Community energy and transport for Yalding and its villages
Two proposals from local residents: generating clean power from the rivers that meet at Yalding, and a community bus that links the villages to Maidstone, Paddock Wood and Tunbridge Wells.
Community energy
Community micro-hydro at Yalding
A proposal. Nothing has been built or applied for yet. The figures below are early estimates; a feasibility study would confirm or correct them.
Yalding sits where the Medway, the Beult and the Teise meet: three rivers and one opportunity. The weir and sluices already on the Medway give a drop in water level that a small turbine could use, and the scheme could be owned by the community, with the income staying in the parish.
- 3.8 mestimated head drop at the weir
- 50–80 kWrealistic output from an Archimedes screw
- 60+homes' worth of electricity
- £40kmaximum feasibility grant, fully funded
The opportunity
On 17 September 2026 Great British Energy launched its People's Power fund: £30 million in grants for community-owned clean energy, the first wave of a larger commitment. Its Community Fund offers up to £40,000 for feasibility studies, and parish councils can apply directly. The study is grant-funded, so it costs the parish nothing.
Yalding's estimated 3.8-metre head is nearly three times Reading's 1.4 metres, and Reading's scheme generates 46 kW. An Archimedes screw at the Medway weir could realistically produce 50–80 kW.
It has been done before
| Scheme | Capacity | How it was funded |
|---|---|---|
| Settle, Yorkshire | 50 kW | Community shares and grants |
| Reading, Berkshire | 46 kW | About 750 local investors |
| Sandford, Oxfordshire | 440 kW | Low Carbon Hub investment |
All three are community-owned Archimedes screws on existing weirs, and all return their profits to the local area. Screw turbines are generally regarded as fish-friendly; any scheme would still need Environment Agency permits, which the study would look at.
What we are asking Yalding Parish Council to do
Register an expression of interest with the Greater South East Net Zero Hub, and apply to the GBE Community Fund for a feasibility study into community micro-hydro at Yalding.
The Hub: gsenetzerohub.org.uk · community@gsenetzerohub.org.uk
Community transport
Phoenix Community Transport
A proposal, not yet a service. No Phoenix bus runs yet. The routes are a draft, and support, volunteers and funding are being gathered now.
Phoenix is a plan for a not-for-profit community bus linking Yalding, Nettlestead, Laddingford, Marden, East Peckham and the villages around them with Maidstone, Paddock Wood and Tunbridge Wells, including early mornings, evenings and Sundays, when today's buses don't run.
Main routes, with professional drivers
- Route 1: Paddock Wood ↔ Maidstonevia Hop Pole, Nettlestead, Wateringbury, Teston, Barming and Maidstone Hospital. Draft times 06:40–22:57.
- Route 2: Nettlestead ↔ Tunbridge Wellsvia Paddock Wood and Tonbridge
Village feeders, with volunteer drivers
Minibuses with fewer than nine seats, so no special licence is needed, timed to connect with the main bus at Paddock Wood or the Hop Pole.
- A · Hadlow ↔ Paddock WoodMereworth, Golden Green, East Peckham, Beltring
- B · Capel ↔ Paddock WoodFive Oak Green, Whetsted
- C · Horsmonden ↔ Paddock WoodLamberhurst Quarter, Brenchley, Matfield
- D · Marden ↔ Hop PoleMarden station, Chainhurst, Collier Street, Laddingford, Yalding. The suggested pilot.
The idea
- A Community Interest Company: not-for-profit, with any surplus put back into the service
- A proposed £2 flat fare, with concessionary passes accepted on the main routes
- Wheelchair access, and space for walking aids, pushchairs and shopping
Full draft timetable and details: phoenixbus.co.uk. To volunteer as a driver: hello@phoenixbus.co.uk.