Carbon Neutral Islands: financing roadmap

Island Annex – Great Cumbrae

This section outlines the proposed developments in Great Cumbrae, coordinated by Local Anchor Organisations and Community Development Officers who are responsible for leading the implementation of the CNI project at the local level.

Island Context

Economic Activity: The Isle of Cumbrae Economic Baseline Report 2022, estimates the economic output of Cumbrae at £12.9 million, of which 43% comes from the health sector.

The total employment on Cumbrae is approximately 375 (36% Health, 14% Wholesale / Trade, 11% Education, 11% Hospitality). Number of Unemployment Claimants as of June 2022 was 6.4%.

The data zone that covers the majority of Millport (S01011327) is deemed to be in the 30% most income deprived areas in Scotland, and 10% most employment deprived.

Cumbrae has an extremely low household occupancy of 60% compared to North Ayrshire (95%) and Scotland (96%), primarily due to the number of second homes, and the unsuitability of many properties for year round living.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 8,082 tCO2e

Installed Infrastructure

Energy: 3,548 tCO2e

• Electricity 68.5%
• Heating Oil 27.9%
• LPG 1.8%
• Biomass (Incl. Wood) 1.7%
• Gas Oil1 6%
• Solid Fuel (Incl. Coal) 1.1%

Transport: 3,099 tCO2e

• Cars 45%
• Calmac Ferry (Cumbrae – Largs) 37.3%
• Goods Vehicles 26.9%
• Local Bus Service 3.2%
• Other Vessels 0.35%
• Motorcycles 0.19%
• EV Charging 0.03%

LULUCF: 748 tCO2e

Agriculture: 1,743 tCO2e

Waste: 440 tCO2e

Solar PV Generating Capacity: 386.5 kW

• Est. 71 kW in 2019
• 31.5% growth by Dec 2022
• Further 314% growth in Solar PV seen since CNI Project CDO in post January 2023 – Deceember 2024

Air Source Heat Pumps: Est. 46

Biomass Boilers: Three non-domestic

• Cumbrae Primary School
• Field Studies Centre
• Garrison House

Projects

Millport 130 Solar PV & Battery Install

Location: The project focuses on a 1960s-built housing estate located in the northwest of Millport, outside the Millport Conservation Area.

Capital cost: Category C £1.2 million over three phases.

Pilot Phase: £136,500 funded by the CNI Capital Fund for 15 homes, with an additional £30,000 from Direct Allocation from Scottish Government.

Phase 2: £455,000 50 homes in 2025.

Phase 3: £550,000 needed for the final 60 homes to be installed through 2026 and 2027.

Financial year: Pilot, 2024/25 – Phase 2, 2025/2026 – Phase 3, 2026/2027

Context: Installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems on 130 homes in Millport to reduce carbon emissions, tackle fuel poverty, decarbonise energy use, and increase energy resilience by enabling households to generate and store renewable energy.

• Pilot Phase: Installation on 15-20 homes funded by the Carbon Neutral Islands Capital Fund in 2024. Completion expected by February 2025.
• Phase 2: An additional 50 homes (c. £455,000).
• Phase 3: Final 60 homes with completion aimed for 2027.

Local stakeholders: North Ayrshire Council: Ensures compliance and project oversight. Installation Contractors: M-Four & Valley Group (Pilot Phase), with potential of other contractors to manage technical installations in future phases. Cunninghame Housing Association: Running a similar energy efficiency scheme for social housing in the area. Local Residents: Key beneficiaries, especially vulnerable households affected by high energy costs.

Key risks: Funding Delays: Could postpone future phases

Weather Conditions: Adverse conditions, especially during winter, may affect the timeline.

Community Buy-In: Continued engagement is crucial to ensure participation.

Supply Chain Issues: Delays in procuring solar panels or batteries could impact timelines.

FSC Millport Solar PV and Battery Install

Location: Field Studies Council (FSC) Centre Millport, Cumbrae

Capital cost: Category G – £55,000

Financial year: 2025/2026

Context: Installation of a large solar photovoltaic (PV) system and battery storage at the Field Studies Council (FSC) Millport facility. The aim is to reduce carbon emissions, enhance energy resilience, and lower energy costs for this key community and educational building. The installation will support the island’s decarbonisation targets while ensuring long-term sustainability for the building’s operations.

Estimated impact on Scope 2 emissions: 88.7 tCO2e per year (based on current grid carbon factors).

