Newark and Sherwood District Council have solar panels installed at Dukeries Leisure Centre and Sconce and Devon Park

A council’s work to decarbonise a number of its buildings has powered on as a leisure centre and park sites are fitted with solar panels.

Newark and Sherwood District Council has added Dukeries Leisure Centre, in Ollerton, and Sconce and Devon Park, in Newark, to its list of sites fitted with solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.

Work to install the panels at both sites was completed this week.

The leisure centre in Ollerton was the fourth site to be completed, with solar PV panels with the café and buildings at Sconce and Devon Park being the fifth site of the five to be fitted.

Solar panels have already been installed at Newark Sports and Fitness Centre, the Newark Beacon and the café and buildings at Vicar Water Country Park.

200 solar panels have been fitted at the leisure centre and they are estimated to generate over 70,000 kWh per year, which equates to over 15,000 kg of CO2 each year. This is the equivalent of driving 93,600km in a diesel car or electricity for 25 three bed semis for a year.

An additional 53 solar panels were also fitted on buildings at the park.

Susan Crosby, portfolio holder for health, wellbeing and leisure at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “I’m thrilled to see solar energy brought to two more of our sites which brings us another step closer towards creating a greener and more sustainable future for Newark and Sherwood.

“Leisure centres play an important role in the health and wellbeing of our residents and it is vital that we do all we can to reduce their carbon footprint. I’m looking forward to seeing what results we can achieve now that these installations are complete, and how this larger scale, long-term investment will further our efforts towards achieving our carbon net zero goals.”

Andy Freeman, chairman of Active4Today said: “It’s fantastic to see how our leisure centres can have such an important role in supporting the district’s carbon neutral goals and I’m delighted to see solar energy being brought to the Dukeries. We know how vital it is that we continue to work towards reducing our carbon footprint and I’m so pleased to see these solar panel installations, as part of the district council’s programme of work, will help us do just that.”

After declaring a climate emergency in 2019, the council is working to reduce its carbon footprint.

The installations are part of a number of new initiatives being implemented to reduce carbon emissions, and other work includes tree planting, and the deployment of electric vehicles and carbon neutral forms of transport in the council’s fleet.