Village library benefits from £8.2m West Sussex green plan

Libraries and fire stations become more energy efficiency thanks to decarbonisation funding.

Keen readers are more delighted than ever that their much-loved West Sussex library has been included in an £8.2m initiative to drive down the carbon footprint of 14 local buildings.

Storrington Library is among the 14 West Sussex County Council buildings that have been part of West Sussex County Council’s plan to make the buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Fire stations and a day centre have also benefited.

It’s estimated the work will prevent almost 200 tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of travelling over 600,000 miles in a petrol car.

The library, which is a popular community hub, opened its doors on Friday to celebrate the funding and completion of the projects. 

Paul Marshall, leader of West Sussex County Council said: “I am very proud to be at Storrington launching one of the 14 buildings we have been working on in terms of decarbonisation.

“It’s really key because it’s about our journey to be a net zero organisation by 2030.

“Climate change is one of our biggest challenges, it’s important locally and it’s important nationally, we all have our part to play. It’s important we lead by example and support our communities too.”

Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “The works mean we no longer need to use gas at most of the sites, which significantly reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and means the buildings can operate using renewable energy sources."

Mr Marshall added: "Since adopting our Climate Change Strategy in 2020, we have focused on reducing our carbon footprint, making sure we are ready to deal with a changing climate, and protecting the natural environment here in West Sussex.  

“We have already reduced our carbon emissions by 11.4% against our original baseline, and by 2026/27 we aim to reduce our carbon emissions by more than a third compared to an updated baseline, which now includes more detailed information on our emissions.”

The project was supported by more than £1.4million from Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. It has meant a range of measures from heat pumps to solar panels have been installed. The scheme is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and is delivered by Salix. 

The heat pumps at the library work alongside various heating upgrades including insulation. Across the buildings work has included replacing gas boilers with air source heat pumps, upgrading windows, improving insulation, and installing solar panels. 

The works have eliminated gas use at most of the sites, significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enabling the buildings to operate using clean, green, and renewable energy sources.

The library also houses various advice clinics including a police surgery as well as book clubs meet ups.

This decarbonisation project supports the county council’s Climate Change Strategy target to be a carbon neutral and climate resilient organisation by 2030.  Further work to reduce the carbon footprint of other county council buildings is currently being planned.

Marcus Tang, relationship manager at Salix, attended the celebratory event. He said: “It was fascinating to visit Storrington Library and delighted to see so much enthusiasm for this project, it was a real celebration.

“It was so satisfying to talk to local people and to hear what they think of the upgrades and hearing all the positive responses.

“It was great to see how the library is clearly a more comfortable place to enjoy as well as being more energy efficient.

“We cannot wait to visit other buildings that have benefited from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme under this funding and see how the community is benefiting too.”