£5 million to be spent on decarbonising and upgrading Torridge buildings

It will "bring benefits to the whole district"

Around £5 million is to be spent upgrading two Torridge District Council buildings to make them fit for the future and reduce their carbon footprint.

Decarbonisation of Holsworthy Leisure Centre will cost £1.8 million, two thirds of which will be funded by external sources, and a replacement roof and ground floor refurbishment of Bideford Town Hall, including a new gym and fitness centre in the old library, is estimated at £3.1 million.

The council will use £2.6 million of its reserves and it plans to borrow £1 million, which it will pay back with revenue savings.

Councillors unanimously supported the “ambitious” projects at an extraordinary full council meeting.

Funding of over £1 million is coming from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme which will be used to install air-to-water heat pumps, replacing the existing oil boiler at Holsworthy Leisure Centre.

The new system will cut costs of heating the building, swimming pool and hot water, and will dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

The three leisure centres are responsible for 55 per cent of  C02 emissions from the council’s estate, with Holsworthy, with the oldest system, having the greatest decarbonisation potential.

Solar panels costing £61,000 are being funded by Sport England, and the government will cover electricity costs.

The panels will be in place by March next year with the decarbonisation work completed a year later.

The decarbonisation is a new technology and whilst there is no assurance it would work on the building, the council would not have to repay development funds.

Torridge is near the bottom of the league table of local authorities working towards net zero targets in 2023.

Work on the town hall has been planned for a long time, as much of the structure isn’t insulated and needs to be upgraded to reduce costs of running the building.

The council recently gave permission for its leisure trading company Active Torridge to create a fitness and wellbeing centre in the old library in the town hall. It want so haold an official launch in January 2026.

The costs of the refurbishment are an estimate and until the roof is removed from the town hall, officers don’t know what will be found, although it is unlikely to be asbestos.

Cllr Simon Newton (Con,Winkleigh) was concerned about significant additional costs listed in a report for the council not being covered by the refurbishment budget, but was told there is “a healthy contingency”.

Council chairman Cllr Doug Bushby said: “It is a building we own and it is listed and we have sat back and watched it deteriorate for years and years. Ever year we delay it costs us more in long run.”

Councillors also heard the draft surplus for the financial year is £1.3 million, some of which could be used to invest in the town hall.