COP29 Torbay case studies

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan. This takes place from 11 to 22 November 2024. It is a pivotal opportunity to accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis. Global temperatures are hitting record highs. Extreme weather events are affecting people around the globe. COP29 will advance with concrete solutions to the defining issue of our time. It will bring together:

• leaders from governments
• business
• civil society

We are working together in Torbay to reduce our carbon footprint. We want to help prepare for an adapting climate. We are doing this via the Torbay Climate Partnership (TCP). This is a range of partners from various local sectors including:

• public
• private
• voluntary
• community

A Greener Way for Our Bay

A Greener Way For Our Bay is the TCP’s framework and action plan. It was endorsed in September 2024.

These are just a selection of case studies of projects happening across Torbay. They show the difference we can make on a local level.

The Torbay Climate Partnership’s ambitious new action plan to help tackle climate change was endorsed by Torbay’s Place Leadership Board, this September.

‘A Greener Way For Our Bay’ is a strategic framework and action plan which aims to reduce the Bay’s carbon emissions and help us all adapt to the impacts of a changing climate, with a series of three-year plans to guide Torbay through incremental steps towards reaching the national 2050 net-zero target.

During the next few weeks of vital climate talks between the world nations at COP29, we will be highlighting some of the exciting and positive actions that are already being taken closer to home.

Torbay Climate Partners, from South Devon College, Parkfield House, Torbay Council, Exeter Community Energy to Torbay Local Spark, amongst others, are already working hard to fulfil their commitments in the new plan in all sorts of different ways.

A Greener Way For Our Bay proposes ten key things to help reduce Torbay’s carbon emissions. These are:

1. Help more people live and work in homes and buildings that are energy efficient
2. Make sustainable transport and public transport more accessible and affordable
3. Ensure that roads and paths are safer and more accessible for cyclists and walkers
4. Reduce waste and increase recycling
5. Enjoy and protect our marine and natural environment
6. Help ‘green’ our businesses and create new jobs with the environment at their heart
7. Ensure the community is at the heart of local action
8. Monitor progress and set up initiatives that celebrate success
9. Help everyone understand why change is needed and how sustainable choices will make a difference
10. Work with nature and the local community to prepare for a changing climate

Watch out for stories on how we are getting on with these ten things and how you can get involved in the days to come. There is also more information on our website 

South Devon College

Left to Right: Laurence Frewin Principal and CEO, Matt Green Head of Commercial Services and Sustainability, Stephanie Sparkes Learning Support Lead (Young Adult Carers) and Young Carers Champion (YCC), Ryan Cooper Head of Data and Integration at the Beacon Awards in 2022.

South Devon College is a key partner on the Torbay Climate Partnership. They have been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Green Gown Awards UK and Ireland.

They are up against three other education establishments. They are all in the ‘Sustainability Institution of the Year’ category. 

The Green Gown Awards is now in its 20th year. These awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives taken by universities and colleges across the world. This year there are 133 finalists representing 84 institutions. 

Sustainability has been at the heart of South Devon College for many years. Key milestones over the years at South Devon College have been:

• Opening the ground-breaking and pioneering South West Energy Centre.
• Launching a Green Travel Plan.
• Investment in solar panels and air source heat pumps.
• Opening the £17.5 million Hi Tech & Digital Centre. This has been built to high BREEAM standards with many sustainable features. 

The college has a Sustainability Group. It encourages and drives college wide sustainability initiatives for both students and staff. The focus is on student and curriculum involvement for cross college events. This includes volunteering in the community. 

Other sustainable actions include:

• Students planting different crops in the horticultural areas. These provide food supplies for the catering department.
• Closing buildings at weekends and holidays to save energy.
• Water saving initiatives.
• Planting indigenous trees, shrubs and wildflowers across the site.

The winners will be announced on Wednesday 13 November.

A Exeter Community Energy (ECOE)

There is a support scheme called Energy Saving Torbay.  They help residents save money and stay warm in their homes by offering free energy advice and support.

Many people will be worrying about how they can afford to heat their homes. This is even more of a worry with temperatures now dropping. There has also been the recent increase of the energy price cap pushing average energy bills up by £149 a year.

