Brixton Rec/central Brixton consultation and the 'Rec Quarter' proposals

[brixtonpete]

Why listing Brixton Rec wouldn't secure it as a community owned resource - making it energy sustainable would make it more pleasant and comfortable for users
​

There are two main reasons why Brixton Rec should be brought up to the best modern standards of energy sustainability. Firstly with an energy bill of over a quarter of a million pounds a year, representing more than 1,500 tonnes of CO2, the current energy usage cannot be justified for reasons of cost or the future of the planet. Secondly, an energy efficient Rec could have a far more comfortable environment than that currently on offer. Instead of being greeted by a cold draught as you walk from the swimming pool into the changing rooms, and having another one descending from above the lockers, the changing rooms could be warm and draught free.

The UK's current minimum energy standards lag well behind the best from around the world, particularly Germany and Austria, where the Passivhaus standard (EnerPHit for refurbishments) offers ultra low energy bills and increased comfort and air quality. Would a Passivhaus EnerPHit refurbishment be possible for Brixton Rec? Would a change of appearance be necessary to achieve such a standard? To get some answers I consulted Maiia Williams of Sturgis Carbon Profiling, who writes:
​

"I am familiar with the Brixton Rec building. I believe external insulation is always a better option, if the building could be wrapped up completely. Mildmay Community Centre used external insulation as part of its retro works and achieved Passivhaus.

I am certain that the most prominent external features, such as concrete pillars and external cast stairs would need to be preserved in Brixton Rec for conservation reasons. For that reason I do not think that it would be possible to eradicate all the cold bridges completely using external insulation. So a better approach would be to come up with a strategy that combines the use of internal and external insulation that works for this building while preserving the heritage features.

The good news is that, EnerPHit can be done on any building! You just need to get the architect/ Passivhaus Designer that understands the principles.

Key pointers:
(1) you can replicate the existing external finish like for like. For example, we have used eps external insulation with brick slips in Westminster to great success on a rear wall of row of 12 terraced houses, and even replicated details like brick corbels and soldier course arches to ensure that the building looks exactly as before. The benefit is that it is very light weight and can be applied using plastic fixings.

(2) there are a lot of internal insulation products on the market that are both slimline, breathable and achieve exceptionally low u-value. In the same project it is not easy to tell the difference from the front between EnerPHit and a normal house. Yet one uses 80% less energy than the other.

As far as the answer to your question is concerned, the only person who can answer it is the project planning/ conservation officer. If conservation is a priority, a change of appearance is not necessary."​

The Brixton Rec User Group seeks to secure the future of Brixton Rec and its continued long term use as an affordable community asset. One strategy being discussed is the possibility of having the Rec Grade II listed by Heritage England. While this would certainly preserve the structure, it would not in itself guarantee its continued use as a community resource. For example the Grade II listed Pioneer Health Centre in Peckham was sold off in the 1990s by Peckham Council for housing and the listed Park Hill Estate in Sheffield was sold by Sheffield council with promises of some social housing in return - mostly abandoned when developer Urban Splash got into financial difficulties. Residents in the few flats that have been completed complain that they are cold in winter.

The Peckham Experiment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Park Hill, Sheffield - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


While Brixton Rec’s building and use are currently protected by the Supplementary Planning Document and a written commitment from Cllr Lib Peck, it wouldn’t be beyond the bounds of possibility that in the future one of those consultants our council just loves might propose that it should be sold and converted into, say, a shopping mall. If the Rec's energy bill was as low as any new-build replacement that would greatly weaken such a proposal.

Users and other interested people will shortly be invited to a meeting to discuss the future of the Rec to be held on Tuesday 27th October at 6pm at Brixton Rec. Philip Boyle will be speaking about its architecture, followed by a Q&A.

