Milton Keynes City Council is set to appoint a heat supplier for a major project setting up a transformative zero carbon heat network.
Milton Keynes has always been an innovative place and we’re proud to be leading the way on tackling climate issues in new and creative ways. By connecting our buildings to a low-carbon heat network, we’re not only making our buildings greener, but are setting down a marker for a more sustainable future for everyone in our city.
Local people could soon be swimming in the UK’s most environmentally friendly pool at Woughton Leisure Centre, browsing books in its greenest library at Central Library or getting married at a Civic building powered by clean and sustainable energy.
Earlier this year, the city council secured £4.35m from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to prepare the three buildings to be connected to a heat network. All three buildings are significant energy users. The project is part of the city council’s ambition to become net zero in the next five years.
Heat networks capture and share local heat that would otherwise go to waste, such as data servers or waste processing facilities. For instance, at Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park, 133,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste are processed every year, creating electricity for the city’s fleet of electric bin lorries and also generating heat. Instead of that heat being lost, the city council is exploring the opportunity of transferring it into nearby buildings, cutting bills and emissions.
In the UK, heating buildings is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases, and the Government aims for 17% of UK heat to come from local heat networks by 2030. In Milton Keynes, the first phase of the network will supply the Civic building, Central Library and Woughton Leisure Centre offering clean, reliable and affordable alternatives to gas heating.
It will also pave the way for a larger carbon heating system across the city which would heat homes and businesses. This kind of network will protect the city from volatile hikes in gas prices, providing Milton Keynes with greater ‘energy security’.
City growth funds new policing tools
Milton Keynes City Council is boosting frontline policing with new electric bikes, CCTV and ANPR cameras being provided to Thames Valley Police as part of a £46,000 investment to help keep communities safe.
The new electric bikes will help police officers patrol areas that are harder to reach by car, such as redways, parks and estates, making it easier for them to respond quickly and be more visible in the community. Additional CCTV and ANPR cameras will support investigations and help deter crime across the city.
The funding comes from contributions collected by the city council from housing developers when homes are built in Milton Keynes. This money is reinvested into local facilities and services, such as the City Council putting £15.6m of growth money into cancer and acute care at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
The new bikes and CCTV will be rolled out later this year.
By Cllr Pete Marland, Leader at Milton Keynes City Council
Find out more about Milton Keynes City Council on their website.