Estimated energy savings: £100,000 per year

Local stakeholders: Green Home Systems: The selected contractor for the installation, with experience working on renewable energy projects on Cumbrae. Green Home Systems has a proven track record of delivering high-quality installations in island conditions and on community buildings.

Community Energy Scotland: Will provide technical and project management support, mentoring the project team on renewable energy best practices.

FSC Millport and Field Studies Council: The key beneficiary, ensuring ongoing sustainability and energy efficiency improvements for the educational facility.

Key risks: Funding Delays: Any delays in securing or releasing funds could postpone the installation timeline.

Weather Conditions: Adverse weather, especially during the winter months, could delay the installation schedule.

Grid Connection Approvals: Engagement with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has begun, with G99 approval required for the solar PV system. While no significant issues are anticipated, any delays in the approval process could impact project timelines.

Millot Building Roof Replacement: During these works it is expected that Field Studies Council will take advantage of the scaffolding being in place to conduct a replacement of the roof prior to the Solar PV panels being installed. Delay to these works could cause delay to the installation of the Solar PV and Battery System.

Supply Chain Issues: Any disruptions in the procurement of solar PV panels or battery storage systems could delay installation.

Garrison House Solar PV and Battery Install

Location: Garrison House, Millport – either located upon roof of the plant room for the biomass boiler, or utilising the hidden apex of the main building.

Capital cost: Category H – £37,000

Financial year: 2025/2026

Context: The aim is to reduce carbon emissions, enhance energy resilience, and lower energy costs for this key community building which hosts GP surgery, NAC library, meetings rooms, Museum of the Cumbraes, Community Cafe, gym (soon) and craft shops. The installation will support the island’s decarbonisation targets while ensuring long-term sustainability for the building’s operations.

Local stakeholders: Cumbrae Community Development Company (Directors and Members) Garrison House Ltd. (Directors) – North Ayrshire Council – Historic Environment Scotland.

Key risks: Planning process. The building is a Grade B listed building within a conservation area. Either NAC Planning or Historic Environment Scotland refusal.

Millport Shared Roof Solar PV Pilot (Conservation Area)

Location: Millport. Likely streets include Howard Street and George Street.

Capital cost: Category G – £75,000-£80,000

Financial year: 2025/2026

Context: The Millport Shared Roof Solar PV Pilot seeks to address the unique challenges of installing solar PV systems on shared roofs within the Millport Conservation Area.

The pilot will utilise the Allume SolShare system, the only hardware designed to connect multiple flats to a single rooftop solar array.

This project targets streets with a high proportion of flats, many of which are pre-1919 builds with outdated and inefficient electric heating systems and no insulation (with limited possibilities) contributing significantly to fuel poverty and high carbon emissions.

Local stakeholders: Allume SolShare: Provider of the shared solar technology, offering a unique solution for multiple flats.

Green Home Systems: Installation partner, with experience in installing solar PV systems on Cumbrae.

North Ayrshire Council (NAC): Supporting planning approvals and providing advice on conservation area requirements.

Householders: Key participants and beneficiaries, whose engagement and approval will be critical for the project.

Key risks: Planning Restrictions: Given the location within the Millport Conservation Area, planning permission from NAC will be necessary, especially for highly visible properties. Early discussions with NAC suggest they would support solar PV installations on side or rear roofs.

Shared Ownership: Securing agreement from all property owners for shared roof solar installations will be key to the project’s success.

Installer Availability: The pilot project will depend heavily on installer availability.

Cumbrae Woodland Growth 10k

Location: Fintry Bay and throughout Cumbrae

Capital cost: Category G – £20,000

Financial year: 2025/2026 to 2029/2030

Context: This project would plant 10,000 trees throughout Cumbrae by 2030.

Fintry Bay woods has been identified as having the potential to accommodate up to 4,000 trees across three areas, totalling 25,000m². The woodland, currently self-seeded after the First World War, is owned by Millport Golf Club, and early discussions with the club have been positive.

Other suitable areas are to be identified and discussed with landowners.

Cumbrae, in recent years, has suffered more and more from fluvial and inland flooding. Strategic woodland growth may help with reduction in excess water andrun-off.

Local stakeholders: Millport Golf Club: Providing land and logistical support for tree planting.

North Ayrshire Council: Planning as well as potential project oversight and long-term monitoring through their Woodland 2030 initiative.

Landowners: Cumbrae has many landowners, however, the majority landowners are Millport Golf Club and 5 farmers.

