I’ve been working at Broadland District Council on secondment since August 2010 with a specific focus on the proposed development of an eco-community at Rackheath, near Norwich. Having been involved with the Eco-towns programme (as it was previously known) in one form or another for the past two years, the secondment has given me the opportunity to work closely with the excellent Climate Change team at Broadland in delivering the Carbon Management Programme for Rackheath.
I act as the Project Manager for the UEA’s involvement with the eco-development. Our work is currently focused on the development of 12 homes at Green Lane West in Rackheath and the roll-out of a retrofitting project in the existing Rackheath community. Work has just begun at Green Lane West and the homes will all be built to Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable homes – the highest standard of sustainability for new homes in the UK. The retrofit project aims to improve the energy efficiency of properties in the Rackheath area (see http://www.broadland.gov.uk/retrofit/) and residents interested in measuring their energy consumption before and after installation of improvements will be given the opportunity to have a digital energy display installed.
Over the coming months and years I hope to build on the work we are undertaking with Broadland in order to support the successful implementation of the Carbon Management Programme for Rackheath and build strong links between the University and the Council to ensure that expertise from LCIC, and across UEA will support Broadland’s work for many years to come.
Chris Blincoe, Project Manager
