Ashford's Stour leisure centre sets the tone for net zero ambitions

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme inspires project and Salix team got a special tour

An ambitious project to cut carbon emissions has set out the vision for one borough which is on track to become carbon neutral by 2030, writes Anjali Ghedia.

Ashford Borough Council has demonstrated its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 with the decarbonisation of Stour Leisure Centre.

The state-of-the-art centre covers an area of 8,000 square metres and boasts an impressive array of facilities and is visited by nearly 700,000 people every year.

This means that addressing carbon emissions and optimising operational costs have been imperative drivers to a greener, more sustainable future.  

I was a member of the Salix team that could not wait to take a closer look at the decarbonisation work and to discover how the work has progressed and what difference this has made to the building.

Originally constructed in 1972, the Stour Leisure Centre relied on a dated heating system compromising of an old, oversized Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit and nine gas-fired boilers, seven of which were no longer operational.

In addition, the facility lacked functional air conditioning, which meant it wasn’t always the most comfortable place to visit for users.

And pre-Covid, the centre’s annual energy expenses were amounting to £390,000, whilst emitting 1,200 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. It became clear that the need for decarbonisation was paramount.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding

In November 2020, the centre was awarded a £1.7million grant under Phase 1 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. Phase 1 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme made available £1bn of funding to the public sector. The allocated funds were invested in a range of modern, low carbon technologies upgrades and energy efficiency measures, with the expectation to significantly reduce the site’s carbon footprint and operating costs.

Council appointed consultants set out install three x 300kW Air-Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) with 500 litre storage tanks to provide a cleaner, greener source of energy.  

A 203kWp system compromising of nearly 600 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels were fitted to the centre’s roofs to offset this increase in electricity demand. Energy efficient LED lighting was fitted across the premises, which project leaders say has resulted in reduced electrical consumption and improvements to lighting levels across the differing facilities on offer (LeisureEnergy, Stour Leisure Centre, Ashford Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (2021)).

The swimming pool pump motors were upgraded as well as replacements of the Air Handling Unit (AHU) fan motors, both to improve energy efficiency as part of a ‘whole building’ approach. The Air Handling Unit contained new software with an ability to provide real time monitoring of energy use and to detect issues within the system.

Also, the Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) was upgraded with a new software involving smart controls for the Air Source Heat Pumps, battery system, PV inverters and motors (LeisureEnergy, Stour Leisure Centre, Ashford Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (2021)), which functions to optimise the usage of each system based on peaks and troughs in demand.

Alongside the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme project, the council embarked on further building refurbishments on various areas of the leisure centre: a new reception, café and soft play area were installed to improve customer experience.

A new spin/aerobics studio and a fully equipped gym featuring brand new equipment were also installed. Due to the extensive nature of the project, the site was closed for a year for all works to be completed.

Today, it’s hard to believe that this centre was once closed whilst works progressed – it’s a thriving community hub.

Why is this project important?

This is a substantial building.  As a three-story multi-functional building with diverse needs, the leisure centre has a significant energy demand to meet its heating and cooling requirements. Therefore, decarbonising the site has been instrumental to the council’s objective to reach net zero by 2030.

A spokesman for the Ashford Borough Council project team said it was important that the project’s achievements were aligned with the council’s decarbonisation goals.

In fact, the council spokesman told me that since installing these low carbon technologies and energy efficiency measures, positive results could be found.

He said: “The Stour Centre has achieved a reduction of 658 tonnes or 55% (the equivalent to the CO2 emissions from the annual heating of 243 homes) of total annual carbon emissions.

“The centre has benefitted from producing 40% energy savings, contributing to lower running costs, and without the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the unprecedented rise in the cost of gas and electricity would have impacted further, costing the council around £200,000 per year.

“Therefore, this project has been a significant contribution to the council’s goal of making the borough 100% carbon neutral by 2030 and has also freed up vital council funds to be spent on other priority projects.”

With the support of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding, the local community can enjoy a brand-new leisure centre equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, predominantly powered by renewable energy sources.

This momentous achievement of decarbonising such a substantial site represents a significant step towards fulfilling the borough’s ambitions of becoming net zero. Furthermore, the financial savings generated from this project will support Ashford council’s plans for the sites’ future improvements.

Colleague and Salix senior programme manager Graham Watson certainly had a positive verdict on the work and all that had been achieved.