Wigan lands £2.6m green energy funding for Galleries

Wigan Council has secured more than £2.6 million of funding for homes and businesses to deliver cheaper, greener energy as part of the Government’s push to cut emissions.

The money will fund a ground source heat pump system that will provide heating and hot water to the £190m redevelopment of the Galleries Shopping Centre and Market Hall Buildings in the town centre.

The funding was secured through the £320m Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP), which supports the development and construction of heat networks that deliver clean heating to households, offices, commercial and public buildings, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions.

Heat networks offer carbon emissions savings by supplying heat to buildings from a central source, avoiding the need for households and workplaces to rely on individual, energy-intensive heating solutions – such as gas boilers. As such, heat networks provide a significant contribution to the UK’s carbon reduction commitment.

Councillor David Molyneux MBE, the leader of Wigan Council, said: “The Galleries redevelopment has been designed with these green principles at its heart and this funding will help us to realise these ambitions while reducing the environmental impact.”

Councils can also access the UK Infrastructure Bank’s £4bn Local Authority lending product as part of the application process.