Sheringham Shoal renewable energy grant supports affordable homes in North Norfolk
12 affordable homes are now under construction by social housing provider Flagship Homes in Warham, a village close to Wells-next-the- Sea in North Norfolk, and with the support of a grant from the Sheringham Shoal Community Fund, each house will benefit from a renewable energy air source heat pump, rather than a conventional gas boiler.
When completed in late 2024, these new homes will be allocated via Homes for Wells, (www.homesforwells.com ) with priority being given to local residents in Warham and surrounding parishes looking for affordable rented accommodation.
Social housing under construction at Warham.
(Image courtesy of Flagship Homes)
Flagship Homes has adopted a ‘fabric first’ approach to improving the building envelope, prioritising design and construction techniques which minimise the need for heating and cooling.
Flagship Homes Pre-Construction Project Manager Kai Gibbon, said:
““The homes are being built using modern methods of construction, combining timber frames constructed off-site with significant levels of insulation to ensure high performance. This results in low energy consumption, low maintenance needs and effectively contributes to reducing climate change.”
“This efficient construction will also benefit our customers hugely with reduced running costs and lower energy bills, a huge positive alongside the environmentally-conscious construction.”
By the end of 2023, the Sheringham Shoal Community Fund, which is administered by the Norfolk Community Foundation (www.norfolkfoundation.com ), had awarded grants of over £1.2m since its establishment in 2010. It receives a donation of £100,000 per annum from the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm, which is operated by Equinor.
About Equinor in Norfolk
Equinor is a long-term partner for Norfolk and has been an active member of the community for over a decade through the Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms it operates off the Norfolk coast.
The Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Masdar and China Resources, whilst Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is owned by Equinor, Equitix Offshore 5 (co-owned by Equitix and the Renewable Investment Group TRIG) and a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management).
On behalf of its partners, Equinor is also maturing the proposed Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon extension projects (SEP and DEP). SEP and DEP will double the capacity of the existing Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms, providing renewable energy to power an additional 785,000 UK homes and making an important contribution to the UK’s decarbonisation goals.
Currently, the combined output of Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon wind farms is sufficient to power around 710,000 UK homes, and the proposed extensions will increase that to nearly 1.5 million UK households.
Both wind farms have established community funds which in total have awarded over £1 million to projects in Norfolk. The funds were set up to provide grants to Norfolk community groups, including schools and charities, seeking financial assistance for projects or initiatives that meet key criteria and focus on renewable energy, marine environment and safety, sustainability, or education in these areas. During 2020, the funds provided grant funding to the Norfolk Community Foundation’s COVID-19 funding initiatives, and during 2021 grant funding has been made available to support Norfolk’s ‘every child on-line’ initiative.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Alice Baxter
UK Media Relations Manager, Equinor
Abax@equinor.com
+44 7557973941
For consultation of community enquiries, please contact:
Nigel Tompkins
Nigel Tompkins, the Projects’ Community Liaison Officer based in Norfolk,
nigel@ni4b.co.uk