Hastings has been awarded a second European Union funded grant to help improve housing conditions in the town, this time in St Leonards. The first project, ‘Climate Active Neighbourhood’, was approved earlier this year for the Ore Valley area.
In Hastings, partners include Hastings Borough Council, Amicus Horizon, and Energise Sussex Coast.
SHINE (Sustainable Houses in Inclusive Neighbourhoods) includes 15 partners from France, Belgium, the Netherlands as well as the UK, with Brighton & Hove City Council also participating. The funding is from the Interreg 2 Seas Programme.
The total value to Hastings, at current exchange rates, is around £1.77m.
Cllr Kim Forward lead member for housing at Hastings Borough Council, said:
“This is excellent news for the town. It will benefit particularly disadvantaged parts of St Leonards by tackling fuel poverty through introducing carbon dioxide reduction and low carbon technologies. The project will target residential areas where housing quality is poor and less energy efficient, particularly in the private rented sector but also include those who own their homes as well as local residents in social housing.
“The project includes energy efficient improvements to 200 homes, an energy advice ‘pop-up’ service, campaigns to improve energy efficiency, provide energy advice, and energy kits or smart meters to 600 homes.
“Local residents and tenants will see real benefits from the project because of lower energy bills, while everybody will benefit in the long term through a reduction in our carbon footprint. This really is a win win scheme, and I am delighted that we were successful in winning this funding. I look forward to seeing the promised improvements.”