A new Community Climate Investment Plan for Easton and Lawrence Hill has been published, setting out practical ideas for making our neighbourhoods greener, warmer and more resilient, while ensuring local people have a say in how future climate investment is spent.
The plan is the result of Transforming Energy Together, a project led locally by Eastside Community Trust, working with the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), Bristol City Council and other city partners. The project was part of the £5 million Mission Net Zero programme, funded by Innovate UK, which aimed to accelerate Bristol and the West of England’s transition to net zero.
From local conversations to practical projects
Over the course of the project, Eastside employed three community researchers, Natalie Hyacinth, Ruth Nortey and Aileen Smart, who worked alongside Eastside’s Vic Wakefield-Jarrett to find out what local people thought about energy, climate change and the changes they would like to see in their neighbourhood.
Thousands of leaflets were distributed, residents completed a survey and took part in climate conversation events at Easton Community Centre. The research found strong interest in better insulation and draught-proofing, alongside interest in solar panels and training in practical DIY and energy-saving skills. Residents also highlighted some of the barriers to taking action, including the challenges of improving Victorian terraced homes, finding trusted tradespeople and making changes when you rent rather than own your home.
Those conversations helped shape ideas ranging from making Victorian terraced streets more climate-friendly, to developing local retrofit skills and finding better solutions for electric vehicle and e-bike charging.
Turning ideas into investment
The new plan takes that work a step further. Rather than simply identifying what could make Easton and Lawrence Hill more sustainable, it is designed to turn community ambitions into practical projects that could attract future funding and investment.
Easton and Lawrence Hill are one of three Bristol communities involved in Transforming Energy Together. CSE says the project tested how community-led climate action could influence future investment decisions and give communities a stronger voice in deciding both what gets invested in and how that investment is delivered locally.
This work builds on Eastside’s earlier Easton and Lawrence Hill Community Climate Action Plan, created in 2021, and continues our aim of making sure action on climate change reflects the priorities, needs and realities of people living here.
Read the full Community Climate Investment Plan for Easton and Lawrence Hill.
You can also read more about the work that led to the plan in our Transforming Energy Together update.