Energy Saving Torbay is running regular drop-in sessions across Torbay for residents. All Torbay residents are welcome to attend and can receive a wide range of free support. This includes help with:

• energy bills
• checking tariffs
• switching energy suppliers
• understanding heating controls and meters
• applying for discounts
• grants and benefits checks
• debt advice
• practical advice on reducing energy and water bills

The scheme was commissioned by Torbay Council. It has received £75,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It is being delivered by award-winning charity ECOE Advice.

ECOE, who work in partnership with Torbay Council, have been shortlisted for the 2024 Community Energy Awards in the categories of:

• Community Engagement and Inclusion Award
• CE organisation of the year (L)
• Progress in Expansion Award

In addition, Torbay Council have been shortlisted in the category of Supportive Local Authority Award.

The winners will be announced on Friday 22 November.

To find out more about Energy Saving Torbay including upcoming drop-in sessions and how you could benefit, visit Energy Saving Torbay – Invest In Torbay

i-Tree survey project update

Torbay holds a special place in the i-tree world. It is the first local authority in the UK to have had an i-tree eco survey undertaken.

Eco system surveys are very important as they show all the benefits, or services, provided by trees. These include:

• carbon storage
• carbon sequestration
• annual pollution removal
• annual run off (rainfall interception)

Further to the initial survey, a second survey was carried out in 2022. This survey recorded 458,000 trees in Torbay, both privately and publicly owned. Canopy cover in Torbay is a very respectable 18.2%. The national average for coastal towns is 15%. It is thought that this extra cover is the reason that the benefits, or services, are so good.

Despite the onset of Ash dieback, the Ash tree is the most common tree species at just over 14% of all UK trees. Ash dieback has taken its toll on the Ash tree population. Thankfully it is not as much as initially thought.

Torbay enjoys quite a wide range of tree species. It has with 62 different species. These all add to the resilience of the tree stock against both:

• climate adaptation
• the spreading threat of pests and disease impacting the tree stock

In addition, the itree data throws up a host of valuable information. These help with planning, policy and strategy. They help map a way forward in preserving, conserving and enhancing our trees over the coming decades. 

To assist in the continuation of tree cover, a tree planting strategy is being formulated.  Torbay has approximately 14% of plantable space. While that is not to say it should all be planted, it helps identify areas where planting could be considered.  As important as tree planting is, tree establishment is key. There must be three to five year plan of watering, weeding and formative pruning to ensure success.

Torbay’s trees in numbers:

Make it Net Zero Torbay – grants available until the end of March 2025

Businesses in Torbay can apply for grants of up to £3,000. This is thanks to the Make It Net Zero Torbay scheme. Grants can help with reducing carbon emissions and saving money on energy bills.

This programme is delivered by manufacturing and business development company SWMAS.

There are grants of up to £3,000 for:

• LED lighting and lighting controls.
• Boilers/heating plant/equipment/batteries for power generation.
• Heating/Cooling controls.
• Specialist energy efficient equipment. For example, manufacturing tools.
• Supplying more energy efficient equipment. For example, refrigeration.
• Heat recovery systems.
• Solar installations, wind turbine, heat pumps.
• Electric vehicle infrastructure. For example, charging points, batteries.
• Smart energy monitoring system.

Local Make It Net Zero business case studies - Make it Net Zero Torbay – Invest In Torbay

Please email for more information on the grants available.

Devon and Torbay Transport Plan consultation

Torbay residents are being invited to have their say on future plans for transport covering the Bay as well as Devon.

The plan's vision is for well-integrated and accessible transport to help with:

• sustainable growth
• supporting net zero carbon targets by 2050 at the latest
• improving travel choice
• benefiting people’s health and wellbeing

The proposals outline plans for:

• Greater places for people
• Easier travel
• Improving travel choice
• Attractive public transport
• Access to public transport
• A strategic Cycle Network
• Improving access for pedestrians and cycles
• Decarbonisation
• Unlocking development
• A reliable and resilient network

The consultation closes at 11.59pm on Saturday 30 November.

Torbay Neighbourhood Growing Programme

This programme centres on making unused council land available for community groups to grow on. The aim is to:

• increase knowledge of healthy food

• increase peoples confidence to grow food

• contribute to to easing food insecurity

• combat the high cost of living

These are small plots of land. Typically verges and separate to parks and allotments. They would be made available alongside a supporting framework including:

• cultivation licences

• public liability insurance (via Torbay Community Development Trust) 

• a developing land search portal via Map My Nearest

We recognise that this programme will not feed everyone. The hope is that some healthy food will make its way onto the plate and this may influence buying habits in a positive way.

