Published on Friday 24 October 2025
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has ‘switched on’ its ground-breaking Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) at an official launch on the International Day of Climate Action.
The plan leads the way in securing sustainable, reliable energy for residents and businesses, reducing carbon emissions, and making sustainability more accessible to our communities.
BCP Council’s independently-produced report addresses the key challenges and outlines actions that need to be delivered by a range of partners across all sectors to safeguard future energy supply, reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability across our three towns.
An official launch event took place at the BCP Civic Offices on the International Day of Climate Action (October 24) with Aidan Dunn, Chief Executive of BCP Council joining Cllr Millie Earl, Cllr Andy Hadley, Vikki Slade MP, Cllr Chris Rigby, stakeholders, businesses, and community leaders to explore opportunities for collaboration.
Representatives then joined The Parks Foundation in Bournemouth's Upper Gardens to plant bulbs ahead of a community give-away; with details to be announced soon.
The Council is leading the way as one of the first two local authorities in the southwest region, alongside Cornwall Council, to complete a Local Area Energy Plan – setting out a clear path for improved sustainability.
From retrofitting homes with heating solutions and improving insulation to making electric vehicles more accessible, and encouraging installation of solar panels or using our area’s unique geology as a source to heat buildings – many of the measures are designed to help with the transition away from gas heating and petrol/diesel vehicles. Together, this will make renewable solutions more convenient, practical, and feasible to those that live in the BCP area.
Cllr Andy Hadley, Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy at BCP Council, said: “The Local Area Energy Plan lays out the Energy roadmap for the next 15 years, and demonstrates the extent of action required - by the Council, businesses, residents and stakeholders – whilst outlining the benefits for residents and businesses of secure, sustainable energy.
“It also estimates the level of funding required for each option, including the financial cost of doing nothing, and it’s hoped we can use this to help secure various forms of investment.
“From making the most of our natural geology, to harnessing the power of the sun, this is a really exciting opportunity to be clear about what we need to do, enthuse others and work together towards a more sustainable future for all.
“Now that we have identified priority actions, the next steps are to work with partners and stakeholders to assess funding and resource options and develop further plans for the potential delivery of each action.”
The plan proposes a phased programme of delivery; this will determine which stakeholders take ownership of individual priorities to ensure they are delivered affordably.
Key partners will be able to assess resource and funding requirements - with a view to securing grants and investment. It will aid our local Energy companies in predicting changing demand, and improving resilience of the power supply.
Joe McQuillen, Local Area Energy Plan report lead, said: "This Local Area Energy Plan provides BCP with a robust, evidence-based roadmap to achieve net zero by 2045. Through comprehensive modelling and extensive stakeholder engagement, we've mapped out a practical pathway that demonstrates how BCP can meet its emissions targets while delivering significant co-benefits including increased active travel, air quality, and job creation.”