Site will be better off financially and lower carbon emissions

COUNCIL leaders have backed a £3.2 million scheme to decarbonise a leisure centre.

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

The proposed works at Jubilee 2 in Newcastle would see the centre's two gas boilers replaced with a heat pump system, along with the installation of solar thermal collectors.

Newcastle Borough Council says J2 currently uses a 'tremendous amount' of gas and electricity, and is the biggest emitter of carbon in the authority's estate. The council is set to receive £2.79 million of government funding for the decarbonisation project, with a further £417,093 coming out of its own capital budget.

Cabinet members approved the scheme at their meeting last week, saying that the work would help make J2 more financially sustainable as well as reducing carbon emissions. Under its sustainable environment strategy, the council is aiming for its estate to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.