COUNCILLORS in Torridge have shelved £1.2 million of additional decarbonisation plans for Holsworthy Leisure Centre after they heard that they would not reduce the costs of running the facility.

The 13-year-old oil boilers will remain in place and not be replaced with an air source heat pump system for heating the swimming pool and sports hall.

At a full council meeting, members were told that although a new installation would achieve “substantial” carbon savings, over time it could actually cost more to run the facility.

Councillors were satisfied that energy efficiency measures which have taken place over the last seven months including a new roof and doors, triple glazing, solar panels and draft proofing is doing enough to reduce the overall energy load and running costs.

In addition, the changing areas have been reinstated and a new combined air source heat pump and ventilation system will “significantly improve” the internal environment and comfort levels for swimmers.

The work so far has been largely funded by external grants from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the Rural Prosperity Fund and Sport England.

The council would have to put £700,000 to the full decarbonisation option, from a mixture of its own reserves and borrowing which it has decided against.

Half a million pounds of grant funding which is remaining can be used on other decarbonisation schemes such as the town hall and library complex, as long as the money is spent by the deadline of March 31.

Councillors were told that the existing boilers had had a hard life to heat the facility over the years but the demand on them had reduced given the upgrades and thermal improvements that had taken place recently.

Major projects manager for the council Adrian Redwood said the boilers were performing adequately and he expected them to continue to function without being too stressed.

The new-look Holsworthy Swimming Pool recently reopened to the public. Disruption was minimised during the upgrade work as alternative changing facilities were provided, councillors were told.

Lead member for leisure and ward member for Holsworthy Cllr Lyndon Piper (Lib Dem) commended officers for their “prudent decisions” and coming to the conclusion that heat pump technology might not work out that well at Holsworthy.

“They have made the right decision in insulating the fabric of the building and getting the solar panels on, making the facility cheaper to run and creating much more an enjoyable environment which is important to our users,” he said.

“Bringing down the costs is important. I don’t think it is a good idea to plug something in that does not stack up financially at this time especially if there are options to use that money somewhere else which is more effective in decarbing.”

Even Green councillor for Appledore Peter Hames agreed. He said another option to install new oil fired boilers for another 12 to 15 years was “not in accordance with our climate commitments” and he hoped there would be further funding available in future years to enable the council to complete the carbon revision on the leisure centre.

Over the summer months, the solar panels are expected to generate enough electricity to match the electrical operating costs for the facility when the ventilation and cooling demands for the gym space are at their greatest.