MK City Council give green light to heat network project

Three public buildings in Milton Keynes are set to be connected to a new heat network with funding provided by Milton Keynes City Council through the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Around £4.35million in funding has been granted to a scheme to connect the Civic building, Central Library and Woughton Leisure Centre to a low-carbon heat network.

The City Council has now approved a contract for Fair Heat to carry out the building works needed to prepare the chosen buildings for connection.

MK City Council said that the move will reduce reliance on gas heating for the buildings by using heat that would otherwise go to waste. The aim of the scheme is to cut carbon emissions and help protect against future spikes in gas prices.

As well as supporting the city council’s net zero ambitions, the work will help lay the foundations for a wider heat network that could eventually provide low-carbon heating to local homes and businesses.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainability, Cllr Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, said, “This is a really exciting step forward for Milton Keynes. The funding secured by the city council is helping us make better use of energy that would otherwise be wasted, reducing carbon emissions while creating a more sustainable future for the city.

“The Civic building, Central Library and Woughton Leisure Centre are set to become among a relatively small number of public buildings in the UK connected to a heat network. This investment will not only benefit these much-used community facilities, but also help lay the groundwork for a wider network that could bring long-term environmental and energy benefits to Milton Keynes.”