Community activists from market towns in Yorkshire and further afield gathered in Settle, North Yorkshire to study the innovative Settle Hydro Project and the Riverside Improvement Project.

The idea was to look at both projects in detail and see what lessons there were for other market towns in devising similar projects for their communities.

The study tour, on Wednesday, November 11, was organised by the North Yorkshire Towns Alive Programme – a collaboration between North Yorkshire County Council and Action for Market Towns, supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

There is a special Settle Hydro discussion forum where you can view and post comments.

Riverside Improvement Project

Andrew Laycock, of Craven District Council, gave an informative presentation about the Settle Area Riverside Improvement Project. This project, which was completed in July 2009, has enhanced what was an underutilised asset, improved the link between the town centre and riverside, provided safe footpath and cycleway facilities, promoted the riverside as part of the Settle visitor offer and enhanced the natural environment through habitat management.

The project was developed and managed by a partnership of Craven District Council, Yorkshire Forward, North Yorkshire County Council, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and StART (the Settle Area Renaissance Team).

Click here to download the Settle Riverside Presentation.

Click here to download an information sheet about the Riverside project

Settle Hydro Project

Steve Amphlett and Ann Harding are founding directors of the Settle Hydro Project.  Steve outlined the development, technical basis and funding of the scheme, while Ann provided a frank and open overview of the ‘good, bad and ugly’ aspects of managing the scheme as volunteers.

Settle Hydro was formed in July 2008 as an ‘Industrial and Provident Society for the Benefit of the Community’ with the specific purpose of developing and managing the Settle Weir Hydro Electric Scheme. The society will generate revenue by selling ‘green’ hydro-electricity, with any surplus revenue being used by the society to benefit the local community through its twin aims of regenerating the local economy and promoting the environmental sustainability of Settle District.

It is a very exciting time for the project, as the 50kW Archimedean screw is just in the process of being installed at Settle Weir. The scheme will generate approx 180,000 kWh (units) of electricity per year – enough for around 50 average houses, saving 80 tonnes of carbon per year or 3,160 tonnes of carbon over an expected lifetime of 40 years.

Participants were entertained by the Settle Community Choir during lunch and then set off on a refreshing walk through Settle to both project sites. This enabled them to witness the detail of the projects for themselves and benefit from the project representatives being on hand to answer any questions.

Back at Victoria Hall, the participants then spent some time working in small groups to consider the feasibility of transferring such projects to their towns or to discuss ideas for initiating similar community projects, before the day closed with a final question and answer session.

AMT’s online Settle Hydro discussion forum will now enable participants and other interested parties to continue exchanging ideas and advice related to developing community hydro projects.

Click here for the Settle Hydro presentation

Click here for a Settle Hydro information sheet

Click here for key points from Ann Harding’s talk

Click here for the Settle Hydro Q&A session