Revised BID Proposal for Hailsham Focused on Energy Efficiency

A revised, improved proposal from the Hailsham & District Chamber of Commerce has been developed for a Business Improvement District (BID), focused on a zero-carbon environment, renewable energy, social heating projects and enhanced building insulation for the benefit of the entire Hailsham and District business area.

In essence, the BID will provide businesses with knowledge and assistance both to increase their energy efficiency, reduce substantially costs and ultimately become zero-carbon compliant.

New business opportunities will emerge in the zero-carbon economy and the BID will engage with the Government and other sources of assistance on behalf of businesses in the Hailsham District to take maximum advantage of any opportunities.

The Chamber’s BID focuses on zero-carbon green energy benefitting the environment whilst reducing costs for businesses and creating new business opportunities in the BID District.

Today, businesses are confronted by spiralling energy costs whilst being legislated into ultimately a zero-carbon economy.

Additionally, it is now generally accepted that global warming is responsible for the change in climatic conditions caused by burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and farming livestock, adding enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Energy and climate costs are growing, as are the costs of national insurance and business rates with small and medium businesses being particularly affected and the Hailsham & District Chamber of Commerce is continually being reminded by their members of these increased costs and asking for solutions.

With this in mind, the Chamber is proposing a Business Improvement District (BID) for Hailsham and the surrounding District which will provide businesses with knowledge and assistance both to increase their energy efficiency and also to reduce substantially costs.

Whilst the current rapid rise of all energy costs proceeds along with the highest rises in interest rates in forty years, there are solutions, and the Chamber of Commerce proposes to enable businesses in the Hailsham district – through the BID – to take advantage of both the solutions and opportunities.

“Financial support for the Hailsham & District Chamber of Commerce’s BID would help the town achieve its organisational objectives in terms of local environmental quality and tackling climate change sooner rather than later,” said Mickey Caira, Hailsham Town Council’s Deputy Town Clerk and Business Enterprise Manager.

“Several Business Improvement Districts across the country are determining ways of becoming carbon neutral and responding in a constructive way to the pressures of the environmental and sustainability improvement – which is among those issues at the forefront of the agenda today.”

“For Hailsham and the Wealden district to respond to some of these concerns and to achieve carbon neutrality would be an amazing achievement, which is why Hailsham Forward is determined to continue to work with the local Chamber of Commerce and other organisations towards securing funding to see this vital project into fruition as soon as we possibly can.”