Net Zero Villages Grant - Grant Information Guidance

This page gives detailed information for those considering applying for Net Zero Villages Grant.

Please see the main Net Zero Villages Grant page for a brief overview of the scheme.

A simple Net Zero Villages Grant - Expression of Interest form must be complete and submitted by Sunday, January 5, 2025, for projects to be considered for the funding.

On this page:

Grant Aim

Net Zero Villages Grant funding is provided by Cambridgeshure and Peterborough Combined Authority to support rural communities with capital projects that deliver reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The minimum single grant award is £4,000 and the maximum is £25,000 from a total fund of £84,000.

Who can apply?

Applicants must be one of the following:

A parish council within Fenland district.
A voluntary, community or social enterprise sector organisation, with the applicable asset to be improved being located within the Fenland district.
Other public sector bodies applying on behalf of a Fenland district community.

Applicants must have:

A written constitution or mission statement
An elected committee or representative steering group
A bank account associated to the group / organisation / council, where grants can be payable to, and be able to provide an up-to-date copy of their accounts, or, as a minimum, a recent bank account statement
A safeguarding policy, or, if you don't have one, please make it clear what your organisation or group will do to keep children or other vulnerable people safe during the implementation of the project
An equal opportunities policy, or, if you don't have one, please make it clear what your organisation or group will do to ensure equality of access to the project.

If you have any questions about these criteria, please contact us.

What must the funded project deliver?

The project must deliver at least one of the following (these criteria being set by the Cambridgeshire-Peterborough Combined Authority):

Tackling energy use and/or support energy efficiency or energy generation retrofit to a community building; or
Enabling access to public transport or access to local services through low carbon transport; or
Nature based solutions to tackle overheating of community buildings.

The project must be based within the Fenland district.

What qualifies as a 'community building'?

This is not always clear cut, and we will treat each application on its merits.

However, the following are likely to be eligible (and in each case, it must be demonstrated that community events, clubs or similar are regularly held in such buildings, at reasonable cost, with nil or negligeable annual membership fees, and with a high degree of accessibility):

Village/community halls
Meeting rooms
Parish owned buildings

Whilst it is accepted the following buildings are often very important assets in a village community, the following are highly unlikely to qualify unless it can be demonstrated that they are not for profit and have a very clear long-term community-led input into how they are run and funded:

Pubs
Hotels and other accommodation
Restaurants and cafes
Public buildings owned by local authorities or other public sector bodies other than parish councils (for example, a county council owned library is not eligible, nor a local NHS doctor's clinic)
Buildings primarily dedicated to sports or gym facilities (multi-purpose village halls which are occasionally used for sports or gym classes amongst other uses would be eligible)
Churches or other religious buildings (community buildings in church grounds would likely be eligible, but not the main church itself)
School buildings (community buildings in school grounds would likely be eligible, but not the main school itself)

How will proposed projects be assessed?

To measure the impact of your proposal, we will assess it against the following criteria (reasonable estimates and evidence of such will need to be provided):

Carbon emission reduction that will arise
Reduction in energy consumption
Reduction in running cost of community facilities
Reduce overheating of a building (where overheating of the building is evidenced to be a current issue)
Demonstrator project that can be replicated
Number of the community engaged or ability to change behaviours
Value for money - is there a significant impact for the amount of money requested?
Carbon emission reduction that will arise.

The council reserves the right to prioritise projects based on quality and value for money of applications received. Eligibility does not guarantee grant funding.

Example projects (not exhaustive):

Community building grants

For grants associated with community buildings, the following example projects might be suitable, though we welcome alternative proposals which meet the criteria of this grant fund:

Loft insulation
Double/triple glazed windows
Draft proofing
Underfloor heating
Internal/external cavity wall insulation
Replacement lighting to LED lighting
Solar panel installation
Wind turbine
Air/ground source heat pump installation
Water harvesting/saving measures (provided there is a link to emission savings)
Window shutters (especially on south facing windows if the building currently overheats, or north facing windows if the building has large amounts of exposed glass to cold winter winds)
Information / interpretation boards, but only if associated with one of the above measures (for example, a display which provides live data of how much any installed solar panels are producing would be eligible, or any information boards to explain to local resident what has been installed would be eligible).
Battery installation (provided it is directly linked to a proposed or current renewable energy source on the building, such as rooftop PV panels or a wind turbine. Battery installation which is primarily for the purpose of being charged up using off peak electricity will not be eligible)

Preferred projects

Projects which are likely to be particularly favoured are those that demonstrate a 'whole building' approach to energy efficiency, and where it is demonstrated that the greatest carbon emission savings can be achieved by the proposal. For example, a proposal which simply seeks PV solar panels will not be supported unless evidence is provided to demonstrate why this is the best option for the building, the scale of electricity to be generated, and the scale of grid electricity to be reduced because of the panels. It might be that other measures, such as insulation, are better.

Helping access to public transport or access to local services through low carbon transport

For grants associated with helping access to public transport or access to local services through low carbon transport, the following example projects might be suitable, though we welcome alternative proposals which meet the criteria of this grant fund:

Low carbon public transport, such as a local community-led shuttle minibus. Evidence of need and sustainability of running costs would be needed.
Cycling related facilities, which clearly provide greater opportunities or encouragement of cycling to local services.

