Council gets £762k for energy improvements

A Devon council has been awarded more than £760,000 of funding to deliver energy efficiency improvements to some of its buildings.

North Devon Council said £762,065 from the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme would be used to improve Ilfracombe's Landmark Theatre and the Brynsworthy Environment Centre in Fremington.

Improvements funded by the grant would "help the council's overall aim to improve the energy efficiency of its assets and reduce carbon emissions to reach its net zero target by 2030", it said.

Work would include the removal of gas and oil boilers to be replaced with air source heat pumps, it added.

The total value of the scheme has been costed at £865,984, with the surplus being funded by the council and Landmark Theatres, officials said.

The project is due for completion by September 2026, they added.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme supported an aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037, compared to a 2017 baseline, the government said.

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