Extra funds for landfill gas works
Blaby District Council’s plans to manage the landfill gas levels being produced at Huncote Leisure Centre are set to expand after Councillors approved extra funds for additional work.
An additional £100,000 in funding has been added to the budget and continues Blaby District Council’s commitment to ensure the landfill gases on the site are managed at safe levels.
Following the closure of Huncote Leisure Centre and the surrounding site in November 2021, extensive work has been undertaken by the Council’s contractors to reduce the landfill gas levels. This work included the installation of gas extraction systems, venting wells, water sampling equipment and monitoring points.
£500,000 was ringfenced for the completion of the work on the site shortly after the elevated levels were discovered on 23 November 2021. Initial works were completed and have brought levels down during high atmospheric pressure conditions, however, some higher levels are being recorded by monitoring points during low pressure conditions.
Further additional works are required to reduce these levels Including installing de-gassing equipment on to the main site at the rear of the leisure centre and an upgrade to the onsite monitoring equipment.
Councillor Terry Richardson, Leader of Blaby District Council, said: “This has been a difficult issue for everyone involved, and there is still a lot of work to do. Resolving landfill gas issues is not a cheap undertaking, and we have strengthened this fund with an extra £100,000 to ensure that we are able to make sure this work is completed as quickly as possible.
“I want to commend the Council’s officers and our contractors for their hard work in getting us to where we are today. Their efforts will ensure that we are able to discharge our duties effectively and for the long term.”
The site on which Huncote Leisure Centre sits was a landfill site until around 1973. Landfill sites at the time were thought to decompose and stop producing gas around 10 years after they stopped being used.
Latest evidence suggests that this process can actually take from 100-150 years and more. The Council has a legal duty to ensure that no gas leaves the site and does not pose a potential risk to public health and safety.