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Glasgow Times

Milton and Easterhouse land opened up for green projects

The four sites, totalling more than 5.5 hectares, will be available for community organisations to develop renewable energy projects. The council is calling for interested parties to submit their site proposals by late August. Workshops will be held in late July to assist organisations in developing their plans. The aim of the projects is to generate long-term benefits for the local areas. The spaces have been allocated as part of the Glasgow City Council's new Community Renewable Energy Framework (CREF). Read more: Major disruption on main Southside road due to burst water main This initiative will allow community groups to determine the most suitable renewable energy approach for their area. The council, alongside Local Energy Scotland (LES), will support community organisations throughout the process. LES has a history of successfully assisting Scottish communities in developing renewable energy systems. They ensure any profits from these initiatives are utilised for the benefit of local neighbourhoods. Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for climate, sees the CREF as a way to both empower communities and cut the carbon emissions associated with climate change. He said: "This is a great opportunity for local organisations to take control of often unused spaces and turn them into something valuable for their community. "We will work closely with any organisations that come forward and express an interest in running a community renewable energy project on one of these four sites. "There will be a lot of support available to help local groups find the energy solution that works best for them and the site they have identified. 'The plus for the council is that this new framework will support the growth of renewable energy in the city and that will take us another step towards to becoming a city with net zero carbon emissions.' Chris Morris, manager at Local Energy Scotland, said: "The Community Renewable Energy Framework is a pioneering model of collaboration to support community energy development. "We are looking forward to working with local groups through the CREF as they begin to develop their renewable energy projects."