Many people may have the willingness to grow and cook. They just may not have the economic means to do so. There will also be support which will look at cooking skills, cooking utensils and white goods access.

We are currently in our pilot  phase. Foxhole in Paignton is subject to a mapping exercise with 15 local plots identified. We have also completed 2 co-production events to float this new opportunity to the community.

A partnership steering group is now overseeing the process. The ambition is to go Torbay wide in time on a hub and spoke model. We want the momentum of growing activity at People’s Parkfield to act as a catalyst.   

Work programmes offer free support for Torbay businesses

Are you a Torbay business owner, or leader, interested in upskilling your staff?

South Devon College is running two programmes to help local businesses. These are aimed at training employees in new skills and technologies. We have commissioned this. It is funded by UK Government, alongside other council funding. The programmes are completely free for participating businesses and employees.

Employees can choose from a range of courses. They will help them advance in their careers and help businesses to thrive. For example:

• Hotel employees. They could take part in masterclasses in cheffing and management.
• Digital or creative employees. They could choose from workshops in Adobe Photoshop and WordPress. 
• Health and social care employees. They could do an adult social care course or attend complex care workshops.

There is also something for businesses in Torbay's construction sector. This includes those who are self-employed. There is a Green Skills work programme. This is aimed at promoting the use of low carbon technologies.

Reduce, reuse, recycle – are zero-waste shops the future?

We all know how important it is to recycle. Do you know about the waste hierarchy? The five steps of the waste hierarchy are:

• Prevention: The top priority is to prevent waste 

• Prepare for reuse: If waste is created, it should be prepared for reuse 

• Recycle: The next priority is to recycle waste 

• Recover: Recovery includes energy recovery 

• Disposal: As a last option, dispose of waste in a landfill 

Part of this is about reducing packaging in the first place. If that’s not possible, we need to reuse containers wherever possible. When people shop at supermarkets or online lots of packaging gets thrown away. People feel strongly about wanting to stop this. Most of us now recycle used packaging where we can. But how can we cut down on that packaging when we buy our food?

A new zero-waste shop recently opened in Torbay. The owner of the shop, Zoe Tarrant, is hoping to provide customers with a more sustainable and ethical way to shop. Trace-Less is based in Bolton Street, Brixham. It is next door to The Larder cafe and is currently into its second month of trading.  Zoe is passionate about nutrition, health and the planet. She is hoping her new venture will help to support people in making more informed choices. The aim being to benefit both their health and our planet. One of the primary aims of Trace-Less is to try and reduce the use of plastics for its customers. The shop operates on a refill basis. Customers can either bring their own containers or make use of the ones available in the shop. Trace-Less stocks a wide range of:

• organic food products

• wholefoods

• eco-friendly household products

There are plans to increase the range as the shop grows. A website is currently in development. It will offer an online shopping service and a delivery service in the Torbay and Dartmouth area.

Trace-Less can be followed on Facebook and Instagram. 

Cycle Torbay CIC

We want to make sustainable travel more accessible and affordable. It is a key priority in Torbay Climate Partnership’s ‘A Greener Way For Our Bay’ framework and action plan. It is also an important part of our Local Cycling, Walking and Infrastructure Implementation Plan.

Helping more people to cycle is a key part of this. Organisations such as Cycle Torbay play an important role in helping to achieve this. They provide many local services including:

• The Cycle Torbay Bike Hub at Peoples Parkfield in Paignton. Open every Monday from 10am to midday. People are welcome to drop in and help with recycling bicycles. Since April these volunteers have prevented 101 bicycles from going to landfill. Each bike is renovated and then put back into use in Torbay as a form of sustainable travel.
• Cycle Torbay provides outreach to local young people. It does this in partnership with community centres and schools around Torbay. They offer activities where children and young people can learn cycle maintenance skills. They also work in partnership with us at Torbay Council to provide the Bikeability scheme in local schools. Children get the opportunity to learn cycling skills.
• The Cycle Torbay Bike Bus. This is an essential tool which is used to promote cycling. It also provides free activities for communities to learn cycle maintenance skills. It is a mobile bike hub. The Bike Bus carries all the tools needed to carry out repairs and tune up bikes to help keep Torbay cycling!

