Decision details

To seek approval for submission of an application under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to deliver heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures across two sites on Brent’s corporate estate. This bid would form part of the council’s emerging Corporate Estate Heat Decarbonisation Net Zero Plan.

(1)        That the Corporate Director Neighbour and Regeneration in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Employment, Innovation and Climate Action approves the submission of an application for grant funding to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in the sum of £667,628.

(2)        To note that to qualify for grant funding set out in (1) above, the council is required to match fund the sum of £138,911, plus a contingency of an additional £111,089, totalling £250,000, which is being requested from the Carbon Offset Fund.

To be considered for funding, LB Brent will need to submit its application ahead of the submission deadline on Monday 25 November 2024.  Brent’s building stock offers significant potential for improvement in energy efficiency with the project for which funding is being bid designed to improve the energy efficiency of the selected Brent Council retained buildings with the highest energy consumption, creating carbon and cost savings to the council.

Brent’s Energy Team has developed the proposals for this bid in close collaboration with Turner & Townsend. Strict technical criteria in PSDS Phase 4 surrounding boiler age have unfortunately left the majority of our site’s ineligible. It was originally anticipated that the bid would be based on further works identified at 16 major sites which were part of the PSDS phase 1 application, however only one of these 16 (Willesden Green Library) has proven eligible under the requirements for this phase.

After carefully reviewing additional sites across our asset portfolio, we have found that the majority of our sites have either had a gas boiler installed in the last 0-9 years (replacing an end-of-life fossil fuel heat source i.e. 10 years or more old is a PSDS Phase 4 criteria), already have electrical heating and no gas boiler, or otherwise disqualify (have been vandalised or are not directly managed by Brent complicating agreement to proceed with and deliver works). Due to time constraints, some sites could not be pursued due to lack of data and the time it would take to obtain such data. This includes St. Raphael’s Family Wellbeing Centre which we hope to revisit in future funding rounds.

None.