Thame & surrounds Environmental Newsletter

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Habitat improvement for wildlife at Rycote Meadow Conservation Project

The Rycote Meadow Conservation Project in Oxford Road, Thame, has started work on the latest measures to enhance and conserve this precious piece of floodplain meadow. The project is a partnership between the Cuttle Brook Conservation Volunteers, Thame Green Living and Thame Town Council. It is supported by South Oxfordshire District Council and the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (TOE), which in 2021 also funded the planting of a new section of hedgerow interspersed with native trees.

The new phase in the Project is the creation of a wetland scrape by the volunteers from CBCV. This will provide additional temporary wet habitats conducive to a range of specialist creatures and plants.

The work is taking place ahead of further works to build a fenced path across Rycote Meadow linking the new Thame Meadows estate to Oxford Road. This has been made possible thanks to a second successful grant application for £9,377 made by Thame Green Living to TOE. This supplements Section 106 funds generated from the Thame Meadows development on Oxford Road by South Oxfordshire District Council.

When opened, the path will enable local people to enjoy this tranquil natural space, which will remain, however, primarily a conservation area for wildlife, protected by a fence designed to prevent disturbance of birds, aquatic life and the delicate eco-system on which they depend. Advice on conservation work has been received from the River Thame Conservation Trust and Wild Oxfordshire, and it builds upon the extensive experience of CBCV, who manage the Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve close by. Rycote Meadow will be managed by CBCV in future and become an extension of the local nature reserve.

Chairman of Thame Green Living, Charles Boundy, commented, “TGL are delighted to see the Rycote Meadow Conservation Project move forward. It builds upon the aspirations of the Green Living Plan, which we did so much to create, to help make Thame a better place for nature, for wildlife and for local people. We value enormously the support from the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment and the commitment of our partners: CBCV and Thame Town Council.”

Mike Furness, for CBCV, added, “We warmly welcome the opportunity to help conserve even more of Thame’s natural habitats. Floodplain meadows are vital to local eco-systems. Sadly, we have lost many of them. It is more important than ever that we safeguard what we have for the future.”

The project will continue over the summer, with the hope that it will be open to the public some point during September 2024.

Enjoy some walks around Thame this summer

These images above show a booklet created in 1974 showing walks around Thame. The Countryside Code hasn't changes much since then - see the current one here. Thankfully, the leaflets have. There are several different walking guides available thanks to volunteers from Thame Green Living, Thame & Wheatley Ramblers, 21st Century Thame and Thame Museum. Some are around the countryside exploring our natural world, some are around the streets of Thame, exploring the towns history.

Find a full list and links to online versions of these on Thame Town Council's website, or pop in to the Information Centre to collect a paper version.

PLEASE NOTE:

some of the Thame Outer Circuit routes are likely to be overgrown at the moment, if you come across one please let Thame & Wheatley Ramblers know, as they have work parties who help to clear these when time allows.
The printed version of the Thame Inner Circuit is still not fully open due to the new development at the old DAF site in Thame. Please make sure you follow the online version.

My SME Business - 10 Steps to Net Zero

As market pressure mounts on business leaders to take more responsible and sustainable positions, it is hard to build a suitable plan that won’t break the bank or the business.

There are tools and experience available to help small businesses, and there is a fantastic package of support available for businesses based in South Oxfordshire District Council or Vale of White Horse District Council areas.

This webinar on Thursday 22 August, will help you to understand business carbon issues and introduce the full package of support. Find out more and book here.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) - report on progress towards meeting the UK’s legally binding commitments towards net zero

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) have issued their report on progress towards meeting the UK’s legally binding commitments towards net zero together with a list of recommendations. One key message is that the UK has met all of its carbon reductions to date, although not necessarily as expected. Going forward, however, there is a risk to meeting the 2030 targets if the UK and devolved Governments do not act soon.

The document is a highly interesting (but long) read, so I have tried to list below the items numbered in bold that could directly affect Thame. The CCC have prepared an accompanying half hour video that explains things well and is a recommended watch.

Proposals that could affect TTC and Thame:

R2024-013 A new proposal would be to introduce a comprehensive programme for decarbonisation of public sector buildings – a multi-year strategic programme for decarbonising public buildings supported by long-term capital settlements in the next spending review. It’s suggested that “A rolling programme should be designed, identifying the optimal timing for upgrades to fit in with typical usage cycles and beginning with the easiest and highest-impact buildings”. Would Thame’s few publicly owned buildings fit within the proposed strategy?

