Introduction

The Greening of the Town Halls project aims to develop Public Buildings in Greater Manchester as shining examples of sustainable energy.
Objectives and target audience
The aim of the project was to assist the ten local authorities of Greater Manchester to reduce the carbon footprint of key public buildings.  Key public buildings were targeted in order to demonstrate that local authorities are prepared to practice what they preach in terms of reducing CO2 emissions and to demonstrate the methods available to improve energy performance of large public buildings.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

No specific budget was made available for the project.  The project was led by Trafford Municipality and supported by Manchester: Knowledge Capital.  Representatives from each of the ten local authorities were invited to join the working group.

Process

A working group was established where representatives from the local authorities could meet on a regular basis to discuss issues related to improving the energy performance of key public buildings, such as Libraries, Schools and Town halls.  This knowledge sharing platform consisted of energy managers, sustainability officers and those with responsibility for the procurement of new buildings.  Lessons learnt and approaches taken across the authorities were shared.  Experts with specialist knowledge of sustainable energy and buildings were invited to give presentations to the working group.  This involved representatives from the carbon trust which funds local authority energy management activities.  A number of common problems and opportunities were identified such as how to improve the performance of landmark buildings with high heritage value.  Opportunities for utilising “invest to save” resources such as Salix finance were highlighted and tested in practice.  Members of the working group were introduced to specialist consultants and funding mechanisms such as the Low Carbon Buildings programme and European energy programmes.

Results

The key benefit was the creation of a knowledge sharing platform where representatives from the ten authorities could share and enhance their know-how.  Specific projects and methods were identified that could be replicated in other municipalities.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The project could not have been progressed without central co-ordination and support from Manchester is my Planet and Trafford Council.