Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council -

Heat Decarbonisation Masterplanning & Feasibility

An investment-ready pathway to low-carbon heat at estate scale.

Client: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Scope: 15 operational buildings across civic, leisure, family hub and SEND facilities

20,000 tCO₂

reduction potential identified

Borough-wide strategy

Estate-scale heat decarbonisation planning

Long-term impact

Resilient, future-ready public infrastructure

The Inspiration

Across Blackburn with Darwen, a diverse public estate sits at the heart of community life, supporting essential services through family hubs, leisure facilities, and specialist centres for children and young adults with SEND. Many of these buildings were never designed for a low-carbon future, yet all must continue operating safely, reliably, and without disruption.

As expectations around energy performance and carbon reduction accelerate, the challenge is no longer whether to decarbonise, but how to do so while balancing ambition with operational reality. This programme set out to redefine how heat decarbonisation could be planned and delivered across a live, sensitive estate, shifting from isolated upgrades toward a coordinated, fundable strategy for long-term change.

Our Approach

Our approach was built around a clear principle: effective heat decarbonisation at estate scale requires strategic coordination, not isolated building upgrades. We combined detailed technical assessment with estate-wide masterplanning to support confident, long-term decision-making.

By analysing heat demand, operational patterns, and spatial relationships across the estate, we tested the feasibility of building-level electrification, shared low-carbon infrastructure, and phased transition models. This ensured near-term interventions delivered value without limiting future opportunities for district or ambient heat networks.

Alongside this strategic layer, investment-grade feasibility studies were completed for each building, integrating fabric, M&E condition, occupancy, and energy modelling in line with BS EN 16247, supported by SAP analysis and dynamic simulation. Where appropriate, low-carbon heating solutions were developed to RIBA Stages 1 –4, with enabling works defined to manage constraints and reduce delivery risk. All buildings remained operational throughout. Safeguarding-led delivery and close coordination with service managers ensured continuity of service across sensitive SEND, family hub, and public-facing facilities.

Finally, technical outputs were translated into a prioritised, fundable business case, aligned with Salix PSDS requirements. This provided the Council with a clear, evidence-based roadmap to progress from feasibility to funding and delivery.

The Outcome

For Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, the programme delivered clarity where there had previously been uncertainty. A complex, operational estate facing rising energy costs, ageing infrastructure, and increasing decarbonisation pressure was transformed into a structured, achievable roadmap for change. The Council moved from individual, reactive decisions to a joined-up strategy that balanced carbon ambition with service continuity and financial reality. A clear, fundable business case equipped officers with the evidence and confidence needed to secure investment, prioritise interventions, and plan delivery over time. Most importantly, this progress was achieved without compromising the safety, care, and accessibility of buildings serving vulnerable users, leaving the Council not just with a plan, but with the assurance that its transition to low-carbon heat is deliverable, defensible, and built to last.

Our Lasting Impact

The programme established a lasting framework for heat decarbonisation across Blackburn with Darwen’s public estate, creating a clear, fundable pathway that continues to guide investment, delivery, and long-term decision-making. Beyond technical solutions, our work gave the Council confidence: the ability to act decisively, plan responsibly for the future, and respond to opportunity as technology, funding, and policy evolve.

In doing so, we embedded sustainability into the everyday operation of public buildings, normalising low-carbon thinking across services that sit at the heart of local communities. The impact is measured not only in carbon and cost savings, but in resilience, continuity, and the long-term stewardship of places that support healthier, more environmentally conscious communities across Blackburn with Darwen.