** ——————————————**
​

The elements that make up the Passivhaus standard:

Passivhaus involves a package of simple principles tied together with a sophisticated software design tool plus rigorous quality control at the build stage. The principles involved are:

• Insulation
• Elimination of thermal bridges (structural elements that break the insulation)
• Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR)
• An airtight building envelope
• The use of the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) software.
• Good building site supervision

To be successful these elements must be incorporated as a complete package and not just cherry-picked. For detailed information see:
Passipedia - The Passive House Resource [ ]​

 

[snowy_again]

Sorry to dredge this old thread - can it be moved somewhere more appropriate if there is one? I've not searched for BRUG / BRIG.

Rec users accuse 'arrogant' councillor as meetings scrapped - Brixton Blog

 

[Gramsci]

Sorry to dredge this old thread - can it be moved somewhere more appropriate if there is one? I've not searched for BRUG / BRIG.

Rec users accuse 'arrogant' councillor as meetings scrapped - Brixton Blog

Beat me to it.

Busy all day today and this has all happened very suddenly.

I am on the BRUG committee. There was supposed to be a BRIG meeting this week which got cancelled yesterday - very short notice.

The BRIG Brixton Rec Improvement Group meetings were important for the Brixton Rec Users Group committee.

They were regular quarterly meetings with the senior Cllr Edbrooke, Council officers and GLL/ Better.

Without them the users group is effectively sidelined. Its now up the Cllr Edbrooke to decide when and if to consult the users group.

Here is what Cllr Edbrooke had put up on the Future Brixton website.

 

[CH1]

Sorry to dredge this old thread - can it be moved somewhere more appropriate if there is one? I've not searched for BRUG / BRIG.
Rec users accuse 'arrogant' councillor as meetings scrapped - Brixton Blog

All about Jane - from the horse's mouth so to speak The evolving role of the backbench councillor | Progress | News and debate from the progressive community

 

[ViolentPanda]

All about Jane - from the horse's mouth so to speak The evolving role of the backbench councillor | Progress | News and debate from the progressive community

Fuck me, but that article is SMUG!!!

 

[CH1]

Fuck me, but that article is SMUG!!!

What do you expect from the Labour equivalent of Iain Duncan Smith?

 

[ViolentPanda]

What do you expect from the Labour equivalent of Iain Duncan Smith?

I noticed that almost the first thing she did in that article was slip in that she did an undergrad degree at LSE, so you may be right!

 

[editor]

Now Grade II listed.

Historic England give Brixton Recreation Centre Grade II listed status

 

[Gramsci]

Now Grade II listed.

Historic England give Brixton Recreation Centre Grade II listed status

The Council opposed listing. So it was down to BRUG and Docomomo efforts that it was listed.

A lot of people also wrote in individually to support the listing of the Rec. I was on a few of the stalls we (BRUG) did to tell people about the listing application. The Rec is important to a lot of people.

It is good to see that Historic England are listing it for cultural and political reasons as well as purely architectural ones. In fact the design is linked to the politics behind it.

Whilst the listing will only protect the building to a certain extent its good to see that Historic England have taken aboard all the reasons why this building means a lot to people.

Whether the Council take this onboard remains to be seen. In a fast gentrifying area like Brixton the Rec symbolises a public space for all. An alternative way of regenerating an area.

 

[brixtonpete]

I agree totally with Gramschi's sentiments about the Rec.

I was initially against the idea of listing Brixton Rec for two reasons. Firstly I thought it would make it more difficult to make the Rec really energy efficient, and secondly after investigating the fiasco of Sheffield's Park Hill housing estate listing in 1998 (most remains empty and derelict 18 years after listing and really should be demolished) I had little confidence in Historic England’s judgement regarding which buildings, and especially which aspects of those buildings, deserved preservation, but both Lambeth officers' and GLL’s insensitivity to Brixton Rec's special internal architecture, with Lambeth’s consultants’ feasibility studies and officer comments (John Kerridge mooted mezzanining the atrium, which Lambeth’s consultants recorded as wasted space) that made possible the destruction of its special interior features, lead me to change my mind so I was one of the 50 people who wrote in support of the listing application made by architectural association Docomomo.

