From leisure centres to World Heritage Sites: tackling the decarbonisation challenge
South Kesteven and University of Greenwich showcase share net zero lessons at our webinar
Nearly 100 people from across the public sectors came together this week for our latest Decarbonisation Dialogue webinar, exploring the challenges, opportunities and practical realities of delivering low-carbon projects across the country.
Our guest speakers Serena Brown, sustainability and climate change manager at South Kesteven District Council, Noel McSweeney, building services manager at the University of Greenwich, and Lee Thomas senior project manager at the university, share their insights.
Together, they shared first-hand experiences of delivering ambitious decarbonisation projects and answered questions from attendees keen to learn from their journeys.
A key theme throughout the discussion was the motivation behind decarbonisation programmes. Delegates asked whether organisations were primarily driven by the need to reduce carbon emissions or cut rising energy costs.
Our speakers agreed that while financial savings can provide a compelling business case, long-term carbon reduction targets and wider environmental responsibilities are increasingly shaping investment decisions across the public sector.
Serena outlined the challenges and successes of South Kesteven District Council’s £4.7 million decarbonisation project at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre. Supported through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the project aims to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of one of the district’s most energy-intensive facilities.
The work includes the installation of low-carbon heating technologies, energy efficiency upgrades and measures designed to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while improving the building’s long-term sustainability.
She explained that leisure centres are among the most difficult public buildings to decarbonise due to their high energy demands, swimming pool operations and extended opening hours. Serena spoke about the technical, financial and operational challenges involved in delivering major retrofit projects while ensuring services remain available to the public.
Lee and Noel from the University of Greenwich provided a different perspective, discussing the complexities of decarbonising a world-renowned heritage estate, as well as its Avery Hill campus.
The university has secured support through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help reduce emissions across its estate, including the historic Old Royal Naval College site at Greenwich, which forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Noel and Lee explained that balancing heritage conservation requirements with ambitious carbon reduction targets requires careful planning, extensive stakeholder engagement and innovative engineering solutions. The speakers explained how the university is working to improve energy performance, reduce emissions from heating systems and future-proof its buildings while preserving their historic character.
Both South Kesteven District Council and the University of Greenwich demonstrated how the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has helped them tackle some of their most challenging and carbon-intensive buildings.
The webinar formed part of our ongoing Decarbonisation Dialogue series, which brings together industry experts, public sector leaders and sustainability professionals from across England and Scotland to share knowledge, lessons learned and best practice.
The conversation continues beyond the webinars through The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast. Our podcast series explores climate action from a wide range of perspectives, featuring scientists, business leaders, climatologists, engineers, journalists, authors, behavioural experts, artists and other leading voices working to address the climate challenge.
With audience participation at the heart of every event, the latest webinar reinforced the importance of sharing experiences, asking difficult questions and learning from those already delivering complex decarbonisation projects on the ground.
