BBC London is reporting that new options are being considered for the future of the Pimlico District Heat Undertaking, a 70 year old communal heating network believed to be the oldest of its kind in the UK, which supplies heating and hot water to more than 3,000 homes and businesses.Westminster City Council leader Cllr Paul Swaddle has called on the government for financial help to replace the ageing system, saying "the current proposed costs are way too high for local residents." Under the council's previous Labour administration, some residents were shown estimates suggesting leaseholders of four bedroom flats in parts of the estate could be asked to pay more than £66,000 towards refurbishment, figures the council says were estimates only. The council is now reviewing alternatives including air source heat pumps and individual boilers, with findings due to go to a Policy and Scrutiny Task Group in the coming months, a shift welcomed by residents' campaign group Pimlico Unites.
New options considered for Pimlico heat network
Westminster's Conservative Leader, Councillor Paul Swaddle OBE said:
"The problem with [the PDHU] is it's become very old and now needs to be replaced.
"The current proposed costs are way too high for local residents and even long term for the council."
"What I want to discuss is alternatives to this system, building systems such as air-source heat pumps, but also systems where individual boilers are used in different flats.
"Probably a combination of those across the estate will be the solution."
Read the full article by Katherine Gray on the BBC website.
