Retrofitting leisure centre could help Council hit halfway mark on emissions target
Retrofitting works on Westport Leisure Centre would reduce Council emissions by over 23%. This would come as a major help to reaching a target of 51% by 2030, according to Council officials.
Proposed retrofitting works at Westport Leisure Centre would account for almost half of the carbon emissions cut that Mayo County Council needs before 2030. The Westport facility was the council-owned building with the highest emissions output in 2022, closely followed by the Lough Lannagh Leisure Centre in Castlebar.
At last week’s meeting of the Environment, Climate Action and Agriculture Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), members learned that if the Westport complex is chosen under Pathfinder II, a Government programme to reduce carbon emissions in certain locations, it could cut the council’s total emissions by around 23%. The local authority is required to cut its carbon emissions by 51% by 2030.
The council used 23 million kilowatt hours last year and four buildings produced 40% of the local authority's overall emissions. Apart from the leisure centres in Westport and Castlebar, the other buildings in the top four were Aras an Chontae in Castlebar and Ballina Swimming Pool.
Fine Gael Cllr Peter Flynn said he was surprised to see the new leisure centre in Lough Lannagh producing such high emissions.
“I would have thought that with it being a state-of-the-art facility it would be more efficient. We're now going to have to make more of an investment in a new building."
Party colleague Cllr Donna Sheridan said the long-term future of Aras an Chontae should be considered and suggested moving the council’s headquarters to the Imperial Hotel and converting the existing offices into a hotel.
“Anywhere you go in the world, the local authority is based in a wonderful, historical building. The Imperial has a lot of history and wonderful things attached to it.
“If the Council were to relocate there, could we look at the Aras as a hotel in the town? It has car parking and we are putting a lot of investment into it already. It is something to consider,” she said.
Climate Action Officer Laura Dixon said the leisure centre at Lough Lannagh had recently undergone works to rectify some snags that had arisen during its original development and the council expects to see an improvement in its emissions usage by the end of 2023.
She added that Aras an Chontae is a very efficient building and replacing old windows with triple-glazed windows will go a long way towards improving its energy efficiency. The estimated cost of replacing the windows is €1 million but the council expects to receive grant aid of 50% from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) under Pathfinder 1.
Director of Services John Condon said Lough Lannagh is probably the most efficient leisure centre in the country. The council was unable to add measures such as solar panels during construction as it had a budget limit but it now has more options available.
Cllr Peter Flynn said the council was not being ambitious enough and should aim to be 100% carbon neutral by 2031
