The Mill Hall Arts and Events centre, has been front and centre of the widely controversial plans for Rochford District Council to giveaway dispose of some of its assets. One of the key arguments that Rochford District Council had proposed for a redevelopment of the site was the green credentials that the new building could have.
So why has Clements Hall Leisure centre been excluded from such scrutiny? Built in 1979 and with a swimming pool heated with natural gas, it seems rather remiss of the Council to vaguely reference the unknown carbon emissions that this site contributes. An unambitious target of “Set CO2 reduction targets for Council Offices and leisure centres by 2024” does beg the question of how much will a carbon reduction programme cost for the leisure centre and how will this be financed? What will happen if the costs are unbearable for the Council and it isn’t able to achieve its planned Carbon Neutral by 2030? Will it simply lock the door and turn off the lights?
If the Council is only seeking to set the targets by 2024, then that will leave just 6 years to act upon any measures needed. I see this as potentially a large scale project and I don’t think there is anywhere near enough planning going into this right now for the council to achieve its own targets.