Agenda item

The representatives from Alliance Leisure and Leisure Energy presented the Leisure Energy update on the Grantham Meres Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

The presentation outlined the background to the Grantham Meres Leisure Centre project, including the steps taken to receive grant award funding for the project of £3,587,500. Following this, South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) appointed Alliance Leisure Services as the delivery partner, with Leisure Energy as the Principal Designer and Contractor.

Other works undertaken included the upgrade to LED lighting/floodlighting, and the installation of pool covers as key, energy-saving measures.

The proposed imposition of a tri pack CO2 air source heat pump was said to be a groundbreaking project. Post-decarbonisation the projected reduction in running costs was a significant saving of £173,035 per annum.

Building on this, the presentation outlined the Social Value Plan to prioritise the following, and there was a monitoring plan in place:

-       Support sustainability goals.

-       Enhance community wellbeing.

-       Strengthen local partnerships.

-       Boost local economy.

During discussions, Members commented on the following:

-       It was confirmed that a minimum of 12% match funding had been required of SKDC.

-       To reassure Members regarding the efficiency of the solar panels, it was confirmed that the panels came with a 15-year warranty and were one to become faulty then this could be identified prior to failure without risk to the rest of the system due to technical indicators.

-       The ethical procurement of the panels was queried, particularly regarding polysilicon. The representative acknowledged the general difficulty of this around the industry but reassured Members that this procurement had been done on the basis of Sheffield Hallam University’s research around ethical procurement of particular providers within the industry. The Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste acknowledged the concern but noted that this was an issue amongst all electrics, not just solar panels and extensive discussions about this had been undertaken.

-       It was confirmed that much of the components for the air source heat pump and supporting upgrades had been sourced from the UK or France and all manufacturing was UK based.

-       It was confirmed that the proposed air source heat pump system was hoping to be operational by March 2026.

-       The performance of the heat pumps was reiterated, stating that they were more effective in pools then in the domestic setting due to lower operating temperatures, and similar systems had been successfully rolled out by chains such as Tesco and Sainsburys.

-       Responding to a visiting Member’s query, reassurance was given that there were no technical constraints to on-site electricity supply in order to facilitate saunas and steam rooms were they sought.

-       It was confirmed that the projected savings had been independently verified via a technical assessment from the grant provider Salix.

-       Were these projected savings not to be reached, it was queried who carried these financial risks. The representative confirmed that ultimately it was the local authority via LeisureSK, however, there was a service contract in place outlining the availability model which codified a manufacturers warranty and a performance warranty. Furthermore, there was also a collateral warranty under a separate JCT contract.

-       The only delivery risk identified by the representative was that utility tariffs for electricity were out of their control.

The Leisure Energy Update on Grantham Meres Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was noted by the Committee.