BBC News, North East and Cumbria
Newcastle City CouncilA swimming pool has reopened after £3m was invested to make the site more energy efficient.
Solar panels and a new heating system have been fitted at Elswick Community Pool and Gym in Newcastle, completely removing the building’s reliance on gas, according to the council
The local authority estimated the work would save the carbon equivalent of 2,352 round-trip flights from Newcastle to New York over the building’s lifetime.
Councillor Juna Sathian said the pool was an important community asset and the sustainability changes meant it could be “enjoyed by people of all ages for generations to come”.
“Not only will the works that have been carried out reduce the pool’s running costs, but it also helps us provide cleaner infrastructure that contributes towards our goal of combatting climate change,” she said.
The money for the project was secured by the Labour-led council from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), Sport England and the North East Combined Authority’s Green New Deal Fund.
The council said the investment had also reduced the building’s energy consumption through the use of pool covers, triple-glazed windows and insulated roofing.
Pool manager Phil Jameson said modernising the ageing plant equipment and improving insulation would allow the centre to “keep providing a range of physical and mental activities at affordable prices to benefit everyone in the community”.
