Waltham Forest Centres Support Net Zero Week

As Net Zero Week shines a spotlight on environmental action across the UK, leisure centres in Waltham Forest are playing their part in building a more sustainable future through investment and environmental improvements. 

Working alongside Waltham Council, GLL have been involved in projects designed to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency and enhance local biodiversity in Waltham Forest centres. These initiatives are helping to ensure that local facilities remain sustainable for future generations while continuing to provide high-quality services for residents. 

A significant way we have done this is through securing funding from Sport England to install the latest pool filters at Chingford Leisure Centre. The Larkswood based site is one of 4 centres we operate with solar panels, joining Score Leisure Centre, Waltham Forest Feel Good Centre, and Leytonstone Leisure Centre. We expect to install solar panels at Leyton Leisure Centre and Walthamstow Leisure Centre by the end of 2027.  

One of GLL’s 6 core values is ‘Respecting the Planet’ and we take that responsibility seriously. We want to ensure any energy we use is done so efficiently and in partnership with the local authority we are taking steps to achieve net zero. 

We use LED lighting across all the sites and a BMS system that assists in ensuring we can schedule to the needs and demand of the centre and reducing usage overnight where it is not used or needed. At Waltham Forest Feel Good Centre we a have popular athletics track and by converting the flood flights to LED we have made it over 5 times more efficient to achieve the same level of brightness. 

Contractors regularly compliment us on the quality of our plant rooms (where we store the operational machinery) and that is because we don’t stand still, we are always investing to make improvements. Net Zero week gives an opportunity to share about the new boilers at Chingford, Leyton, and Leytonstone leisure centres. The BMS system that assists in ensuring we can schedule to the needs and demand of the centre and reducing usage overnight where it is not used or needed. We have power correcting measures in place too so that we can return unneccessary energy back to the National Grid.  When our pools are not in use we use pool covers to maintain heat temperature. Furthermore, we are using more CHP energy to maximise effeciency. 

We use destratification fans at Leyton Leisure Centre and Chingford Leisure Centre to reduce the hot air required to heat the pool hall air. Reductions can be as much as 3 to 4 degrees. 

We are working with Low Emissions council team on free cycling projects for children at Waltham Forest Feel Good Centre to upskill young people to be able to actively travel and our staff can all benefit from the ride to work scheme. For those who do drive a vehicles and have made the switch to electric vehicles there are charging facilties in some of the leisure centre car parks. Better centres in Waltham Forest host Dr Bike repair stalls annually, the next ones are Sunday 12th July at Score Leisure Centre and Saturday 18th July at Chingford Leisure Centre. 

As recently as this month we have started to support environmental volunteering initiatives, including helping to clean the River Ching. This demonstrates how sustainability can be supported not only through infrastructure investment but also through community action and partnership working. 

As Waltham Forest continues its journey towards a lower-carbon future, these projects highlight how leisure centres can play an important role in tackling climate change, supporting biodiversity and creating more sustainable communities for everyone.