Our Story

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre is Lancaster City Council’s single largest CO2 emitter, producing 35% of the council’s natural gas emissions.

Following the third largest grant from BEIS under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) of £6.8 million, we were about to completely decarbonise the centre through a set of innovate solutions to a highly complex and time-pressured issue. This was done by bringing together internal and external stakeholders who delivered a comprehensive and dynamic delivery plan.

The funding success and the pace at which officers have worked to deliver the project has demonstrated the agility at which local authorities can work and has been an impressive achievement considering the constraints associated with such a complex scheme, all of which was completed during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Challenge

The initial challenge for us was understanding the current position of the centre. Officers spent several months gathering data from multiple sources to create a comprehensive CO2 dashboard in order to take a targeted, prioritised approach to decarbonisation.

Once data was gathered and we fully understood the position we were in, it was then about prioritising resources and effort on the largest emitters, and then organising to review and deliver practical solutions.

This is what placed us in a good position for funding opportunities, especially given the tight timescales. If it wasn’t for the  the proactive and early work that provided us with an opportunity to bid for Phase 1 Public Sector Decarbonisation funding, then this whole project wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been.

Another hurdle for us was constructing on a landfill site. Whilst they lend themselves to solar generation, little else can be done with them. It was important that we extensively engaged with our stakeholders, and working with a Local Distribution Network was critical. Having engaged with grid consultants it helped smooth the process and ultimately lead to the success of the project.

Our Solution

Given the site was ranked as the council’s top 10 CO2 emitting properties, we identified and developed two major solutions. One was to replace the old gas heating systems with air sourced heat pumps, with the second to improve thermal efficiency around the building, ensuring the heat stays inside for longer. The heat pumps were connected to a 1.3MWp solar array on an adjacent landfill site, with additional LED lighting installed around the grounds of the site.

As a result, the project will save 642 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of heating 600 homes. The solar array reduces the centre’s reliance on the grid by up to 30%, and when combined with the councils’ negotiated REGO-backed electricity tariff from April 2021, the centre will become carbon neutral when it was completed.

The success of the project comes down to incredible collaboration with industry experts and consultants, as well as creative thinking from officers to deliver a comprehensive decarbonisation project within tight-timescales and major external challenges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CLICK HERE.