Severn Valley Country Park electric buggy

Rangers at Severn Valley Country Park (SVCP) are cutting Shropshire Council’s carbon footprint by using an electric buggy to get about the 126-acre site.

We've pledged to be at net zero carbon by 2030, and this measure exemplifies the steps being taken. SVCP traded in its diesel vehicle and exchanged it for a leased electric vehicle. The park received financial support from the Climate Change Task Force, showcasing departments’ willingness to collaborate to progress the decarbonisation agenda. The new utility task vehicle (UTV) went into service in December 2022 and, as well as reducing reliance on fossil fuels and cutting emissions, it's expected to make maintenance savings too. An electric charging point is also being installed on site. The UTV produces less air and noise pollution than a traditionally powered vehicle. It also requires less maintenance due to fewer moving parts, which should result in additional financial savings. It will be used by the countryside team to perform a wide range of activities across the park.

Severn Valley Country Park Visitor Centre

Key facts

Location

Severn Valley Country Park, Alveley

Grant recipient

Shropshire Council

Purpose

The visitor centre building dates from 1992. A modern design, the building is quite distinctive and is located in the central high point of Severn Valley Country Park. The building houses a café, information and educational resources, toilets and a shop. Lighting is predominantly T5s and heating of the building was via night storage heaters.

Financials

• System Cost: £20,202
• Funding: 60% ERDF Sustainable Energy in Public Buildings 40% Shropshire Council Capital funding
• Predicted payback to Council: 3.8 years
• Anticipated cost saving = £2,132/yr

Energy efficiency measures

• LED lighting: 11 luminaries and control systems fitted
• Decrease of energy consumption: 55,276 kWh
• Predicted energy saving: 16,034 kWh
• CO2 savings/yr: 5.6 tCO2/yr

Building heating system

Air source heat pump with five vertical cabinet heat/chill emitters strategically placed around the walls.

Further information

Sustainable Energy in Public Buildings (SEPuBu) is an ERDF-funded grant scheme for innovative low carbon measures in public buildings across the Marches. Contact Matt Locking, SEPuBu project manager, for more information about this project: mlocking@herefordshire.gov.uk

Brook Vessons Headwater Restoration Project

Ditch blocking and fracturing of land drains was carried out on 15ha of upland pasture adjacent to a nature reserve, restoring a more natural hydrology to this area of catchment headwaters. The work will also improve habitats by increasing diversity and wetness of previously improved grasslands, enhancing connections between good existing habitats above on the Stiperstones and lower in the Habberley Valley.

Find out more from the Shropshire Hills AONB website.