One of seven projects funded by the Department for Transport to investigate how to decarbonise local highways infrastructure and assets, Greenprint is a collaboration between South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and West Sussex County Council (WSCC). The Thought Leadership Report marks the end of the three-year project and details how the councils are reframing highways green assets as a resource rather than a maintenance liability. Instead of the default approach of leaving grass cuttings in place, the councils have trialled new technologies to collect and process verge biomass across their estates, converting it into sources of clean energy, fuel and road surface material.
This report sets out how the Greenprint project was designed and executed to investigate and conclude on the objectives set out in the Outline Business Case. It provides a commentary on the activities and trials undertaken, along with the challenges, risks, benefits and lessons learned. In sharing the key results and insights from the project, the report establishes South Gloucestershire and West Sussex Councils as leading authorities on the issues and opportunities green estate management presents towards lowering carbon emissions.
Other local highway authorities and their partners should use the document to shape opinions, spark discussion, and provide valuable guidance on how lower carbon emissions could be pursued in their locality. The complex issues investigated offer an informed perspective and analysis, designed to help build credibility, influence decision-making, and spark conversations within other organisations seeking to pursue the Greenprint model.