Search for
Search for
Search forCompanies pledge to supply solar panels at Portishead pool
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 15:00
Professional Plumbing Heating and Bathrooms (PPHB Ltd), which is based at Kestrel Court in the town, decided to offer to help after staff read about the Save The Open-air Pool (STOP) campaign in the Evening Post.
North Somerset Council, which owns the pool, is recommending the attraction should close and be sold off because it costs the authority £130,000 a year to run. But campaigners are pressing the council to place the management of the pool into the hands of a community trust.
As a result of the STOP campaign, backed by the Evening Post, bosses at PPHB contacted their distributors, Bristol-based City Plumbing, and solar panel suppliers Vaillant to see if they would be prepared to help.
All three firms have now pledged to assist the campaign and are working together to investigate the possibility of installing solar panels at the pool if an agreement is reached with the council to place the lido in the hands of the trust.
If the plan goes ahead it is expected that all three companies will give the materials and their time at a greatly reduced cost.
PPHB director Darren Wheadon said: "We have been following the campaign in the Evening Post and decided we wanted to get involved.
"The pool is a fantastic local facility and we – and our local customers – would like to see it stay open. This is why we put our heads together with City Plumbing and Vaillant to offer our support in this way."
It is estimated that solar panels could reduce the energy costs of running the pool by up to 50 per cent.
Representatives from PPHB, City Plumbing and Vaillant are hoping to now get access to the pool to survey the building and assess how many solar panels are needed.
Mr Wheadon said: "What we need to do is assess what system is needed and then sit around the table with representatives from North Somerset Council and the STOP campaign to see how we take the idea forward."
City Plumbing managing director John Frost said: "As a local supplier we like to work closely with our trade customers and this seemed like a positive opportunity to give something back to the community."
The use of solar panels was initially considered when plans for the pool were being drawn up in the 1960s. But because the use of solar energy was in its early stages and costly, the idea was dropped and a decision taken to use oil-fired heating.
STOP campaign leader Roger Whitfield said the offer of help from the three companies had come as a massive boost.
He said: "With this pledge of support in place it puts more pressure on North Somerset Council to look again at the future of the pool.
"It shows that we are serious about our plans and that we have backing from major local and national companies behind us. The fact that these companies want to get involved to save the pool just proves how important this facility is to people.
"One of the big issues with the pool is the cost of heating it and if these plans come to fruition, it will reduce the running costs significantly.
"It would be fabulous to have solar panels installed when the pool opens for the summer season again next year."
It is understood the solar panels, distribution and fitting costs would total between £30,000 and £40,000.
It is estimated it would take up to 10 days to install the panels and get the system up and running.
Earlier this year North Somerset Council set up a special review panel to investigate the maintenance and running costs of the pool.
The council's strategic planning and economic development scrutiny working party is scrutinising the panel's report and will present its findings to the executive, which is due to meet and make a final decision on Portishead's open-air pool on December 16.
Comment on this story