Lambeth “the co-operative” Council opposed the application - the result of yet another expensive consultant’s report they had commissioned which totally dissed the building architecturally. Lambeth officers seem totally incapable of thinking for themselves. “We Shall Hire Consultants” should be written in Latin on the council’s official coat of arms. Their next trick is rumoured to be "a celebration of Lambeth’s architecture". Do I hear a hollow laugh coming from the direction of Cressingham Gardens?

Docomomo requested that office block International House be included in the listing, which I thought was nonsense, so my view of Historic England’s judgement is now raised somewhat as I see that they have had the sense to exclude International House from the listing. They also rightly emphasise the Rec's internal rather than external architectural features, the huge cultural importance of the Rec to the community of Brixton, and that architect George Finch was following his socialist principles when researching the design for a year in order to achieve the best quality building for the community.

Historic England should however revisit Cressingham Gardens Estate, which they turned down for listing and certainly whose low rise pedestrian streets sections should be preserved, and the Park Hill Estate, Sheffield whose remaining undeveloped tower blocks should be de-listed and demolished to make way for low rise social housing, ideally built to Passivhaus standards, as does Exeter City Council. The newly redeveloped part is suffering from inadequate heating in winter due to some design or installation cock-up which the architects don't want to admit to, but essentially the whole massive totally exposed concrete grid structure that English Heritage was so keen to preserve is an energy efficiency nightmare and the building is just not fit for purpose, however much a bunch of coloured aluminium swatches might have prettified it up.

Finally, does this listing of Brixton Rec put paid to the Rec being made very energy efficient? No, it doesn’t. Firstly, technology is moving on and thin vacuum based insulation (albeit still expensive) can insulate internally without losing much space. Secondly, the atrium and swimming pool are rightly key designated areas for listing. This would still allow ducting for Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery to be run discretely away from the atrium and pool. Politically now is not the right time for making the Rec low energy as Lambeth simply does not have the political will, officer interest, skills, training, qualifications or external fund-raising abilities, to carry out such a job competently.

STUART EVERITT’S SHORT FILM ABOUT BRIXTON RECREATION CENTRE - Rec Collection (2016)


HISTORIC ENGLAND's OFFICIAL LISTING RECORD FOR BRIXTON REC
Brixton Recreation Centre - 1436440 | Historic England

HISTORIC ENGLAND DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE BRIXTON REC LISTING
http://tinyurl.com/rec-listing-docs

UNCLE STEADMAN (2013) - film about Steadman Scott who runs Afeewee football and boxing clubs at Brixton Recreation Centre


ROMANCING THE STONE (2010) - DOCUMENTARY ABOUT PARK HILL ESTATE, SHEFFIELD

 

[editor]

Update:

Brixton Rec will soon start a five month programme of essential repairs costing more than three quarters of a million pounds. Phase one of the project will fix emergency lighting, fire alarms and pool ventilation.

This follows the Lambeth Council decision in 2016 to make a budget of £5,950,000 available for significant repair or maintenance at the Rec over the next 5-7 years.

This funding came after a community campaign in 2012 when it emerged that the Labour group at the Town Hall was considering bulldozing the iconic Rec.

Phase One of Brixton Rec repair work to start in September as project revised to avoid complete closure of the building

 

[snowy_again]

The Pop bloke in the yellow dungaree shorts is out in force again!

 

[editor]

The Pop bloke in the yellow dungaree shorts is out in force again!

He's the face (or rather, the behind) of Nu Brixton!

