A group of South West local authorities has been working with the Hub to explore the early stages of local area energy planning.
The project has helped councils clarify priorities, engage stakeholders, and focus on practical delivery — without needing to begin with a full Local Area Energy Plan.
To support this work, the Hub commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and Regen to work with local authorities in Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire on analysis based on Stages 1–3 of the Energy Systems Catapult’s seven-stage methodology for developing a Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP).
This early-stage work showed that focusing on the first steps of the methodology can deliver immediate, practical value for councils — particularly where capacity and funding are limited. It enabled participating authorities to better understand their local energy challenges, engage stakeholders, and identify priority areas for action.
The project also demonstrated that this approach can be delivered collaboratively across a region, making it a scalable and repeatable way for councils to build the foundations for local energy action.
Carl Warom, Climate & Ecological Policy & Project Manager at Dorset Council, reflected on the project:
“The Hub project was invaluable in helping Dorset work with other southwest councils to clarify the aims of energy planning and the problems we’re trying to solve with stakeholders. It has given us the confidence to pursue energy planning without relying on an expensive off-the-shelf LAEP solution.
The project also showed that energy planning is an ongoing process of shaping the council’s strategic role in a rapidly evolving energy system, rather than a one-off exercise in producing a plan.”
A case study and project summary report are now available on our website.