Dereham Leisure Centre to get solar power upgrade
£280,000 is to be spent on solar panels to help cut carbon emissions at the facility on Station Road
A £280,000 project to install solar panels on a leisure centre’s roof has moved a step forward after councillors recommended it is approved.
It is hoped the scheme, at Dereham’s sports facility in Station Road, will help cut carbon emissions and electricity costs.
Breckland Council cabinet members voted unanimously in favour, calling it an important step towards its ambition to reach net zero by 2035.
The solar panels are part of a number of green measures to be put into action at Dereham and Thetford leisure centres which include changing light bulbs to LEDs and a system to reduce heat loss from the swimming pool halls.
An initial £160,000 had already been signposted for the scheme but cabinet members recommended to release an additional £120,000 from its Growth and Investment Reserve fund.
It is hoped the solar panels will produce 35pc of the annual electricity demand of the centre and would reduce carbon emissions by 47,000kg a year.
The final decision will be made at a full council meeting on November 2.