West Oxfordshire District Council greenlights decarbonisation improvement project for Windrush Leisure Centre

West Oxfordshire District Council has taken a significant step towards meeting its carbon neutral target by approving the installation of air source heat pumps at Windrush Leisure Centre that will not only reduce carbon emissions, but is also estimated to reduce running costs of the building. 

The ageing gas boilers in the centre that heat the building and swimming pool are coming to end of life and require replacing. The scheme will replace these boilers with low carbon air source heat pumps and will result in 255.3tCO2e carbon savings per annum, which is 8.8% of the Council’s carbon footprint. It is also estimated to reduce running costs by around £7,000 per annum. 

A £1.65m grant from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has been secured to help fund the decarbonisation project. 

Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery said, “This scheme is a win-win for this council and residents. We are reducing emissions, aiming to lower running costs and carrying out essential maintenance works using external grant funding. 

“We are future proofing a very well used leisure centre that has seen a big jump in memberships this year and sits in the heart of Witney, easily accessible for residents, with great provisions for all of its users.”

Councillor Tim Sumner, Executive Member for Leisure and Carterton Area Strategy said, “This year has seen many new sign-ups to the leisure centre with a nearly 16% increase in membership from last year. Additional investment in leisure facilities is being considered more widely across the District as part of the council’s commitment to providing good quality leisure services.” 

Contact Information

West Oxfordshire District Council Communications Team

communications@westoxon.gov.uk