R2024-015, R2024-032, R2024-019 Remove planning barriers for heat pumps, Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points and onshore wind as soon as possible. The new Government has already removed the restrictions that had acted as an effective ban of on shore wind turbines. Domestic air source heat pumps currently have to be sited more than 1 metre away from a boundary. Planning permission with statements on operational noise levels etc. is currently required where heat pumps must be sited near to a boundary. The proposed changes would remove the need to apply for planning permission. The change to the EV rules also seem to be about relaxing the planning rules to ease installations.

R2024-029 , R2024-016, R2024-017 Reintroduce the target to have 100% of new cars and vans provided as EV by 2030. A new proposal would be to accelerate electric van uptake. The report notes the electrification of the UK’s van fleet has lagged behind expected delivery while van numbers and mileages have increased. It is also proposed that the rules are tightened again to ensure electric heating will become the default in all new buildings and for all buildings, over time. The new Government is also proposing to remove a proposed exemption that would allow for up to 20% of homes to continue to have new fossil fuel boilers installed beyond 2035. The reintroduction of abandoned efficiency measures for privately rented homes could be beneficial to tenants in the mid-long term, although there is some concern that landlords may choose to sell properties rather than upgrade them.

The video and full document - https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-2024-report-to-parliament/

Analysis by Graeme Markland - TTC Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer

River Thame Conservation Trust coming to September Environmental Forum

The River Thame Conservation Trust is a grassroots charity formed in 2012 by a group of passionate individuals concerned about the seemingly declining state of the River Thame.

From their growing concern, they began to put in place the foundations of the Trust that we know today, a local charity organisation working to restore the River Thame catchment, including its tributaries and surrounding landscape. The Trust operates at a catchment scale which spans both Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

On 12/09/2024 RTCT will be coming to give a presentation to Thame Environmental Forum about the work that they do and how you can get involved.

The meeting is held upstairs at Thame Town Hall, and runs from 6.30pm for a 6.45pm start. We hope to see you there.

Lopemede Farm Wetland Creation: A Landmark Biodiversity Net Gain Site

The River Thame Conservation Trust, in collaboration with the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment and Thame Valley Farm Cluster member, Eddie Rixon of Lopemede Farm (just outside Thame on the way to Long Crendon), has played a pivotal role in bringing about one of Buckinghamshire Council's very first Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) projects.

Get involved in green action in your community

If you want to take action locally, here are current opportunities:

Help to set up Thame's response to a 'Climate Cafe'

A team of people who are part of Thame's Environmental Forum are exploring how to set up and deliver a Climate Cafe, or similar, in Thame. Discussions have already started on this, but they would love more people to be involved so anyone who wants to play a part please let Becky Reid (Thame Town Council's Environmental Project Officer) know by emailing her at [email protected]

Could you help to run Cosy Thame

In the heat we are having at the moment, it is hard to think about staying warm, but the Cosy Thame project is all about encouraging and enabling everyone to look at their home or business premises and work out how to insulate it from the cold. Keep the heat in and keep the fuel bills low.

The project has a thermal imaging camera provided by Thame Green Living and bought with a grant from Low Carbon Hub Oxford. Each year members of the community are invited to train as a 'Thermal Champion', so that they are then able to use the camera to survey their own home, and homes and business premises of other Thame residents to identify where the property is losing heat, so that the owners can choose to take targeted action to reduce this loss, and therefore reduce their bills.

Cosy Thame is supported by Thame Town Council, and Cllr David Dawson is able to deliver the training to new Thermal Champions, but the project needs someone to support the administration of the work - organising the training, helping recruit new volunteers, and administrating the booking system for new surveys. If you would be interested in finding out more about this, please contact the team using the form on the Cosy Thame webpage.

Remember to add your Green Group to the Mycelium Map!

The Mycelium Map is a digital ecosystem for eco-groups to showcase their work and events. It’s open to everyone in and around the Chilterns working on climate and nature sustainability.

You can read about the map here: https://hedgerleywood.org/mymap/

Or check it out at: https://mymap.eco

Email [email protected] for information and the link you need to put your group on the Map.

Become a Green Champion

Join a local network to receive support and ideas about how to share 'green' tips and ideas with your peers.

Click here to find out more

Upcoming events

https://www.thametowncouncil.g...

Google Calendar for local sustainable events

21st Century Thame have set up a google calendar that is up to date with any environmental / sustainable events - https://21stcenturythame.co.uk/21st-century-thame-environmental-calendar-of-events/

- let them know if we’re missing any - and click on the ‘add’ cross at the bottom of the calendar to subscribe to the calendar so that the events appear on your personal device.

If you want to unsubscribe, click here.