North Herts leisure centres to benefit from multi-million-pound funding

Three leisure centres across North Herts will soon benefit from a package of measures to improve their carbon footprint, following North Herts Council successfully securing up to £7,743,224 as part of a Government scheme to decarbonise public sector buildings.

North Herts Leisure Centre in Letchworth, the Hitchin Swimming Centre and Royston Leisure Centre have been identified to benefit from heat decarbonisation and improved energy efficiency, following the council’s successful application to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme phase 3c.

The fund, run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, is delivered by Salix Finance, which supports decarbonisation and energy efficiency across Great Britain. The objective of the fund is to bring public sector facilities up to date and contribute towards decarbonisation.

The funding will be used to decommission end-of-life gas boilers at the leisure centres and replace them with air source heat pumps. This shift will bring improved efficiency, resulting in substantial energy savings and a significant reduction in carbon emissions. Additional enhancements include the installation of solar PV panels, along with cavity and external wall insulation.

Scheduled over a two-year period, starting in April 2024, these initiatives aim to achieve annual savings of up to 1,176 tonnes of carbon, resulting in a total energy usage reduction of up to 68%. These measures will also align with the council's commitment to attaining net-zero emissions for its own operations by 2030.

Cllr Steve Jarvis, Executive Member for Environment and Leisure at North Herts Council, said: "Securing this funding to help decarbonise our leisure centres is fantastic news and is a significant step forwards towards meeting our own net zero goal, as well as demonstrating our commitment to tackling climate change at a local level."

Cllr Mick Debenham, the council’s Deputy Executive Member for Environment and Leisure, added: "The leisure centres are buildings that are heavily used by our communities and this ambitious project will both significantly reduce carbon emissions and offer a sustainable environment to enjoy."

Ian Rodger, Director of Programmes at Salix Finance, added: "Congratulations to North Herts Council on securing Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) funding.

"Decarbonising these three leisure centres will not only reduce North Herts’ carbon emissions, but also deliver significant energy efficiency savings. We are looking forward to supporting them to deliver this important project.

"We are facing huge challenges in meeting net zero and we have no time to waste.  At Salix we are looking forward to working with organisations across the country on their decarbonisation plans."