A FEASIBILITY study on turning a former colliery village into one of the greenest in the region gets under way next week.

A study is being carried out to determine how much of the energy needs of the village of Edmondsley, near Chester-le-Street, can be provided from renewable sources.

Chester-le-Street District Council has received a £10,000 grant from the Government's Energy Saving Trust Innovation Programme - set up following the Rio Earth Summit - to pay for the study.

All village residents are to be questioned about insulation in their homes and the possibility of renewable energy use.

The study will then consider the use of alternative energy sources, such as solar panels, small-scale wind power, straw and wood burning and heat pumps. The possibility of using waste from the village to produce gas as a source of renewable energy is also being considered.

The project is being linked with other environmental issues such as sewerage treatment and local nature reserve areas such as Waldridge Fell.

Coun Alan Holden, portfolio holder for the environment, said: "The feasibility study in Edmondsley is an excellent opportunity for the local community to potentially develop an energy and money saving scheme that will benefit them, while improving the local environment at the same time.

"If there is wide-ranging support for the scheme, then I would be delighted. So, within the next week or so, householders in Edmondsley can expect a council representative to contact them on the proposed scheme."

District council fuel poverty officer Andy Stephenson said: "In north London there is a development called Bedzed, which is an energy-efficient mix of housing and work space. But that is brand new.

"The trouble is there are 24 million homes in the UK and you cannot just rebuild so many homes. What we are trying to show is how you can take an existing settlement, without significantly changing its lifestyle, and make it sustainable.

"A lot of the infrastructure is already there in Edmondsley, so it won't be difficult to alter it."

Mr Stephenson said the study was expected to be completed by April, after which the authority will seek capital funding for any work that is required.