NatureScot: Offering technical advice on tree species and land suitability.

Woodland Trust: Providing guidance on best practices and potentially supplying saplings.

Key risks: Funding Delays: Engagement with and confirmation from NAC Woodland 2030 has been unsuccessful to date. Without this, alternative funding may need to be secured.

Sapling Availability: Sourcing an appropriate number of native saplings could be delayed depending on nursery availability.

Community Engagement: Successful planting will rely on sufficient volunteers to carry out the work. Early community engagement is critical to securing participation.

NAC Woodland 2030: Numerous communication attempts have been made to this project, direct and via council officers. No response.

Household Waste Recycling Centre

Location: TBC. Cumbrae Community Council have proposed a site of the Old Gas Works on the island however, unknown if agreement has been reached with landowner.

Capital cost: TBC. Unknown at this time. Feasibility and costing required.

Financial year: 2026/2027

Context: At present there is no household waste recycling centre on Cumbrae. This means that those with access to transport have to leave the island and take their waste to the mainland. Those without transport have to pay for an uplift from the council. Waste is often left in the street while it is waiting to be removed.

The site at the top of Woodlands Street (the former gas works), would make a suitable location for a household waste recycling centre.

There is also a need for public recycling bins on the island so that visitors are able to dispose of their waste responsibly. The clothes recycling facility at the end of Marine Parade is regularly overflowing, demonstrating demand, and it needs to be complemented by a more extensive and a greater range of recycling capacity.

Both these changes would help contribute to Cumbrae’s Net Zero Island project.

Local stakeholders: Landowner: Potential site is currently being cleared following years of use for various purposes, including bus garage and storage. Unknown what level of agreement, if any, is in place with landowner by either NAC or CCC for this purpose.

North Ayrshire Council: Waste and Cleansing Department.

Cumbrae Community Council.

Key risks: No agreement in place for suitable location. Onward disposal of household waste.

Community/District Heat Development Programme

Location: Millport – the project will focus on Millport’s conservation area, primarily the first two streets along the shore, with the potential to expand further based on feasibility study findings. The area consists largely of pre-1919 tenement buildings, and any solution will need to navigate conservation regulations and constraints.

Capital cost: Category B-C

Financial year: TBC

Context: The project aims to address the inefficiencies of Millport’s current heating systems, where over 70% of properties rely on direct electric heating, an outdated and costly system, particularly as the island lacks a mains gas supply.

Community engagement through the Carbon Neutral Islands Project has identified a strong local desire for more sustainable heating options. If implemented, the project would likely provide significant carbon reductions and cost savings to the community, especially for households still reliant on electric storage heaters, many of which are set to become obsolete.

Local stakeholders: North Ayrshire Council: Provides oversight, ensuring alignment with local energy and decarbonisation strategies, planning etc.

Reheat Ltd: Conducting the initial feasibility study and technical analysis.

Local Energy Scotland (LES): Providing financial and technical support through the Community Heat Development Programme.

Millport Residents: Key beneficiaries and participants, whose engagement will be critical to the success of the communal heat project.

Key risks: Funding and Costs: Capital costs for a district heating network could be substantial. Securing sufficient funding and ensuring long-term financial viability are key risks. The feasibility study will provide a clearer picture of cost implications.

Community Buy-In: Achieving broad community support for the transition to a communal heating system, particularly in terms of potential disruption and the installation of a wet heating system, is crucial.

Regulatory Hurdles: Due to Millport’s conservation area status, certain low-carbon technologies like air source heat pumps may face limitations, making it necessary to find alternative solutions that meet regulatory requirements.

Community Energy Project

Location: Various locations throughout Cumbrae to be considered.

Capital cost: Category B-C

Unknown at this time. Extensive feasibility work will commence March 2025, to help identify candidate projects and begin costing.

Resource requirement estimated to be £50-60,000 over two years.

Financial year: TBC

Context: Extensive feasibility work on developing multiple options to be put to the community will need to be undertaken. This will be resource intensive in the early stages and estimated to take two years to identify a suitable project, accessible to and suitable for Cumbrae.

Local stakeholders: Cumbrae Community Council – Cumbrae Community Development Company (CCDC) – Local Community – North Ayrshire Council – Landowners – SSEN.

Key risks: Grid constraints – Community pushback, particularly following Solar Farm proposal by third party near top of the island.

Planning refusal.

Lack of funding.