News story: Motorbikes to large trucks: developing zero emission vehicles

Businesses can lead research and development projects into low emission technologies for cars, motorbikes, lorries and vans as part of a long-term funding plan for the UK to lead the way in new vehicle developments.

Innovate UK and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) have up to £20 million to invest in new vehicle technologies. This is the 14th competition under their integrated delivery plan (IDP).

For the first time, a portion of the money is being set aside to support research into technologies for medium and heavy goods vehicles.

The funding was announced today by Roads Minister, Jesse Norman.

Acceleration towards zero-emission vehicles

Government’s ambition is for nearly all cars and vans on UK roads to be zero emission by 2050. It aims to support the acceleration towards zero-emission vehicles through technology development, particularly where this can significantly reduce system costs.

Projects could look at:

  • electric machines and power electronics
  • energy storage and energy management
  • lightweight vehicle and powertrain structures
  • highly disruptive zero emission technologies
  • propulsion for zero emission medium and heavy goods vehicles

Medium and heavy goods vehicle projects could focus on the main powertrain and also on auxiliary power systems such as for refrigeration or trailer equipment.

The funding

Up to £18 million is set aside in this competition for research and development projects that develop technologies to support the transition, and a further £2 million is set aside for smaller feasibility studies.

Funding for the competition includes £15 million from OLEV and £5 million from the Faraday Challenge. This is the part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund that will particularly support battery technology.

OLEV was set up to work across government to support the early market for ultra-low-emission vehicles. It is providing £900 million to help place the UK at the forefront of development, manufacture and use of low emission vehicles.

Competition information

  • the competitions for research and development and feasibility funding are open, and the deadline for applications is at midday on 13 December 2017
  • a briefing event will be held on 27 September 2017

Feasibility studies

  • we expect feasibility studies to have total project costs of up to £250,000 and to last up to 12 months
  • projects must be led by a business working with at least one partner
  • businesses could attract up to 70% of their eligible project costs

Research and development

  • we expect research and development projects to have total costs of between £250,000 and £4 million and to last between 12 months and 3 years
  • projects must be led by a business working with at least one partner and include an appropriate end customer
  • businesses could attract up to 70% of their eligible project costs


Press release: Preparing for major Romsey flood exercise

Field teams will be building 400 metres of temporary barrier close to Greatbridge Road, to train new and existing members of staff on its construction. For a short period of time the road itself will be closed, to allow the barrier to be built across the carriageway and to ensure that the exercise mimics as closely as possible what would happen in a real flood event.

The exercise will be run in conjunction with local partners including Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Hampshire County Council, Test Valley Borough Council, Romsey Town Council and local businesses.

The barrier is one of the temporary options to help reduce the risk of flooding to residents and businesses in Romsey, specifically around the Budds Lane and Greatbridge Road area which was flooded in 2014.

Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Risk Manager Gordon Wilson said:

It’s unlikely that we’ll see a repeat of the extreme weather conditions that caused the 2014 flooding in Hampshire, but the exercise will make sure that we’re ready, should the worst happen this winter. In partnership with Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council, we are developing a flood alleviation scheme which will help protect more than 100 homes against flooding. We are looking to start construction works in early summer next year (2018), although this is dependent upon us securing sufficient local financial contributions, to top up the funding allocated by the Government.

Tom Simms, Head of Resilience for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:

We work extremely hard with our partners all year round to ensure our communities are well prepared to deal with emergencies such as the floods experienced in Romsey and other parts of the county in 2014. This work ranges from producing localised actions plans for communities to exercises like this, which all helps to provide the necessary resilience for any unexpected or sudden events.

Deputy Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Councillor Nick Adams-King said:

We have built strong relationships with our partners through the Test Valley Flood Resilience Forum which helps all of the agencies to work together for the benefit of our residents, and this exercise will put this into practice. One of our ambitions in the Romsey Future Document is to develop the town’s resilience to managing the extremes of weather and this includes addressing potential environmental risks such as flooding.

Councillor Rob Humby, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Hampshire County Council, said:

We are committed to helping reduce the risk of flooding across Hampshire and I’m pleased to be working collaboratively with our partners to help the residents and businesses of Romsey. We are making good progress with plans for a package of measures to mitigate the impact of flooding in Romsey and I hope local people will be able to come along to our public exhibition in Crosfield Hall between 11 and 14 October to find out more.

