Purpose

To seek Cabinet approval to sign off a Crawley
Towns Fund programme Grant Funding Agreement with the Manor Royal
BID so that the BID can deliver the Green Business Infrastructure
programme (badged the “Re-Energise Manor Royal Scheme”
by the BID). This will establish a Local Energy Community (LEC) to
install and then own solar photovoltaic (PV) assets on commercial
premises in Manor Royal in order to provide renewable energy
services to Manor Royal businesses. The intention is for the LEC to
then raise further private finances to support on-going investment
across Manor Royal of on-site renewable energy generating assets.
This in turn will contribute to the ongoing decarbonisation of the
Borough.

Content

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet

a)          
approves that the proposed grant funding would be classed a subsidy
under the Subsidy Control Act 2022

b)          
approves the signing of the grant funding agreement for the Green
Business Infrastructure – Re-energise Manor Royal
project.

c)          
delegates the negotiation, approval and completion of all relevant
documentation including legal paperwork necessary to the Head of
Economy and Planning, the Head of Corporate Finance and the Head of
Governance, People and Performance, in consultation with relevant
Cabinet Member.
(Generic Delegations 2
& 3 will be used to enact this recommendation.
 

Reasons for the
Recommendations

Cabinet approval is required to sign off the
grant funding agreement for the Green Business Infrastructure -
Re-energise Manor Royal (REMR) project with the Manor Royal
Business Improvement District (MR BID).   

For the purposes of full transparency, it is
recommended that Cabinet recognise that this grant funding
constitutes a subsidy under the Subsidy Control Act
2022.  Details of the REMR project and
the subsidy have been published on the government’s subsidy
control web site.  An interested party
can submit a request from the time that a subsidy has been given,
up until one month after the information about the subsidy has been
uploaded to the subsidy database.

Subject to there being no challenge from a
third party, Cabinet approval of these recommendations will enable
the MR BID to commence delivery of the REMR project.

The Re-energise Manor Royal project will kick
start the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy
panel infrastructure across existing commercial premises in the
Manor Royal Business District. This is in line with the
Council’s Climate and Nature Emergency Declaration of
December 2024 to achieve Borough wide Net Zero carbon emissions by
2045.