 

[editor]

Update: Brixton Rec Users Groups organises public meeting as essential repairs carried out at Grade II Listed building

 

[editor]

Behold! The Brixton Rec 'Quarter' Lambeth Council appoint design team to regenerate the ‘Brixton Rec Quarter’

 

[editor]

Some pics before 'quarterification'

In photos: Brixton Station Road before it becomes the Brixton Rec Quarter

Arguably one of the very few areas of Brixton with any kind of authentic, old-school community vibe left, Station Road has long been known for its collection of cafes and small shops occupying the …

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[nagapie]

So this was the pool for my swim this afternoon. Their max is 30 people but I was a glitch in the app, which allowed me to book for a slot that didn't exist. When I arrived poolside, the cover was already over but they opened it just for me. I guess because trying to sort out a refund through the app must be almost impossible and they can't just give me a credit note like before. No workers were harmed as it was 4pm and they work until 5pm anyway.

 

[gaijingirl]

So this was the pool for my swim this afternoon. Their max is 30 people but I was a glitch in the app, which allowed me to book for a slot that didn't exist. When I arrived poolside, the cover was already over but they opened it just for me. I guess because trying to sort out a refund through the app must be almost impossible and they can't just give me a credit note like before. No workers were harmed as it was 4pm and they work until 5pm anyway.

ooh you lucky thing!

 

[coldwaterswim]

So this was the pool for my swim this afternoon. Their max is 30 people but I was a glitch in the app, which allowed me to book for a slot that didn't exist. When I arrived poolside, the cover was already over but they opened it just for me. I guess because trying to sort out a refund through the app must be almost impossible and they can't just give me a credit note like before. No workers were harmed as it was 4pm and they work until 5pm anyway.

Ooooooo looks lovely! I’ve not been back yet, what were the changing rooms like?

 

[nagapie]

Ooooooo looks lovely! I’ve not been back yet, what were the changing rooms like?

Mostly sealed off, don't go needing a wee! The women's change rooms have a small unisex area for taking off your top layer (you have to arrive in your swimsuit already). The family changing area is where you go after.

 

[editor]

Redevelopment news Brixton Rec Users Group issues critical statement on redevelopment of the Rec Quarter in central Brixton

 

[editor]

Update: Lambeth Council to announce partner for growing Brixton Rec Quarter

 

[brixtonpete]

Update: Lambeth Council to announce partner for growing Brixton Rec Quarter

I don't think anyone will shed any tears about housing replacing Pop Brixton, but to what standard will it be built? Claire Holland is proud of her attendance at COP26 and trumpets the fact that Lambeth was the first council in London to declare a Climate Emergency, but Lambeth is trailing badly when it comes to matching the rhetoric with action. All around the country councils with less boasting are quietly getting on with building for the future. As far as I can tell, Lambeth has only one small genuine Net Zero housing scheme in the pipeline, which is the Energiesprong retrofit of up to 42 homes at Myatts Fields South. This is the type of terrace that stands to benefit:



If successful the solar panels on these will be able to generate as much electricity in a year as the houses consume. How can that be possible? Because the target is to retrofit them to the Passivhaus standard for retrofit, called EnerPHit, so they will need a minimal amount of energy to keep warm in winter. The construction method involves a prefabricated external envelope whose sections will be built in a factory and fitted in less than one month without any need for tenants to move out.

Unfortunately Lambeth's record on new build falls far short of the above standard. Everyone (well, everyone except Lambeth Council officers and councillors) knows that building to a mediocre standard and then having the developer pay a small fee into a carbon offsetting fund won't go anywhere near to covering the costs of the major retrofitting that will be needed later on for these buildings to meet 2050 climate change standards, a legacy the present officers and councillors seem happy to leave for those that will follow them to somehow find the funding for. They might well ask, 'how did they get away with this?' This is the mediocre standard set for the housing proposed to replace the first building on Cressingham Gardens Estate, whose minimal carbon offsetting fee might well buy a few trees but won't pay for expensive future remedial works that will inevitably become necessary.

There are several primary schools around the country that more enlightened councils have had built to the Passivhaus standard, with three in Wolverhampton alone that were built by a firm of architects with enough previous Passivhaus experience to compete on price with lower standard buildings. One example is Hackbridge Primary School, a timber framed building built to the Passivhaus Plus standard.


