Gateshead leisure centres to receive energy efficiency grant worth millions to help secure future

Two Gateshead leisure centres are to receive a share of a grant of over £4m following council approval, which is hoped will secure their futures.

Dunston Leisure Centre and Blaydon Leisure and Primary Care Centre will jointly receive just over £3m to install low-carbon heat pumps.

It is hoped that the new systems will help the centres become more energy-efficient and viable in the long term.

Dunston and Blaydon pools are said to be the two largest gas users of the local authority, and account for 10% of its total gas demand.

The remaining £1.2m of the grant from the Public Centre Decarbonisation Scheme was intended to go to Birtley Swimming Centre.

The swimming centre was closed by Gateshead Council last July due to budget cuts, causing a large public outcry.

Since then, fundraising has been underway by a community group to reopen the facility as the Birtley Community Aquatics Centre.

According to council documents, a priority for the Aquatics Centre is to replace the existing boiler.

This would mean the pool would be unable to take up the grant as the boiler would “invalidate” the funding offer.

In addition, the risks associated with taking on a £1.2m construction, including the potential of cost increases, were dubbed “too great”.

Gateshead Council is now exploring whether the £1.2m, which would have been used for Birtley Aquatics Centre, could be redistributed to the Blaydon or Dunston pools, or fund low-carbon heating in other council facilities.

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