Willmott Dixon has been chosen by North Herts Council for a £15.8m programme to decarbonise three of its leisure centres in Hitchin, Royston and Letchworth.

In one of the region’s largest leisure centre decarbonisation projects, the company will now carry out a series of upgrades that will include replacing ageing gas boilers with air source heat pumps, installing solar panels, upgrading air handling units, improving insulation and glazing, and introducing energy-efficient systems in each building.

The investment seeks to reduce CO₂ emissions at the three leisure centres by more than 60 per cent in a move that will enhance energy efficiency of the region's leisure centres and align with the council's goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The contract, awarded through the SCAPE Construction Framework, follows the council’s successful bid for £7.74 million from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, administered by Salix Finance, a process supported by Willmott Dixon’s decarbonisation experts to unlock funding.

Councillor Mick Debenham, executive member for environment, leisure, and green spaces at North Herts Council:

"This is a major step forward in making our leisure centres fit for the future. These upgrades will not only cut carbon and reduce energy use, they’ll help create better, more modern leisure facilities for our residents to enjoy.”

Steve Kitchen, operations director at Willmott Dixon:

“As a company with a strong commitment to sustainability, we’re looking forward to working with North Herts Council in reducing carbon emissions and enhancing energy efficiency across vital community facilities. This supports our Now or Never strategy to help create greener, more sustainable public spaces for future generations.”

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at SCAPE:

“This decarbonisation programme is a critical step in ensuring that local infrastructure remains resilient in the face of climate change, by reducing carbon emissions and delivering long-term energy savings for the Council. It reflects our commitment to delivering low-carbon, community-focused projects and through our gold standard verified Construction Framework, we will work in close partnership with Willmott Dixon to enable early contractor involvement, provide strategic guidance and maximise value throughout for the Council.”

It follows recent decarbonisation work carried out by Willmott Dixon for Oxford City Council on four leisure projects (Ferry Leisure Centre, Leys Pool and Leisure Centre, Barton Leisure Centre and Hinksey Outdoor Pool) that achieved a 56% reduction in CO₂ emissions by replacing gas boilers with heat pumps.

It comes as more councils are investing in reducing carbon emissions from their existing stock to improve the quality of their environment and enhance energy efficiency.