Solar panels set to power Oxfordshire leisure centre

Spiceball Leisure Centre in Banbury has applied to fit 115 photovoltaic panels on its south‑east facing side elevation.

The array, measuring almost 35m long by 10m wide, will form a 51.75kWp system and is expected to generate 45,000–55,000 kWh of electricity a year.

Spiceball Leisure Centre is one of four sites that will receive upgrades (Image: Cherwell District Council)

This output is roughly enough to power around 15 family homes annually, cutting energy bills and carbon emissions at the site.

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Decarbonisation work has already taken place at Spiceball and three other centres as the council pushes towards its climate target, set after it declared a Climate Emergency in 2019. This latest solar scheme is expected to be equivalent to planting 407 trees every year.

Spiceball Leisure Centre could get 115 solar panels on its south-east facing side elevation (Image: Cherwell District Council)

The upgrades are being funded through a £1.1 million grant secured by Cherwell District Council in 2025 from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, with the authority also contributing £560,911 in match funding from existing capital budgets.

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Recent eco‑friendly enhancements at the leisure centres include replacing fossil‑fuel heating systems with air‑source heat pumps and improving building insulation to cut heat loss.

Councillors say the programme is expected to deliver annual carbon savings of 234 tonnes of carbon dioxide, comparable to driving a car for more than 820,000 miles.

Together, the solar installation and other measures aim to lock in long‑term reductions in energy use and emissions while keeping running costs down for the council and local taxpayers.