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Net Zero Villages Grant

Applications for this grant scheme are now open and will close Sunday 26 January 2025 at 11:59pm. 

Net Zero Villages is a grant with funds made available from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. Grant awards will support the decarbonisation of community assets in rural villages. The total grant pot for groups in South Cambridgeshire is £362,547.90.  

We will be holding an information session and application workshop on Wednesday 18 December 2024, 6pm to 7:30pm. You can also book a 20 minute slot with an officer on Friday 20 December 2024 between 9am and 4pm.

Email climateandenvironment@scambs.gov.uk to sign up for the workshop or to book a slot. 

If you are considering an application, please read the full grant criteria and guidance. [PDF, 0.2MB]

Apply for a net zero village grant

Check if you are eligible

The grant scheme is open to community groups, parish councils and businesses. The scheme is aimed at rural areas and, therefore, projects are eligible if they are outside of the Cambridge built-up area, as classified by the ONS using the 2021 Census figures. This means that the areas of Milton, Histon and Impington, Orchard Park, Girton, Trumpington, Great and Little Shelford, Fulbourn, Teversham and Fen Ditton are excluded.  

To check your village’s eligibility, open the map and find your village. If there is purple shading over your village, select this shading and confirm that in in the row marked ‘BUA11NM’, it does not state the village is in the Cambridge Built Up Area (Cambridge BUA). 

Map of built up area information

Projects

Grants of £20,000 to £100,000 available for capital projects on community assets.

Projects should relate to buildings, land, indoor or outdoor equipment or other capital-related expenditure intended for community use. This includes upgrading, extending or improving facilities or purchasing capital items for community use spaces and places. 

Projects are invited under 3 categories: 

  • tackling energy use and/or supporting energy efficiency or generation; retrofit to community buildings
  • enabling access to public transport or access to local services through low carbon transport
  • nature based solutions to tackle overheating of community buildings. 

Potential projects might include: 

  • adding insulation, LED lighting or other energy efficiency measures to a community building
  • renewable energy solutions such as solar PV installations or wind turbines; battery storage for proposed or existing renewable generation systems
  • low carbon public transport solutions, such as a community-led shuttle minibus
  • green roofs or walls; tree planting to create shade. 

If you have any questions, or are thinking of applying, please get in touch with the team at climateandenvironment@scambs.gov.uk.