A net zero vision delivered 

Spelthorne had a decision to make, not unlike many other authorities. It was agreed, after an extensive resident-led consultation, that a new leisure centre was required to replace a costly and outdated facility. The challenge was threefold - how could it incorporate a range of extensive facilities, be financially viable and fit in with the Borough’s carbon neutral plans?

Our journey began in 2018, with the first of two consultations to gather resident feedback. Building on the 40% carbon footprint reduction already attained, we declared a Climate Emergency for the Borough in October 2020. Our approach to tackle climate change has always been to accelerate actions as efficiently and quickly to reach net zero carbon emissions.

So how did that translate into our plans for a modern new leisure facility? Given its role in the heart of Spelthorne supporting active and healthy lifestyles, it needed to be a symbol of our intent to reach net zero carbon in our operations. This also came across strongly in resident feedback.

Spelthorne's new leisure centre will be a milestone for Passivhaus and net zero

So, the decision was taken last summer that our state-of-the-art leisure centre would be built to the Passivhaus standard. We adopted this approach based on three elements: environmental priorities, our residents and community, and its financial sustainability. Passivhaus building methodology means that once complete, our facility will deliver substantial year-on-year cost savings. Using a ‘fabric first’ approach to enhance the fabric of the building, it will be approximately 14 times more airtight than building regulations require, whilst using photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate renewable zero carbon energy.

Another interesting feature will see the swimming pool use micro filtration technology that is virtually chlorine free. It achieves this with a ceramic membrane and ultra-violet light to filter out contaminants in the water, a process which uses much less energy and water than a typical sand filtration pool.

UK’s largest Passivhaus leisure centre

Passivhaus in the public sector is still in its infancy, but we believe that will change, given the lower running costs. Certainly, my experience is that there is no major premium in choosing this standard over a more conventional method.

This will be the UK’s largest Passivhaus leisure facility, with rooftop 3G football pitches, two swimming pools and sports courts with moveable walls. It has also been modelled to withstand predicted changes in climate conditions up to 2060.

Choosing our team for this technically challenging was a major element. We opted for the experience of Willmott Dixon, which recently delivered a secondary school in Sutton to the same standard. They will work with GT3 Architects and Passivhaus expert, Gale & Snowden.

As the UK’s largest of this type, we expect it to use between 60 and 70% less energy than a typical modern leisure centre - a major step in our target to become carbon neutral. And this energy saving has never felt more relevant and urgent, given the current cost of living crisis and wider implications surrounding energy provision.

Work on site started in 2022

Collaboration key

The project has always been about partnership working. After a preconstruction period that saw a lot of collaboration across all parties, we're incredibly pleased to have started construction. Willmott Dixon’s team of sustainable building experts have delivered some of the UK’s most energy efficient buildings, and we know they are determined this will be another key milestone in the public sector adopting of the Passivhaus standard in the future

I believe this project is truly a breakthrough in service delivery, not only the Borough but the whole country. Spelthorne is leading the way by developing this landmark leisure centre, investing in our community and our sustainable future.