Potential for state of the art £1.72m reft at Calderdale sports centre - if bid is successful

Calderdale Council has submitted a bid for funding from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund to make the changes at Todmorden Sports Centre, which houses the town’s swimming pool.

The council’s lead for contracts and commercial, Andrew Sharpe, said the fund’s phase three had been announced with the primary aim of replacing end of life fossil fuel systems – and the sports centre fits the bill perfectly.

The council’s CAFM Asset Management Board, which deals with the council’s estate and property, heard the fund operates on a “first come, first served” basis and opened on October 6, with the council’s bid, drawn up working with round one partner Halifax Renewables, was submitted by October 15.

The sports centre was built in 2000 and has eight life expired gas boilers – only two are operational – and a life expired gas-fired combined heating and power unit.

Todmorden Sports Centre is the second highest emitter of carbon emissions across the council’s estate, and the highest emitter that meets the eligibility

criteria of the fund.

The bid is for £1,725,750, required to meet a threshold of £325 per tonne of carbon emitted and designs in the bid require a cost of £2,075,750 to complete the full install, electrical upgrade and planning.

Councillors were also told that while the refit will help the climate crisis, power bills, with electricity costing more than gas currently, will see the annual tally around £5,000 higher, a situation common with new low carbon technology but an issue councillors do need to consider, and the council will also have to provide £350,000 match funding.

If approved, project funds will be released on April 1 next year, and all required works must be completed by March 31, 2023.

“This fund is all about end of life equipment.

“These are exciting times looking forward.

“We are hoping we get the Decarbonisation 3 funding.

“I will be surprised and disappointed if we don’t,” said Mr Sharpe.

Mr Sharpe said Calderdale had been successful in phase one of the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund, which will see either ground source or air source heat pumps being installed at Halifax Town Hall, Halifax Borough Market, Manor Heath, Spring Hall and Bankfield Museum, also all in Halifax, Todmorden Market hall and Brighouse Library and Art gallery.

The council contributed £350,000 with the rest of the £3.2 million scheme coming from the award and bids to other funds, including through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

He said the council did not put in a bid for phase two, which had a very short timescale, funding amounts were shorter and it was not possible to formulate a bid that met that round’s criteria.