Lambeth sadly sets its sights rather lower. A typical example is the new Sudbourne Primary School, pictured under construction below in February 2021, which also requires a carbon offsetting fee to greenwash it.

Anyone who has had their ear to the ground in architectural circles in the last couple of years will be well aware that architects concerned about climate change are including the embodied carbon within building materials in their lifetime carbon calculation of buildings they are designing. Concrete comes with a massive carbon budget, brick and steel a bit less while a timber framed building stores carbon. If anyone was walking down Stockwell Avenue and watched the construction of the large building on the corner of Bellefields Road in the last 18 months they will have seen at its early stages some massive engineered timber vertical beams that formed its main structure. Timber framing is a well established technology with a well established supply chain.

Whoever Lambeth chooses as the developer for housing on the Pop Brixton part of the Brixton Rec Quarter, Lambeth should specify at the outset that the development must be built to the Passivhaus standard and be timber framed. The developer could then engage one of the country's large leading architectural firms with a strong track record in building timber framed buildings to the Passivhaus standard to guide or design the scheme. Given that 50% will be sold on the open market the Passivhaus standard would be able to command a price premium to cross-subsidise the 35% council rent and 15% shared ownership housing, which is how Camden are financing their Passivhaus development at Agar Grove. Of course, some might say that given the size of the council housing waiting list there should be 100% council rent housing on council land, but how could that be financed? How the Rec Quarter's new housing is to be developed will clearly indicate whether Lambeth's climate change credentials are genuine - or PR greenwash.

 

[Gramsci]

Report to Cabinet for 7th Feb says the development will,

Supporting the borough wide target for carbon neutrality and tackling climate change by delivering a net-zero development. This will be achieved by delivering a comprehensive sustainability strategy, including:

o Retention, refurbishment and enhancement of International House (subject to further condition surveys), instead of demolishing and rebuilding, which will reduce the embodied carbon emissions of the development;

o The use of appropriate and durable materials and greening;

o The use of Air Source Heat Pumps to maximise onsite carbon reduction, combined with photovoltaic PV array to convert solar energy into direct-current electricity.

o Passivhaus principles incorporated to reduce energy demand;

o Electric charging points on site and a long-term parking strategy;

o Insulation which has a clear carbon benefit as well as modern methods of construction to limit wastage from the construction process.

 

[Gramsci]

So some Passiv Haus principles are supposed to be used.

Good to see International house will be retained.

Thing is whether Council will keep to these promises for the scheme.

So far consultation with locals has been poor to non existent despite what the report says.

 

[brixtonpete]

So some Passiv Haus principles are supposed to be used.

Good to see International house will be retained.

Thing is whether Council will keep to these promises for the scheme.

So far consultation with locals has been poor to non existent despite what the report says.

Thanks for the info Gramsci! However, 'Passivhaus principles will be used' is a phrase that makes me fume! I don't blame the average punter from not realising why, but it is used by architects (and officers, and councillors) who should know better, or are trying to convince the public they are doing something worthwhile when they are not. What they should be committing to building to is the 'Passivhaus standard' which means that the building shall not require more than 15kWh per square metre per year to heat (15kWh/m2/pa). A nice clear and simple definition that is easily verifiable after completion. Either a building meets that standard or it doesn't. If you went to a petrol station and the price was listed as '£5 for quite a lot' people would not accept such a vague financial deal. Why the council should spend a great deal of public money on a building that they want to meet their advertised climate change goals and and then accept some wooly definition of what they're likely to get rather than a guaranteed outcome makes no sense to me at all.

