The Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action meeting was scheduled to discuss a sub-contract agreement with Space Clipper for an innovation project. This project aims to improve the visualisation of Local Area Energy Plans and EV charge point plans.

Approval to Sign Space Clipper Sub-Contract

A key item scheduled for discussion was the approval to sign a sub-contract agreement with Space Clipper¹. This agreement is part of an innovation project funded by Innovate UK², which aims to test the development of 3D visualisation of Geographic Information System (GIS)³ data for local area energy planning and the Electric Vehicle (EV) charge point programme.

The report indicated that Oxfordshire County Council was approached by Space Clipper in June 2025 to support a funding application for this project. The council's Climate Action Service and Innovate Oxfordshire provided letters of support for the application, which was successful. Under the sub-contract, the council would test developments in Space Clipper's software and introduce them to energy system stakeholders during the nine-month project. The total value of each sub-contract is £4,042.50 (excluding VAT), intended to cover the council's costs for delivering the sub-contracted services.

The Cabinet Member was recommended to:

• Agree that the Council enters into a sub-contract agreement with Space Clipper for the purpose of supporting delivery of an innovation project to improve visualisation of Local Area Energy Plans and EV charge point plans. ⁴

This project is intended to support the County Council's Corporate Plan by improving the ability to communicate important aspects of the energy system and build stakeholder understanding and participation in the energy transition, including decisions related to EV charge point roll-out and the implementation of Local Area Energy Plans (LEAPs). The project is also expected to contribute to the Council's greener and fairer strategic priorities.

The report detailed the financial implications, noting that the council would receive fee income of £4,025 (total £8,050) for providing professional feedback on the software's development. Legal implications were also outlined, confirming the council's power to enter into the sub-contract under the Localism Act 2011, with charges covering costs only. Staff implications indicated that both the Climate Action Service and Innovate Oxfordshire had allocated 10 days from relevant officers for the project. The report also highlighted equality and inclusion, sustainability, and risk management considerations.

The sub-contract agreement itself was provided, outlining the terms between Oxfordshire County Council and Space Clipper Industries Limited. The agreement details the services to be provided, including identifying and introducing key stakeholders, providing insight for stakeholder mapping, offering access to council stakeholders, and reviewing visualisations. The project was scheduled to run from 1 September 2025 to 30 June 2026, with a total price of up to £4,042.50 (exc. VAT) for the services.

The report also included background information on the project's need, explaining how 2D GIS maps are currently used for stakeholder engagement and the challenges this presents. It described Space Clipper's solution as a software tool that rapidly renders 3D visualisations from GIS data to aid stakeholder engagement and the planning consent process for Net Zero projects. The report detailed the main technical challenges being addressed, such as enabling clear communication of low-carbon project concepts and their impact on the surrounding landscape, and the scalability of producing 3D renders cost-effectively.

The commercial potential of the project was also discussed, identifying Local Authorities (LAs) as initial target customers for LEAP and public EV charger deployment planning. The report projected significant market opportunities in both domestic and international markets for renewable energy planning.