Salt Ayre Decarbonisation Project
Major work has begun on the innovative decarbonisation project at Salt Ayre Leisure Centre in Lancaster. The multi-million pound project will see onsite CO2 emissions at Salt Ayre eliminated and it will be one of the first such facilities in the UK to be net carbon zero.
The government has awarded £6.8million in funding to Lancaster City Council, as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, to make this project a reality. Improvements will include replacing gas boilers with Air Source Heat Pumps, providing external LED lighting and upgrading glazing to reduce energy consumption. A solar farm is also being constructed on a disused landfill site adjacent to the leisure centre which will provide electricity via direct wire.
HPA Chartered Architects have been working closely with the teams involved on this project after initially being instructed to assist with the Planning Application. This included preparing drawing packages and documentation on the proposed information, outlining the benefits of renewable energy.
HPA have also provided technical construction information and are leading the role of Principal Designer during this busy construction phase. Due to funding requirements, project management has been critical in the delivery of this exciting scheme.
Councilor Kevin Frea stated that Salt Ayre is currently the ‘biggest emitter of CO2 of all the council’s buildings and this scheme alone will reduce its overall carbon footprint by 12%, slashing emissions by as much as 439 tonnes a year’.1
HPA are proud to be involved with such an ambitious and important local project and completes its ambitions to signing up to the RIBA Climate Change Bid.
Read more here about the project.
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