News

Homeowners on former council estate face £66,000 bill for net zero heating so Labour council can hit its targets

Owners of properties in a former council estate in central London may each have to stump up as much as £66,000 towards a new eco-friendly heating system.

Residents on the estate in Pimlico, Westminster may have to pay towards a low carbon ‘heat network’ in order to help the council hit its Net Zero targets.

The £185million scheme would modernise the system, which contains 60-year-old pipes, and replace three gas boilers which require frequent repairs and are prone to leaks.

The project is expected to cost the owner of a one-bedroom flat £40,000 and could set residents of four-bedroom homes back by as much as £66,000.

Westminster City Council said modernising the system, which is the oldest of its kind and was once powered by Battersea Power Station just over the river, will contribute towards the local authority hitting its target of becoming Net Zero by 2030.

But residents criticised the high cost of the scheme, saying it would make their properties impossible to sell, the Times said.

Along with 3,000 homes, the ailing heating system supplies a library and schools.

Last week a burst hot water pipe closed a local community centre, which also left a car park on the estate stinking of sewage.

Ernest Strafford, who has owned his one-bedroom apartment on the estate since 2010, said the council should be prioritising building repairs rather than rigidly sticking to Net Zero targets and called the scheme a ‘joke’.

He said: ‘Why would I do this if I could get myself off the system altogether and put in something that didn’t have any leaks or problems for £5,000?’

Council officials said replacing the ageing pipes would cost £183million, but have discarded this plan due to their being difficult to reach and because it wouldn’t reduce emissions.

An alternative plan involving a centralised heat pump in the Thames would cost £211million.

Another possibility dismissed by council bosses due to ‘high energy costs and low carbon savings’ was the installation of individual electric water boilers in homes at an estimated cost between £1,500 and £5,000.

Proponents of the new network say it will save costs in the long run and that homeowners will benefit from being shielded from spikes in global energy prices.

Hemiko, the company behind the South Westminster Area Network (SWAN), said the heat network represented the cheapest solution.

Its chief executive Toby Heysham said: ‘Heat networks are the cheapest way to provide low carbon heating, providing a reliable and efficient way to heat homes and businesses.’

He added that the scheme would make use of ‘surplus heat’ that would otherwise go to waste, from sources such as the London Underground.

Councillor Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services at Westminster City Council said: ‘The heating system needs to be replaced as a long-term solution to continuous leaks and disruption on the estate.’

‘We aim to provide cheap, efficient energy to residents and are working with them to find the best possible solution.

‘The figures stated are early projections and the final proposal will be subject to detailed, design, tender and consultation. Keeping costs down is a priority and we’ll provide as much support as we can.’

Related Posts

Blinken mocked for hosting State Department ‘cry sessions’ after officials have ‘personal meltdown’ over Trump victory

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is under fire after being accused of holding therapy ‘cry sessions’ for department staffers upset over Donald Trump’s election victory. Blinken, who is expected to be replaced by Marco Rubio in January, has frequently clashed with the Republican-controlled Congress, being held in contempt in September for skipping a hearing on the disastrous exit from Afghanistan. California Congressman and Trump ally Darrell Issa wrote an open letter to Blinken smashing the State Department for the rumored counseling sessions over Trump’s win, calling them ‘disturbing.’

We used to love our town’s Christmas market… but anti-social yobs, rip-off food prices and stalls selling tat have ruined it! How Britain’s favourite festive day out became a source of annual dread for locals

Locals living in the shadow of Britain’s biggest Christmas markets claim the annual Bavarian tradition is being tainted by anti-social behaviour and rip off food and drinks which have priced them out of their high streets. Residents in Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester have all reported seeing the cost of their annual trip to their local market soar this year in an un-festive continuation of the cost of living crisis. Meanwhile, visitors to London’s Winter Wonderland have said that the Hyde Park attraction – where a pint of beer can sell for as much as £12 – is now unaffordable.

Influencer arrested for fleecing Target with cunning checkout barcode hack and flaunting goods on TikTok

A glamorous influencer has been arrested for shoplifting from a Target after she flaunted the goods in a video on TikTok. Marlena Velez, 22, who has nearly 300,000 followers on the video sharing app in which she posts videos about her life as a mom to two kids, is facing petty theft charges for allegedly stealing more than $500 from the Target store in Cape Coral, Florida on October 30. Local police said they were called to the store last Wednesday for a report of a retail theft, and when officers arrived on the scene, loss prevention staff told them that an unknown female entered the store and selected a number of items.

Fast and Factual LIVE: Hezbollah’s Rocket Barrage Causes Damage Near Tel Aviv, Several Injured

Hezbollah launched approximately 250 projectiles targeting Tel Aviv and southern Israel, marking a significant escalation in hostilities. Israeli Defense Forces conducted airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, destroying two…

Shocking moment floodwaters gush down streets of market town as emergency service crews urge locals to ‘get back’: Death toll for Storm Bert rises to four 

This is the shocking moment a town centre flooded after a brook rose and caused a wall to collapse amid Storm Bert. The middle of Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, was seen submerged in water after the nearby Kyre Brook filled up and caused chaos. Rescue workers in the town can be heard urging people to ‘get back’ as the floods dramatically spread.

Alarming reason hurricanes are getting stronger and the states most at risk

An alarming new study obtained by the DailyMail.com outlines why deadly hurricanes in the US are set to become even stronger – with southern states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida most at risk. Extreme weather conditions and stronger than usual storms have battered the South over the past six months, with Hurricanes Milton, Helene and Rafael causing devastating damage and leaving hundreds dead. Now, a new study published by Princeton University’s Climate Central has revealed that ‘bath’-temperature water in the Atlantic and Gulf is to blame for the so-called super hurricanes.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *