“Levelling up will require long-term local strategies for cultivating development in rural places. These should be tailored to the underlying strengths, needs and goals of… Read More »Opportunities and challenges for rural businesses
Do we need to be creating our own local English Heritage-style archive of the Sidmouth high street, both ancient and modern? . Historic England have… Read More »Creating an archive of Sidmouth high street
“The promise of decentralized, grid-interactive buildings and innovative energy storage solutions presents a compelling vision.” [ArchDaily] . There are some rather esoteric ideas being developed… Read More »Can buildings store energy?
What is it, how to enjoy it and how to ensure that local people in East Devon benefit. . A DEFINITION: What do we mean… Read More »Sustainable Food Tourism
What is the use of the timber – construction timber stores carbon for the lifetime of that building, whereas wood logs emit the stored carbon… Read More »“What is the best type of tree to plant to save the planet?”
“As climate change brings about unpredictable weather and new challenges, flood safety is crucial in Devon. By recognising the risk, implementing preventative measures, and fostering… Read More »Flood safety in a changing Devon landscape
The East Devon District Council, like other rural councils, suffers from the current funding formula which disproportionately favours urban councils. [Rural Services Network] EDDC has a… Read More »Fairer funding for rural authorities: the campaign
How not to penalise communities most at risk from the harms of air pollution. . THE EXETER LOW TRAFFIC NEIGHBOURHOOD SCHEME: Exeter has been struggling… Read More »The problem with the Exeter LTN
Evolving from looking at ‘energy descent’ to considering ‘carbon descent’. . The Transition Town movement was founded 15 years ago largely on the notion of… Read More »Carbon descent planning
Oven vs microwave… . As the Times money pages said recently, the cost of living may be easing but food prices are still up almost… Read More »Cutting the cost of cooking
Is the Oxford-based First Light Fusion the future of energy? . The Sidmouth Solarpunk pages recently looked at “fusionpunk” – as a creative way of looking… Read More »Is fusion the future of energy?
Giving feedback on the council’s four priorities: better homes and communities for all; a greener East Devon; a resilient economy; and quality service delivery. .… Read More »Draft East Devon Local Plan – consultation ends Friday 19th January
The latest plans do not knock down the original late-Victorian brick buildings – but have made full use of the unique design. . There have… Read More »Laundry Lane: new housing in old buildings
“Highlighting the unfairness of the current funding formula for rural councils.” [Rural Services Network] The consultation on the settlement runs until 15th January. . The… Read More »Critiquing local government finance
Opportunities and risks. . As the consultants Strutt & Parker suggest, there are all sorts of opportunities and risks for the rural sector in 2024… Read More »How the rural sector can look forward