Personal statement on the status of the project and the Parish Council’s position
Preamble: I am Chair of the Parish Council, but it’s important to emphasize that this only carries a specific set of responsibilities for Council meetings. Otherwise, I am just one of the nine Councillors. Nevertheless, I feel I am as well placed as any of us to try to explain the Parish Council’s position. I propose to submit a document similar to this to the Parish Council meeting next week, 10th March , which will formalize the position.
Background: Batheaston Parish Council first recognized the existence of a climate emergency in October 2020 .
We were invited to register an interest in Energy in your Community on 4th July 2025, and I think we took the view that this was a straightforward and easy decision: there was no commitment made to install facilities.
The project is run by the Centre for Sustainable Energy and Bath and North East Somerset Council, with Bath & West Community Energy as the possible delivery partner for any scheme that comes from the project. We were also interested in the other two strands of the project: “Energy at Home”, for anyone struggling with energy costs, and who wants to improve their home’s insulation, heating or energy efficiency; and “Energy Champions”, community volunteers providing energy advice and help to access grants and lower energy bills.
We registered an interest in the project on 31st July, and on 5th September, we were informed by B&NES that they intended to pursue a project with us, St Catherine's Parish, and other local organizations.
Our approach to the Project: Throughout we have been mindful that:
1. We represent the community of Batheaston, and act solely in the interest of the Parish. Any proposal would have to have broad support from the community. The commitment to undertake a survey of all residents’ views is a critical part of the process.
2. Any proposal that came from this process would have to pass the usual tests, including planning permission.
3. We all recognize and value personally the special countryside around Batheaston, and that most of the parish is designated within the Cotswolds National Landscape. This limits the possible sites.
4. The full details of how the community would own and benefit from an installation were and still are not clear to us. On the other hand, we know that it is perfectly possible for a landowner or developer to come forward with a proposal over which we have little control and from which we would derive no benefit.
Progress and Current Status: The main meeting so far has been a workshop on 3rd February. Two of my fellow Councillors attended, along with the Clerk, and reported back to our Council meeting on 10th February that the majority of the attendees were against the installation of facilities in any of the proposed locations. The draft minutes of our next Council Meeting reflect this negative view.
We are however continuing to engage in the project and are keen to give other members of the community a chance to air their views, and perhaps to identify options that were not considered at that meeting.
The next step will be a survey of community views that B&NES will organise. We will do our utmost to ensure that as many people in the Parish have a chance to respond.
Final Note: I have seen various statements about the project which are not correct and imply that the process is predetermined. Please do feel free to contact us, your Parish Council, by emailing the Clerk as below if you have any concerns of this nature.
Cllr Hannah Squire
Batheaston Parish Council Chair
Contact via the Parish Clerk: clerk@batheaston-pc.gov.uk
4th March 2026
A PDF copy of this statement is available here