The barrier construction is part of a 3 day exercise that will fully test all physical aspects of a localised flood event. The build will begin at 9am and continue until midnight. Greatbridge Road will be closed from around 7pm until midnight.

For all media enquiries please contact 0800 141 2743 or email southeastpressoffice1@environment-agency.gov.uk.



Press release: Preparing for major Romsey flood exercise

Field teams will be building 400 metres of temporary barrier close to Greatbridge Road, to train new and existing members of staff on its construction. For a short period of time the road itself will be closed, to allow the barrier to be built across the carriageway and to ensure that the exercise mimics as closely as possible what would happen in a real flood event.

The exercise will be run in conjunction with local partners including Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Hampshire County Council, Test Valley Borough Council, Romsey Town Council and local businesses.

The barrier is one of the temporary options to help reduce the risk of flooding to residents and businesses in Romsey, specifically around the Budds Lane and Greatbridge Road area which was flooded in 2014.

Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Risk Manager Gordon Wilson said:

It’s unlikely that we’ll see a repeat of the extreme weather conditions that caused the 2014 flooding in Hampshire, but the exercise will make sure that we’re ready, should the worst happen this winter. In partnership with Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council, we are developing a flood alleviation scheme which will help protect more than 100 homes against flooding. We are looking to start construction works in early summer next year (2018), although this is dependent upon us securing sufficient local financial contributions, to top up the funding allocated by the Government.

Tom Simms, Head of Resilience for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:

We work extremely hard with our partners all year round to ensure our communities are well prepared to deal with emergencies such as the floods experienced in Romsey and other parts of the county in 2014. This work ranges from producing localised actions plans for communities to exercises like this, which all helps to provide the necessary resilience for any unexpected or sudden events.

Deputy Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Councillor Nick Adams-King said:

We have built strong relationships with our partners through the Test Valley Flood Resilience Forum which helps all of the agencies to work together for the benefit of our residents, and this exercise will put this into practice. One of our ambitions in the Romsey Future Document is to develop the town’s resilience to managing the extremes of weather and this includes addressing potential environmental risks such as flooding.

Councillor Rob Humby, Executive Member for Environment and Transport at Hampshire County Council, said:

We are committed to helping reduce the risk of flooding across Hampshire and I’m pleased to be working collaboratively with our partners to help the residents and businesses of Romsey. We are making good progress with plans for a package of measures to mitigate the impact of flooding in Romsey and I hope local people will be able to come along to our public exhibition in Crosfield Hall between 11 and 14 October to find out more.

The barrier construction is part of a 3 day exercise that will fully test all physical aspects of a localised flood event. The build will begin at 9am and continue until midnight. Greatbridge Road will be closed from around 7pm until midnight.

For all media enquiries please contact 0800 141 2743 or email southeastpressoffice1@environment-agency.gov.uk.



News story: UK team sets off to compete at the Invictus Games Toronto 2017

A 90-strong team of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) military personnel have departed from London Heathrow for Toronto, Canada to represent the UK in the third Invictus Games.

The eight-day sporting event will see 550 individuals from 17 nations compete across 12 sports including athletics, wheelchair basketball, swimming and a new sport for 2017, golf. The event will begin with an opening ceremony on 23 September at the Air Canada Centre, featuring Canadian singers Sarah McLachlan and Alessia Cara, and will finish with a closing ceremony on 30 September with performances from Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams.

The Invictus Games, the only international multi-sport event for WIS military personnel and veterans, harness the power of sport to inspire recovery. Getting involved in sport provides significant physical and mental health benefits including increasing self-confidence.

More hopefuls than ever before applied for a place in this year’s UK team, which was unveiled by Prince Harry, the patron of the Invictus Foundation, in May. Team selection was based on the benefit of the games to an individual’s recovery as well as their performance and commitment to training.

Minister for Defence People and Veterans, Tobias Ellwood MP, was at Heathrow. He said:

I was proud to meet our UK competitors who are overcoming injury or illness to achieve incredible things and truly embodying the meaning of Invictus; unconquered. I am extremely excited to attend the Games next week to cheer them on and I’m sure we will see some remarkable achievements.

Of this year’s UK team, 62% are new to the Invictus Games including the 2017 Captain, former Army Major Bernie Broad. Bernie served in the Grenadier Guards for around 30 years and due to injuries sustained in Afghanistan lost both his legs below the knee.

