Council buildings to get greener with grant of over £1 million

Over £1 million of improvements will be made at Burntwood Leisure Centre including fitting solar panels along with energy storage batteries, installing an air source heat pump to heat the building and the pool more efficiently, energy saving light fittings, and a range of other improvements that will make the building more energy efficient and reduce its impact on the environment. It is estimated that these measures will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by Burntwood Leisure Centre by more than 260 tonnes per year.

Councillor Doug Pullen, Leader of Lichfield District Council, said:

“We are delighted to be awarded this funding to help us make improvements at these premises. We are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of the council and the organisations that work with us. This funding helps us take a significant step towards achieving the goals of our climate change pledge.

“I’m aware that this is an extremely competitive grant scheme with very challenging timescales so it is a real credit to both Lichfield District Council and our partners Freedom Leisure that we were able to secure this fantastic investment for our residents.” 

Ivan Horsfall, Turner Managing Director Freedom Leisure, said:

“Minimising environmental impact is a priority for Freedom Leisure right across our organisation. The news that Lichfield District Council has been successful in their bid for a £1m Government grant to support an energy improvement project that will cut carbon emissions by 260 tonnes a year is fantastic.” 

Jack Saunders, Programme Manager for Local Authorities at Salix Finance, said:

“We’re delighted to see Lichfield District Council joining in efforts towards the green recovery, the Burntwood Leisure Centre is a hub for the local community and will now support national goals to reduce carbon usage, heating the building and pool more efficiently and creating jobs in the process. It’s another great example of the public sector leading the way to a sustainable future.” 

Work at the Beacon Park pavilion and District Council House will target reductions in energy usage and the increase of the thermal insulation of the buildings at both sites. Work will include the fitting of air source heat pumps, improvements to heating management, replacement air conditioning, energy saving lighting and new lighting controls as well as upgrading insulation.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was set up by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and is delivered by Salix Finance. The main purpose of the scheme is to help make buildings more energy efficient and support the installation of low carbon heating measures.