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15
Aug
Council to replace windows at Pateley leisure centre in energy-saving bid
All the windows at a council-owned leisure centre in Pateley Bridge are set to be replaced in a new energy-saving bid.
North Yorkshire Council, which owns the site, approved its own plans to replace 87 windows at Pateley Bridge Leisure and Wellbeing Hub on August 11.
The plans refer to the site as Nidderdale Recreation Centre.
According to planning documents, the council will to replace the windows with “new improved-performance glazing units”, which are set to “improve the building’s thermal performance”.
Plans add:
The replacement windows will match the existing dimensions as a like-for-like replacement, maintain the same aesthetic appearance and visual character, provide improved thermal performance and energy efficiency, and enhance the building's sustainability.
The existing window frames are aluminium and will be replaced with new aluminium frames to match the existing material and colour.
The replacements will not alter any existing structural openings, modify the building services or impact the existing landscape or external appearance.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council why the windows are being replaced and what the scheme is set to cost the taxpayer.
A spokesperson for the authority said the project will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat the leisure centre and “reduce running costs to the benefit of the taxpayer”.
They added the cost will be “mainly covered” by the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme fund.
The scheme, which was renewed last September by the Labour government, provides grants to reduce emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037.
North Yorkshire Council was awarded £536,928 to complete projects under the scheme and has also committed £76,881 of its own funding.
We asked the council to clarify the exact cost of this project, but a spokesperson said the “information is not available yet”, adding the authority won’t know the exact cost of the project until it has received quotes to carry out the work.
The council lodged plans to install 90 solar panels on the roof of Pateley Bridge Leisure and Wellbeing Hub in April, which is also set to be funded by the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
The council’s executive member for leisure, councillor Simon Myers, told the Stray Ferret at the time swimming pools use a lot of energy and, with rising costs, “everything that can be done to reduce bills is welcomed”.
The leisure centre operates under the council's in-house Active North Yorkshire brand, which came into force locally last December.
The Stray Ferret revealed at the time the cost to rebrand all 10 Harrogate district leisure facilities owned by the council was estimated to be £41,000.
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