Phase 2 of the Swimming Pool Support Fund opens on 4th September
Local authorities can take advantage of a new scheme to fund capital energy efficient upgrades in swimming facilities.
Phase 2 of the Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF) opens on 4th September 2023, with £40m available from government. The fund administrator, Sport England has made £20m of Lottery funding available too, making the total funding pot worth £60m.
Aim of the scheme
The scheme aims to generate energy and carbon savings for public swimming facilities, by financing capital interventions, including renewables and energy efficiency measures.
These upgrades will deliver both cost and environmental benefits, and it’s hoped they will minimise the closure of public leisure facilities, which have been hard hit by the energy crisis.
The fund will prioritise support in those areas of greatest socio-economic need, where all other factors are equal.
Which swimming facilities are eligible for funding?
For the purposes of SPSF, a pool must offer public pay-as-you-swim sessions to be eligible, and this offer must be significant enough to be considered part of the local public swimming provision by the local authority. Private hire of a swimming pool is not considered to be public access.
Which capital measures are eligible for funding?
The list of eligible capital interventions hasn’t been finalised yet, but a draft ‘menu’ is available on the Sport England website, listed in priority order. It includes Solar PV, metering and monitoring, variable speed filtration and shower flow restrictors.
How to apply
Phase 2 of the SPSF opens on 4 September 2023. On this date, local authorities will be asked to register and detail the specific facilities they wish to apply for. At this point they will receive the relevant application forms.
It’s important to note that the application form will ask for high level information about the planned intervention in terms of both a description of what is planned, the estimated costs, estimated annual energy savings and the expected life span of the proposed measures.
It will also ask for details such as current energy tariffs, annual energy usage, and the proposed sub metering strategy to monitor consumption and savings.
Local authorities will have six weeks until noon on Tuesday 17 October 2023 to submit their application.
How Concept can help
If you are a local authority and need help identifying energy efficiency and carbon reduction measures for your public swimming facilities, we can help.
We’ve conducted energy surveys for many public leisure facilities across the UK, and will help you identify the quick wins, as well as a list of measures that meet SPSF criteria.
For advice or more information, get in touch.
