LANCASTER DISTRICT LOCAL AREA ENERGY PLAN

Lancaster City Council has adopted a pioneering new strategy that aims to shape future energy planning, reduce carbon emissions and support economic prosperity. On Tuesday (22 October 2024) the council’s cabinet approved a Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP), which sets out a long-term vision for decarbonising the district by 2040 and looks beyond the council’s own 2030 target for its direct activities.

The LAEP sets out the changes required to transition the Lancaster district energy system and built environment to net zero while also addressing fuel poverty. It details what changes are required, where, when and by whom. It also provides a high-level overview of the likely scale of investment that will be required to achieve net zero. This includes:

  • Domestic fabric upgrades – 38,000 domestic properties (approximately 54% of all buildings) are recommended to be retrofitted with fabric upgrade measures
  • Low carbon heating – installing heat pumps to 52,000 – 65,000 and having approximately 75% of non-domestic building floorspace being heated by heat pumps in the future
  • Installation of electric vehicle charge points – The LAEP recommends the deployment of up to 1,250 public charge points to plug the gaps. It is estimated that 45% of households will not have the ability to charge at home
  • Local renewable generation – The district has a significant opportunity to generate renewable energy locally from solar PV and onshore wind. Up to 575 GWh of annual generation is recommended
  • Energy Networks: The plan illustrates the importance of investment in the electricity network to ensure there is capacity for the rapid growth of low carbon technologies. The council has been working closely with Electricity North-West to develop the LAEP.

You can view the Lancaster District Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a7c9f2d6545f498da5e2872e3534e7a8