Solar power push at cuts-hit leisure site in Bishop's Castle

Shropshire Council has agreed to look into the possibility of installing solar panels to help heat the threatened SpArC leisure centre at Bishop's Castle.

With subsidy for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels set to stop at the end of the year, fast action is needed to install the panels which should help the centre save on fuel bills, bringing its budget down along with its carbon footprint, Bishop's Castle campaigners said.

Charlotte Barnes, Shropshire Councillor for Bishop's Castle, said: "Peter Phillips, Councillor Heather Kidd and myself have been pressing the council to install PV panels for some time."

Councillor Kidd added: "With cutbacks in the public sector and high energy bills, especially for heating the pool, action on this issue was becoming urgent.

"We therefore convened an urgent meeting of all interested parties including Team Leisure, the council, the Community College and Enterprise South West last month to agree a programme of action.

"I'm glad to say that the council have this week agreed to this and will hopefully be installed this autumn or winter.

"This is important because the Government will be scrapping a subsidy for such installations on January 1, 2016."

Councillors Barnes and Kidd, along with Mr Phillips, are all voluntary directors of Enterprise South West, which runs the Theatre at SpArC.

The leisure centre is run by Teme Leisure with funding from Shropshire Council and Bishop's Castle Community College.

Fears have been raised over the future of the centre, along with its counterpart at nearby Church Stretton, by the councillors and Community College head Alan Doust after it was revealed earlier this year that educational funding which goes to such leisure facilities via schools could be removed.

Councillor Kidd said: "SpArC is a key facility for the whole of our very rural area – it is our theatre, swimming pool and leisure centre.

"In the current financial climate all leisure centres are finding it a struggle to make ends meet, especially when it comes to running swimming pools which use a huge amount of energy.

"This is why initiatives such as this are so important and we will then go on to push for insulation and other vital energy saving measures."

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for business and culture, said: "Shropshire Council is always receptive to ideas to improve energy efficiency at its buildings, and will be exploring the possibility of solar panels at this location in the near future."