Plans which will see a Blackpool library transformed into an eco hub have got the go-ahead.
The scheme will see three external air source heat pumps fitted to the south face of Palatine Library on St Annes Road in South Shore.
Funding of £1,069,345 has been allocated to low-carbon projects in Blackpool, which is from a total award of £5m to the council from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).
As well as being a more environmentally friendly way to keep the library warm, the heat pumps will also be used as demonstrators to show residents how they can fit similar technology in their own homes.
Cosy Homes Lancashire and Blackpool Eco Homes services are both based at the library. Council planners approved an application for the three air source heat pumps using their delegated powers.
A report setting out the decision says: “The new heat pumps would provide a
modular heating system for the library (replacing the current gas boilers).
“The installation of air source heat pumps would be part of a wider retrofit project to ensure the building is operationally net-zero carbon, serving as a demonstrator of net-zero best practice in the community.”
A report to a meeting of the Climate Change and Environment Scrutiny Committee earlier this year says the eco hub “will also be used as a base to educate the public on the many benefits of sustainable living”. It will provide “guidance and information to local people on how they can reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency at home”.
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