Council wins European sustainability award

Shropshire Council has won a European award for its work to encourage communities to make their buildings more sustainable, whilst preserving their historic character.

The council has won the SECHURBA (Sustainable Energy Communities in Historic Urban Areas) Community Award for its new Historic Community Climate Change Strategy, which was recently adopted as part of the council’s new Corporate Sustainability, Environment and Climate Change Policy.

The strategy was developed to enable Shropshire Council to help communities consider a more sustainable way of using their historic buildings, and to encourage people living in historic buildings to improve the efficiency of their homes.

Ann Hartley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for energy and carbon reduction, said:

“I’m delighted that we have won this award.  We would like to encourage Shropshire residents to live in a way that enables us to be resilient to future changes, and protects the environment and society we leave for our children and future generations.  Effective adaptation of existing buildings to meet modern requirements for energy is an important way of creating a more sustainable society.

“Shropshire has a wealth of historic and traditional buildings, and encouraging property owners and residents to adopt our strategy will help these buildings become more sustainable.”

Ruth Hudson, Sustainability Officer with Shropshire Council, said:

“I would like to encourage anyone in a historic or traditional building to have a look at the guidance document that supports this strategy.  We have provided a range of advice on how you can make your building more sustainable.”