Nottinghamshire leisure centre users to benefit from carbon cutting projects thanks to new energy saving investments

17b Market Place is a historic building built in Victoria style. It is home to council offices, the Citizens Advice, Nottinghamshire Police and the registry office. 

The building, situated on the town square, is connected to the notable Grade II listed Retford Town Hall. As a result, there are various conditions and consents required for upgrades that impact the visual identity of the historic space and buildings that surround it.

The project at the Market Place office will remove the existing fossil fuel heating system and replace it with an air source heat pump. Given the site’s sensitive historic nature, the team made sure to collaborate with the council’s conservation department, ensuring all works will benefit the historic presence of the building for the town centre, including the placement of the air source heat pump.  

Additional measures include the installation of secondary and double glazing, an innovative work-around as double glazing the heritage style windows would negatively impact the heritage value of the site.

Loft and roof space and new pipework will be insulated, the building management system replaced and LED lighting will be installed.

To support the £564,072 project, the council was awarded £182,686 in funding through Phase 3c of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. 

The project plan was informed by a comprehensive heat decarbonisation plan that was developed thanks to funding through Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Skills Fund and further supplemented through the Low Carbon Skills Fund Phase 4 to generate the detailed designs used for the construction phase. Our Salix teams also deliver funding for this scheme on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. 

Energy experts at the council expect that the upgrades will save it £14,777 in annual energy bills and 29.54 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.  A 29.54-tonne reduction in annual carbon emissions is equivalent to the carbon absorption capability of 1,343 trees or emissions associated with fully charging a smartphone 1.956 million times*.

Given the multiple organisations that use the space, the council has had to ensure consistent communication with stakeholders as it navigates upgrades while essential services require use of the building.

A collaborative community approach has ensured the success of this work, with the Citizens Advice temporarily moving into the Nottinghamshire County Council building and the Nottinghamshire Police temporarily moving to the town hall.

Council staff at Bassetlaw are grateful for the flexibility and understanding showcased which, they believe, is a true exemplar of the overarching community support for the work it is doing to address the climate crisis and community passion for environmental concerns.

Mack said: “The Citizens Advice Bureau, in particular, has been very accommodating and collaborative in working with us to install. 

“They know it’s an important process within our decarbonisation journey.”

The Retford Leisure Centre in Ordsall and Worksop Leisure Centre in Worksop are popular community assets with a variety of sports and leisure activities that support residents from all backgrounds in the district.

At both leisure centres, the project will remove the fossil fuel heating system used to heat the building and install nine air source heat pumps at each site. 

When asked about what the works mean for the residents who use these facilities, council climate change officer Matthew Hutton said: “It will provide long-term security for the community.

“It’s also important for the community to see government organisations taking the lead with net zero, setting an example and acting as role models.”

To support the project, the council was awarded grant funding through Phase 3c of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which will be subject to council and PFI partner match funding. 

With the phase 3c projects building upon other works completed through previous phases of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the council is confident in its position to complete the projects within the targeted timelines and budgets it has set.

Bassetlaw District Council also received funding through both Phase 1 and Phase 3a of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. It credits these early projects with teaching the lessons that would then support it as the foundations of its approach to decarbonisation and future projects.

Mack added: “In all projects, the biggest challenge is the people working together – collaboration is key in all respects throughout these projects.

“Now, we have the right partners on board, we know the right people to talk to. We learned some hard lessons from our 3a project that we’ll be applying to these works.”

Zoe Wragg, our client support officer who has been working with the council, said: “Project progression seen to date has already demonstrated that these learnings have been successfully applied to latest works funded through the scheme, showcasing the necessity to view lessons not as a barrier, but as an opportunity to improve.

“The team at Bassetlaw are incredibly passionate and ambitious about the work they are doing and how this contributes to their overall net zero targets and I look forward to continuing to support them as these projects progress towards completion.”