MANCHESTER REGION TO BECOME BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN LOW CARBON ECONOMIC AREA
Greater Manchester has been designated the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) for the Built Environment the Government announced today. Ministers have been working with environment and economic chiefs in the city region to be named as the UK’s fourth LCEA.
The Manchester Built Environment (LCEA) will build on the City-Region’s strong track record in regeneration in the built environment and its world leading university and research capabilities in the low carbon built environment.
Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation said: “Greater Manchester is a fantastic choice to be the next LCEA. The Manchester universities are known for leading research on the built environment putting the region in the best position to face a low carbon future, safeguarding jobs, stimulating growth and preventing catastrophic climate change.”
The LCEA will involve a five-year “retrofit” programme, which will be one of the largest initiatives of this type in the world – improving the insulation of thousands of homes and offices in Greater Manchester. Small-scale renewable energy technologies will also be installed and “smart meters” will be introduced so people can see how much energy they are using.
A ‘low carbon laboratory’ will also be established focusing on the research strengths of the universities along the Corridor – the Oxford Road area of the city – where new innovative technologies will be developed and tested. One of the most innovative areas of work will be the development of new finance initiatives such as mortgage products linked to carbon savings.
The announcement means that over the next five years Greater Manchester will become a world leader on this agenda and enjoy a range of additional benefits linked to jobs and investment, sharing its expertise throughout the UK and beyond.
The Low Carbon Economic Area in Greater Manchester will:
– save 6 million tones of carbon
– create an additional £650 million to the economy
– support 34,800 jobs
Initial work on the design of the programme has been carried out by teams from Greater Manchester’s commissions for the Environment and the New Economy alongside those from government including Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Treasury, Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Tony Walker, Incubation Manager, commenting on this announcement said ‘This is excellent news for Manchester – again seen as a driving force in addressing key global issues. It will also greatly assist UMIC in its drive to develop low carbon business incubation. We were already pleased to be introduced as part of the Carbon Trust Incubation Network earlier this year. We are actively seeking to grow the next generation of sustainable, clean technology and low carbon based businesses and having such activities in Manchester in future will be a major benefit’.