Nature-based solutions to tackle overheating of community buildings

For grants associated with nature-based solutions to tackle overheating of community buildings, the following example projects might be suitable, though we welcome alternative proposals which meet the criteria of this grant fund:

Green roofs and walls
Tree / landscape planting (native only) which creates shade and/or cooling breezes (though these would need to ensure such measures don't have the effect of increasing cold winds/reducing solar gain in winter). Tree planting or other similar measures which is for 'carbon offsetting' purposes is not permitted under this grant

Excluded projects (not exhaustive):

Funding of electric vehicle charge points (alternative funding for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure is anticipated to be coming shortly via the Combined Authority)
New gas or oil boilers
Projects solely seeking to repair, maintain or renew due to normal wear and tear
Projects on buildings that are not intended for community use
Projects that have the potential to cause detrimental impacts upon the wider determinants of health
Purchase of land or property
Projects where the majority of the grant sought is for measures not eligible for grant funding. Only a small amount of the grant awarded might be eligible for additional matters, if it is demonstrated such measures are needed to deliver the main emission saving measure. For example, if a small proportion of the grant being asked for is to strengthen the roof of a building in order for it to accommodate solar panels, this would be eligible for funding in full. But if the majority of the funding being asked for was for roof strengthening rather than the panels, this would not be eligible in full (the roof strengthening would have to be met by alternative funding).
Any on-going revenue costs or overheads (for example, salaries, rent, advertising, fuel, insurance, repair and maintenance). However, for the avoidance of doubt, if the project (such as PV panels or a wind turbine) results in excess electricity being generated at certain times of the day, which is subsequently sold to the local energy supplier, any such income can be retained by the organisation.
Projects that have a medium to high risk of not being fully delivered by March 2026.
Projects in March, Whittlesey, Chatteris, or Wisbech (However, villages within these parishes would be eligible).

How much can be applied for?

A total of £84,000 is available for distribution as grants from March 2025 to March 2026 Projects must be complete by March 2026.

It is important to note that the grant is entirely 'capital funding'. This means it cannot be used for 'revenue funded' purposes. In simple terms, this means that an asset must be created as a consequence of the project to be grant funded. If you are uncertain what these two types of funding are, then please seek advice before applying.

The minimum single grant award is £4,000, and the maximum is £25,000. If your project is below the minimum single grant award, we may still consider it if the impact of the change is commensurate to the goals of this grant funding opportunity. If your project is slightly above this range, please discuss with the council and we will see if alternative funding can be found or make up the difference.

All grants can be for 100% of the project's cost. However, for larger projects in excess of £25,000 you would be entitled to claim £25,000 from this grant and use alternative funding to pay for the remaining cost.

A critical assessment we will make when considering proposals is the likelihood of the project being delivered in full by March 2026. Please consider this before applying, and explain what consents are needed or already in place (such as, for example, planning permission and District Network Operators consent) and what challenges you might face for delivering your project by March 2026.

The council reserves the right to prioritise projects based on quality, value for money and deliverability of applications received. Eligibility does not guarantee grant funding.

Project Advice

Limited advice is available from Fenland District Council. At the Expression of Interest stage, we will arrange for someone from Fenland District Council's Environment Team to advise on whether your proposed project aligns with the spirit of the grant funding opportunity, if it will likely proceed to full application or whether you may need to make some adjustments.

Fenland District Council will not provide technical surveys or assessments.

It is likely you will need to secure your own independent advice to demonstrate the appropriateness and value for money for the proposal you intend to deliver. You will also need to provide a quote (or other reasonable and evidenced estimate) for the costs of the work at the full application stage.

What supporting documentation is required with the application?

Very limited information is required at this stage. Please just complete and return the short Net Zero Villages Grant - Expression of Interest form.

At the full application stage, you will likely need to provide:

A copy of your organisation's constitution or mission statement.
A recent bank statement for the account you would like the grant paid into. Statement must be dated within the last two months. Ideally, a copy of your latest accounts (audited if available) if you have one.
Detail of the grant sum requested, and proportionate evidence to support that sum requested (likely as a quote for the project). Broad, but reasonable, estimates of some of the costs are permitted where the final cost is unknown. However, once a grant has been awarded, there will be no opportunity to increase that grant should the cost exceed the estimate.
A copy of your safeguarding policy, if you have one. If you don't have one, please makes it clear what your organisation or group will do to keep children or other vulnerable people safe during the implementation of the project.
A plan of the proposed work, including a project map and project outcomes.
A timeline of the proposed work indicating mileposts and delivery dates.
A brief management plan which describes how the project will be sustainable post implementation. For example, how will the project be maintained post implementation?
Confirmation you are the landowner, or if not, you have clear consent from the landowner.
Any other relevant material that would support your application. Further guidance on completing a full application will be published shortly.

How will the grant be paid?

If successful, the applicant will receive the grant payment once we have received acknowledgement of the grant offer and acceptance of the terms and conditions. Larger projects will likely receive interim payments. Successful applicants will be required to sign a grant fund agreement with the council.

Any additional terms and conditions of the funding?

Organisations that are awarded a grant will be expected to comply with the following conditions as a minimum:

Funding must only be used for the agreed purpose and projecs complete by March 2026.
Any publicity must acknowledge the award provided.
Unused grant must be returned to Fenland District Council.
A brief end of project notification must be submitted to Fenland District Council within 3 months of project completion. A photograph of the completed project is required.
Any overspend or miscalculation resulting in increased costs will not be met by Fenland District Council.
Repayment of the grant will be required if the applicant has acted fraudulently or negligently at any time or fails to comply with any of the conditions of the grant.

Contact us

If you have any queries or would like a brief discussion about your application before submitting an Expression of Interest, please contact: streetpride@fenland.gov.uk