The Essex Climate Focus Area (CFA) has been shortlisted in the Future Places category of the LGC Awards 2024. 

The climate initiative has been using pragmatic ways to manage land sustainably and support innovative landowners championing change such as at Spains Hall Estate, which has seen the successful introduction of Eurasian beavers as a natural flood management solution.

Essex’s CFA has also been a key pillar for many activities across the region providing funding to support natural green infrastructure projects and the development of the North Essex Farm Cluster.

The Council has also been shortlisted for the Net Zero category for its entry on ‘Transforming Essex to a net zero county’.

The winners of the LGC Awards will be announced at a ceremony at Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on Wednesday 12 June 2024.

The CFA has been created to pilot accelerated climate action and showcase best practice in sustainable land stewardship, in collaboration with local councils, charities, residents, landowners and businesses.  

The area covers almost one third of the county – the Blackwater and River Colne catchment area – where a focused effort to combat climate change is now underway, leading the way for the rest of Essex to follow.

The creation of the CFA was one of the core recommendations in the Net Zero: Making Essex Carbon Neutral report proposed by the Commission’s Land Use and Green Infrastructure Special Interest Group (SIG).

Targeting a designated area within the county allows for more focused, ambitious, and intensive action to be delivered within shorter time frames, and where new knowledge about positive impacts can quickly be spread across the county.