Team Captain Bernie will represent the UK in golf, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. He said:

I feel extremely proud to lead the UK Team to Toronto for what promises to be an outstanding third Invictus Games. Our success will not be measured by how many medals we bring home, but by our personal successes, how many challenges we overcome and how many international friends we make.

On 22 September, 260 family and friends will travel to Toronto to join team members and show their support.

The Ministry of Defence has worked in partnership with Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion to deliver the UK Delegation for Toronto 2017. The Ministry of Defence is a partner in the Defence Recovery Capability, a programme which helps WIS Service personnel either return to duty from injury or helps them back into civilian life.

The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 will take place from 23 – 30 September.



Press release: Environment Agency chair to visit Derbyshire’s BogFest 2017

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, will be visiting Derbyshire on Friday 22 September to present at a conference as part of the three-day BogFest 2017 event in Edale.

BogFest 2017, organised by the Moors for the Future Partnership and the International Union for Conservation of Nature UK Peatland Programme, forms a conference programme for invited delegates alongside a range of activities and sessions for the public to celebrate the iconic moorland of the Peak District and South Pennines.

Emma Howard Boyd will be presenting at the conference along with the Environment Agency’s East Midlands Area Manager, Louise Cresswell, and other Environment Agency officers. Emma will be presenting on the benefits and progress made in using natural flood risk management and also chair other sessions at the conference.

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

I am looking forward to visiting Derbyshire and attending the BogFest 2017 conference. The Environment Agency has been working with the Moors for the Future Partnership as a significant partner for over 10 years, and we have supported a range of research and delivery projects.

Whilst our involvement initially focussed on the biodiversity- and carbon-related benefits of the peatland restoration, it has increasingly focussed on the water quality and natural flood risk management benefits.

Through our ongoing involvement in the partnership, we are able to influence as to where resources are devoted in the moorland landscape. We benefit from the influence offered by working within the partnership to achieve this, and from the work of the programme team in securing significant resources from funding bids.

The partnership’s strength lies in its relevance to people and wildlife across the Dark Peak and South Pennines. The region is one of the most visited areas of moorland in the world offering a range of ecosystem services to a vast local population.

The partnership also provides a great networking opportunity between landowners and policy-making bodies and allows us to influence the various needs of research to supply evidence which supports the management of the moorland.

Chris Dean, Moors for the Future Partnership’s Head of Programme Delivery, said:

We are delighted to welcome Emma Howard Boyd to BogFest – our first festival-style conference, celebrating the iconic uplands and brilliant blanket bogs across the UK.

The conference takes place in Edale, at the foot of the South Pennines, where blanket bog is slowly recovering from devastation caused by pollution dating back to the industrial revolution and damage from wildfires.

With the support of the Environment Agency, together we have restored much of the most severely damaged blanket bog, facilitated the regeneration of upland clough woodlands, and inspired the public to get involved in the UK’s first upland citizen science initiative.

Thanks to the funding from the Environment Agency and our other partners and funders, our work has far-reaching benefits including natural flood risk management, water quality, biodiversity, carbon storage, and health and well-being.

Background

The Moors for the Future Partnership delivers its work through the Peak District National Park Authority as the lead and accountable body. It is supported through its partners including the Environment Agency, Natural England, National Trust, RSPB, Severn Trent Water, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Pennine Prospects and representatives of the moorland owner and farming community.

BogFest is financed by Moors for the Future Partnership’s MoorLIFE2020 project, a 5-year programme that aims to protect remaining active blanket bog in the South Pennines Special Area of Conservation. The project is delivered by the Peak District National Park Authority as the lead and accountable body. On-the-ground delivery of the project is being undertaken largely by the Moors for the Future Partnership staff team with works also undertaken by the National Trust High Peak and Marsden Moor Estate, the RSPB Dove Stone team and Pennine Prospects (the Associated Beneficiaries).

The Moors for the Future Partnership has been working since 2003 to protect the most degraded landscape in Europe. Using innovative conservation techniques it has transformed over 32sq km of black degraded peat in the Peak District National Park and South Pennines. A monitoring programme provides evidence of the effectiveness of these techniques and is backed up by innovative communications that inspire people to care for these special places.