Kent Innovation Centre low carbon project ditched after “consultant got figures wrong”

Plans for the  Kent Innovation Centre in Broadstairs to become Thanet council’s first low carbon building have been ditched due to increased costs and the project consultant getting “the figures wrong.”

The scheme had been granted £1.1million via the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund and was due to carry out works including exchanging gas boilers for air source heat pumps and improving insulation.

However, the project has now been withdrawn because it is no longer eligible for the funding “due to an oversight made by the original consultants and an increase in costs driven by inflationary pressures in the cost of materials.”

Labour councillor Rob Yates said the news was “incredibly disappointing.”

Cabinet member Cllr David Saunders (Conservative) agreed, adding: “The grant money offered came with conditions and time restraints.

“The consultant, given market forces, got the figures wrong and I think anyone involved in any building works will know that materials are in short supply, and the popularity of heat-sink boilers has meant we are now in a situation where it is supply and demand and we simply ran out of budget and time.”

When the plan was initially agreed Thanet council said: “TDC called a climate emergency in 2019 and pledged to become net carbon zero by 2030. TDC needs to aim to decarbonise all estates and activities over the next ten years.”

The aim was to create a completely electric heating supply which would be fully renewable.