What 'using Passivhaus principles' normally means is that they'll cobble together a pick'n'mix of some of the features involved in Passivhaus construction, namely more insulation than normal but not quite as much as for the Passivhaus standard, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), which may or may not be well installed, airtightness testing, yes, but probably to a lower than Passivhaus requirement, reducing thermal bridging as much as they can do easily without bothering to detail ALL the junctions and then throw it all together with builders who aren't trained to build to the Passivhaus standard and say here you are, this will save you lots of energy and then hey presto, surprise surprise it uses a bunch more energy than they predicted, the so-called 'Performance Gap', by which time it is too late, and the council never chases up sub-standard workmanship anyway, though if they haven't committed to the Passivhaus standard there will be nothing to chase up...

There is one more 'Passivhaus principle' they almost certainly won't be using, which is the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) software that should be at the very centre of the whole design process. If they were, then they might as well be registered Passivhaus designers and be building to the Passivhaus standard. PHPP has been developed and refined over 30 years and coupled with rigorous quality control at all stages results in buildings that DON'T have a performance gap. What is sadly all too common is that lazy builders, property developers and architects are disinclined to get out of their comfort zones and undertake the training with its learning curve that is involved in building to the Passivhaus standard. The interaction between insulation levels all round, a building's form factor, its orientation, window sizing, window over-shading, solar gain in summer, solar gain in winter, type of glazing, air infiltration and MVHR efficiency is highly complex and only PHPP deals with all these factors comprehensively to not only keep residents warm in winter with barely any energy input but also to prevent overheating in summer.

If councillors instruct officers to specify the Passivhaus standard, then they are serious about their climate change pledges. If they specified Passivhaus Plus that would rate them as VERY serious. If they accept 'using Passivhaus principles' as the guideline then they are at best negligent or at worst either clueless or just engaging in PR and greenwash, none of which serve the people of Lambeth well.

As for the details, it will be interesting to see whether they actually do install air source heat pumps, or end up switching to the far cheaper capital cost of gas boilers, with the option of replacing them with heat pumps in the future. This seems to be what Camden have done with their Passivhaus development at Agar Grove, but the recent huge rise in the cost of gas might be the clincher for immediate heat pumps. In the long term, as the climate heats up, a heat pump can be run in reverse to cool a building down. If ground source heat pumps were used instead of air source, such excess summer heat would go into the ground and not add to the urban heat island effect of multiple heat sources exacerbating a heat wave, something that a large number of close together urban air source heat pumps just might contribute to - pure speculation that, as I'm not aware of anyone ever having raised that as a possible future problem to do with air source heat pumps! One other advantage of ground source heat pumps is less risk of noise nuisance compared to air source heat pumps. The only disadvantage of ground source heat pumps is their current cost, which hopefully will plummet once the technology becomes ubiquitous.

To add to my previous piece, there is another Lambeth building that is being built to a similar standard to that of Sudbourne Primary School, the Lambeth Resource Centre in Coburg Place/Palace Road . Also built in concrete and steel its energy standard is the same mediocre ’35% better than 2013 Building Regulations’. It is pictured below, under construction in March 2021. One more to add to the Lambeth legacy portfolio.

 

[NicolaKench]

Excellent overview of the key Lambeth built environment sustainability issues. Hopefully, all this - and the energy efficiency target specifics (Passivhaus 'gold standard' 15kw/m2/pa) will be brought into the forthcoming Housing Strategy negotiations with Lambeth Council. #sickofgreenwashing #theyshouldknowbetter

 

[Gramsci]

brixtonpete

On this from your previous post.

The boiler in the Brixton Rec broke down some time ago. Why the pool and heating of Rec hasn't been up to standard.

The officers report to replace the boiler summarily dismissed putting in greener alternative for cost reasons. So gas boiler it is. When the Council finally get around to it that is. Supposed to be in place now. Good thing this winter so far has been mild.

As for the details, it will be interesting to see whether they actually do install air source heat pumps, or end up switching to the far cheaper capital cost of gas boilers, with the option of replacing them with heat pumps in the future.

 

[brixtonpete]

brixtonpete

On this from your previous post.

The boiler in the Brixton Rec broke down some time ago. Why the pool and heating of Rec hasn't been up to standard.

