of tonnes of carbon emissions each year, and triggering an expected £5bn in private investment within the next five years.

Included within the programme is the UK’s first large-scale blue Hydrogen production plant at Essar Energy Transition, Stanlow, and a joint venture between Encirc and drinks company Diageo to build the world’s first at scale Hydrogen fueled glass furnace that will produce 200 million Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Gordon’s, and Tanqueray bottles a year by 2030.

Today’s report also finds that local government can enable 1 GW of locally-owned renewables by 2030 – enough energy to power around 750,000 homes and states by working the North West can deliver economic security, increased business growth, and enhanced health outcomes for everyone in the region.

Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington Chief Executive, Philip Cox, said: “Cheshire and Warrington leaders alongside our trailblazing businesses are proudly leading the industrial decarbonation conversation. The report’s forecasts bring much optimism as we bring world leading opportunities to Cheshire and Warrington and establish its reputation as the key growth region for clean energy.”

Jane Gaston, Net Zero North West CEO said: “We are delighted to see the launch of the North West Clean Power Report. As well as highlighting the significant investment in jobs and industry for our region, it outlines the vital role industry and private sector partners play when it comes to driving clean energy production at scale.

“Here in the North West, we are leaders in the UK’s clean energy transition. We must keep up this brilliant momentum and continue to collaborate to reap further benefits for our region.”

Juergen Maier, Chair of publicly owned energy company Great British Energy which is backing the report said: “The move to renewable power in the UK represents the biggest economic opportunity in a generation. This report highlights the significance of what is underway right now.

“Regions like the North West are seizing this opportunity and demonstrating the very real benefits. Great British Energy fully supports this report in helping multiple regions to create new jobs, stimulate British innovation and manufacturing, and above all deliver secure, cheap, renewable energy for millions of homes and businesses.”