Local authorities lack the resources to turn concepts into pipelines of investable projects. Well-developed business cases and technical assistance for project development remains limited. We estimate that £25-50 billion of development capital (5-10% of total investment) will be needed for local Net Zero projects over the next 25 years.

This guide walks local authorities through the various complex choices involved in commercialising projects. It provides a solid evidence base that will help users to progress projects in the absence of, or alongside, technical assistance.

This guide is designed to support users at local authorities to structure Local Net Zero Projects (LNZP) to minimise risk and attract investment. This includes officers, project managers, or heads of departments, such as climate change, planning, housing, transport, and finance.

The objectives of this guide

• To provide structured information about project and pipeline development that can help local authorities to structure Local Net Zero Projects (LNZP) to minimise risk and attract investment 
• To provide common terminology used in LNZPs and by the investor community when developing the investor case.

What it is and what it isn’t

This guide provides points for consideration to help local authorities and investors collaborate in the most effective way. It does not advocate a course of action or constitute legal advice. All parties must seek appropriate legal, financial, and commercial advice for any project in which they are involved.

Similarly, this isn’t a technical feasibility or detailed business case framework. Rather, it will support the reader in understanding common challenges and considerations, primarily in the development of the commercial case. While it has been developed with local authorities in mind, many of the issues identified will also be relevant to other public bodies or Net Zero innovators.

How to use this guide

The information in this guide is presented in sequential chapters, and it is advised that they are read and understood in the order they are presented. Project development is an iterative process and it is unlikely that your journey is necessarily sequential. We do not intend this guide to be prescriptive or mandate a single course of action.

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