The Haven Gateway Partnership has secured nearly £3million of European funding as part of a £7.5m project designed to shift about 30,000 containers off the roads and onto rail transport.

The three year Low Carbon Freight Dividend project aims to support more than 300 SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) in making important changes in the way they transport freight – with significant environmental benefits. SMEs in the East of England will be offered a Low Carbon Freight Dividend (grant) of up to 30% (with the maximum payment of £75 for a single container journey) for moving freight from truck to train, where traditionally they have used only road transport.

As well as the dividend, the project also offers workshops on Freight Optimisation and Low Carbon Transport Marketing. As part of the specially designed website, there is a knowledge bank which will be updated throughout the life of the project and access to the containerised cargo carbon calculator, an online tool to enable cargo movement methods to be compared, along with the carbon emissions.

To find out more information and to sign up to check eligibility, click here to visit the Low Carbon Freight Dividend website.  If you would like to discuss the project, please email the Project Manager, Lisa Brazier or phone 01206 713612 or 07714 488949.

The Low Carbon Freight Dividend project is supported with nearly £3m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme, which is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government. This is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development.

The European Regional Development Fund is making a real difference to people and businesses in the East of England. With €110.9 million to invest between 2007 and 2013, European Regional Development Fund is enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in enterprise and employment. The East of England programme has a theme of low carbon economic growth with the following priorities:

Priority 1 – Promoting innovation and knowledge transfer to improve productivity, to encourage commercialisation across the region’s research and development base, and establish energy efficient and clean technologies.

Priority 2 – Stimulating enterprise and supporting successful businesses by overcoming barriers to business creation and expansion, improving access to finance for business and supporting the development of social enterprises.

Priority 3 – Ensuring sustainable development, production and consumption by working with communities (both urban and rural) to support local jobs and business growth.