The officers report to replace the boiler summarily dismissed putting in greener alternative for cost reasons. So gas boiler it is. When the Council finally get around to it that is. Supposed to be in place now. Good thing this winter so far has been mild.

Weren't both boilers replaced not so many years ago? As a heat pump is particularly suitable for providing low temperature heat which is what a swimming pool needs, and underfloor heating in the changing rooms would be rather nice too, helping to keep the floors clean, and the heat demand for a swimming pool is inevitably high due to unavoidable evaporation heat losses (but I'm venturing there into specialist technical territory that I'm not familiar with) and as Brixton Rec is listed and definitely here to stay, the heat pump option should certainly have been explored. Exeter City Council, who are now completing the UK's first Passivhaus leisure centre with three swimming pools, could have been consulted. This article about it also makes a strong case for the Rec Quarter flats being built to the Passivhaus standard. Here's a paragraph from the report: "It took leadership, bold thinking and courage to develop a vision and deliver it in challenging times as a UK first. When the doors open in the spring and the first residents use the facilities, it will be testament to both the political leadership which demanded the best for the residents of this city, and the sheer dedication and perseverance of a committed team of officers who have seen this project through from conception to delivery." My comment regarding Lambeth's officers and councillors: "Well, that would be nice, wouldn't it?"
How we created the UK’s first Passivhaus-standard leisure centre | Local Government Chronicle (LGC)

One interesting point that comes out of this article: "The council’s wholly-owned development company now builds Passivhaus homes for the private sector, using the profits to help fund the council’s building programme." What if Homes for Lambeth, instead of giving over 50% of council owned land to the private sector homes as it is now planned were able to build Passivhaus homes for the private sector on private sector land and use the profits to build 100% council rented homes on council land, as Exeter is doing? That would need Lambeth to invest in suitably qualified enthusiastic and dedicated people who are sincere about climate change and 100% knowledgeable about and experienced in Passivhaus to lead the team, in the way that Exeter City Council has had Emma Osmundsen to lead theirs. In that respect, Lambeth is at least 10 years behind Exeter.

With regards to the planned Rec Quarter flats I wouldn't condemn the council for initially installing gas boilers in a new Passivhaus building there because the building would need such minimal energy to keep warm that the actual gas consumption would be tiny. They might only need a cascade of large domestic boilers for the whole complex, principally to meet the hot water demand. Solar PV could supplement the hot water, as it could on the roof of Brixton Rec (an idea they apparently rejected some years ago) - if the Hondo tower doesn't scupper that possibility by overshadowing them both. If the planned new flats were made 'heat pump ready' by planning where and how they would install a heat pump, or pumps, later on, then it might be the most sensible option given the current very high cost of installing ground source heat pumps, a cost which almost certainly will plunge when they become mainstream. What is inexcusable is cutting corners with the fabric of the building which is always a very expensive option to upgrade later, and which the description 'using Passivhaus principles' (which can only mean 'not Passivhaus') suggests that a future major upgrade later would be necessary. Better to spend the extra money now on getting the building fabric right (Passivhaus) and leaving the future upgrade plan to be for a heat pump, which would be a relatively easy swap over of the building's heat generator. Including air source heat pumps in the scheme while excluding the actual Passivhaus standard smacks of virtue signalling rather than good design sense.

Consider Brixton Rec itself. Regardless of the swimming pool's heat demand the rest of the building is just dumping heat outside, admittedly somewhat less now that they're not heating the changing rooms . It needs insulating and the ventilation system completely changing to one with heat recovery, and to be done properly, should be part of an integrated plan, rather than done piecemeal. Who knows, if the Energiesprong concept takes off, Brixton Rec could be a candidate for an Energiesprong makeover, being brought up to the Passivhaus EnerPHit standard!

 

[editor]

Have your say! Have your say about the future of the Brixton Rec – public meeting on Tues, 15th March, 6pm