Miyawaki Forests

Miyawaki forests are densely planted woodlands. They promote high growth rate and are approximately the size of a tennis court.  They have many benefits, including higher biodiversity and carbon sequestration. 

Torbay is set to benefit from two of these forests. Defra fund this as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme. The Environment Agency manage this programme.

The programme aims to:

• innovate in flood and coastal resilience
• adapt to climate change
• show how practical actions can improve resilience to flooding and coastal erosion

The Miyawaki forest is part of the ‘Devon Resilience Innovation Project’. This is one of 25 projects across the country to receive funding as part of the programme.  As part of the project, we are looking at installing three Miyawaki Forests in Devon. We want to understand how they can reduce flood risk in both an urban and rural setting.  Two of these will be in Torbay. We are in discussions with two schools about locating them on their grounds.

Torbay Furniture Project

A Greener Way for Our Bay emphasises the importance of reducing waste and recycling. We want to ensure the local community is at the heart of this action.

In the UK up to 670,000 tonnes of furniture goes to landfill each year. Most of this can still be used. An estimated 6 million people in the UK are experiencing furniture poverty. This is the inability to afford or access essential furniture, furnishings, or appliances. Torbay Furniture Project are doing their bit to ease this.

They are a small community interest company. They have a big heart and big ambition. They want to eradicate furniture poverty in Torbay.

They work with together with SWISCo. Each week they save up to a tonne, sometimes more, of furniture and other items from going to waste. These items are then:

• repaired

• recycled

• repainted

• repurposed

• rehomed

They also work in partnership to help provide much needed furniture. This includes working with:

• Our welfare team at Torbay Council, local charities, CICs and organisations. They provide furniture to people who need it. They help people leaving temporary accommodation set up their homes.

• Made for Me (Furniture) CIC. Made for Me is run by a talented local woman who upcycles furniture into eye catching pieces.

• Cycle Torbay CIC. They repair and service bikes before they go on sale in Torbay Furniture Project’s shop in Paignton.

They also hold ‘Freebie Friday’. Items of furniture are available free of charge. It can be anything from bedsides to beds, chairs to coffee tables.

You can find them at 56-58 Winner Street in Paignton and they cover the whole of Torbay. 

Paignton Library decarbonisation

Funding has been granted to help decarbonise Paignton Library. This is part of ongoing work to reduce Torbay’s carbon footprint and make our buildings more energy efficient,

We will replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps in the roof of the library building. The current boilers are at the end of their service life anyway and two of the boilers are beyond repair. This will be the latest building to benefit from this low carbon, eco-friendly form of heating. Other buildings to have benefitted from heat pumps in recent years include:

• Torbay Leisure Centre
• The Arid House at Torre Abbey
• Watcombe Children’s Centre Nursery

The project has been funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This is via the Public Sector Decarbonisation Programme and is a two-year programme. It will be delivered by Salix.

We expect work to start in January 2025.

People's Parkfield

Parkfield House on Paignton sea front is grade 2 listed and council owned. People’s Parkfield CIC hold a 40-year lease on the property.

One of their aims is to become a climate hub. Their first task was to reduce the amount of electricity and gas currently used in the former family home.

People’s Parkfield have been able to replace all of the internal lights in Parkfield House. They did this with the help of a £3,000 match fund. They removed the high energy strip lights and replaced them with modern LED warm lights. This helped to both:

• reduce their electricity consumption
• make workspaces more comfortable

Work has begun to add window blinds. These will reduce the glare of the sun in lawn facing rooms. They will also still let in as much natural light as possible. In other rooms, insulated blinds are being fitted to help reduce the heating bills.

This project highlights how simple steps can make a big difference.

Practical Conservation Days with Young People at People's Parkfield

Two of the key priorities highlighted in the A Greener Way For Our Bay action plan and framework are:

• To enjoy and protect our marine and natural environment
• To work with nature and the community to prepare for a changing climate

Stuart Riddle is the Community Officer for Life On The Edge. Below he talks about the conservation work he’s been doing with schools.