The following article by Pimlico North Conservative Councillor Ed Pitt Ford was first published in the August 2025 issue of Pimlico Eye.
I last wrote about the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking (PDHU) in the September 2023 issue of the Pimlico Eye. There is currently a project to replace the district heating scheme, which was originally designed to use waste heat from Battersea Power Station. The council are proposing a new district heating scheme that could cost up to £66,000 per flat and will require huge disruption as the pipes under the roads are replaced.
Since 2023, the Council have managed to bring approved spending up to £2.4m just to work out what to do. Imagine being charged £750 by a plumber to work out what boiler to install!
This is just one example of the myriad of issues with district heating.
When there is one leak, a whole block loses their heating. When one person needs heating, the whole system needs to be switched on. You can't call a standard plumber to fix your issue, you need to call an expensive specialist firm who understand your system.
The residents of Pimlico have felt firsthand all the associated issues: unreliable service, high bills, high maintenance costs, and lack of individual control. This strikes at the heart of why people choose a Conservative government: a small government only exerting control where necessary, not a large government who want to control how you heat your own home.
Recently, we have seen the people of Pimlico coming together to push back against state control. From the creation of Pimlico Unites to the hard work challenging the details by certain individuals, I am proud to be part of a community where people are standing up to challenge a project which is unfair and forces people into unnecessary debt.
The consultant’s report pushes expensive schemes which their company has worked on separately. The data they have based their recommendations on has been proved incorrect, and they haven’t even tried to defend against accusations of bias. Despite this, the Council is pushing ahead.
Enough is enough. Pimlico residents will not endlessly fund Council excess. If you share our concerns, sign the petition below.
This article by Pimlico North Conservative Councillor Ed Pitt Ford was first published in the August 2025 issue of Pimlico Eye. (c) Pimlico & Belgravia Eye August 2025
