£1.4m project to reduce carbon emissions at Buxton pool

High Peak Borough Council has secured £1,281,500 from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and is supplementing this with a further £175,000 from Council funds.

Rob Wilks, Head of Service Commissioning at the Council, said: "The council is delighted to have secured this substantial grant to decarbonise these facilities in Buxton as we work towards driving down emissions at all our leisure facilities across the Borough to help meet our net zero commitments.

The project, which will start this year, will see the conventional gas boilers replaced with state-of-the-art air source heat pumps and solar panels to enhance the building's energy efficiency and reduce its impact on the environment saving around 200 tonnes of CO2 every year.

The pool, on St John’s Road in Butxon has had a series of upgrades in recent years.

In 2021, before the pool reopened after lockdown £20,000 was invested to modernise the pipes as the centre was still using the cast iron pipes installed in 1971 ahead of its grand opening.

Two new heater booster pumps, two new circulation pumps and a new scum channel were installed.

Looking at the carbon emissions the council has set a target of carbon neutrality in its internal operations and services it delivers by 2030 and is working with partners to help achieve this target for the whole borough.

Rob added: "This project will really be a game changer and we are looking forward to seeing the positive impact it will have when it's completed early next year."

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