More spending agreed to tackle Sheffield council home heating crisis
Action targets tower blocks in Stannington that have been hit by heating problems
Extra funding has been agreed to repair ageing heating systems serving Sheffield council homes including tower blocks in Stannington plagued by breakdowns.
Sheffield City Council’s district heating scheme has been hit by failures of heating and hot water systems.
Tenants of flats in the Woodlands, Parkside and Cliffe tower blocks in Stannington suffered eight days of system breakdowns last December.
The Robertshaw block in Netherthorpe had similar problems during cold weather last November.
The council runs more than 140 district heating sites across the city, providing heating and hot water services. These schemes vary in scale, serving from around 20 properties to more than 400 homes.
The council finance and performance policy committee agreed on Monday (October 19) to approve a drawdown of £287,500 “to deliver essential district heating infrastructure renewal works and enable timely intervention where critical heating assets require replacement during 2026/27”.
The sum is being added to £200,700 already earmarked to take the total budget to £488,200.
A report to the committee said: “A number of district heating assets are reaching a stage in their life cycle where more significant renewal works are required to maintain service resilience and reliability.
“In some instances, specialist components are becoming increasingly difficult to source, creating additional operational challenges when equipment reaches the end of its serviceable life.”
The council is also developing a long-term investment strategy for the future renewal and modernisation of the district heating network.
The funding agreed will cover a list of priority works:
- Completion of essential renewal works at Stannington, including replacement of critical heating system components and associated control systems to maintain a reliable heating and hot water service.
- Renewal of heating mains at Brindley Close, Norton Lees, addressing recurring infrastructure issues and improving network reliability.
- Replacement of boilers and associated plant equipment at Balfour House in Horner Close, Stocksbridge.
- Replacement of the boiler, flue and associated pipework at Eleanor Street in Darnall.
- Reinstatement of heating provision in the Roche Meeting Room in Shortbrook Drive Westfield, following the identification of system defects.
- Contingency funding “to enable a prompt response to any additional priority district heating asset failures that may arise during 2026/27”.