£28 million fund launched to decarbonise public buildings in Greater Manchester

Public sector organisations in Greater Manchester are being invited to apply for grant funding to decarbonise their buildings and make them warmer and cheaper to run.

The £28 million Public Building Retrofit Fund will provide capital funding between 2025 and 2028, supporting work to cut emissions from heating and improve energy efficiency across the city-region’s public estate. Eligible properties include buildings like town halls, state schools, community and mental health NHS trusts and foundation trusts. 

Funding aims to support public bodies in Greater Manchester meet their target of being carbon neutral by 2038, with heating buildings accounting for 9% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions.

The launch of the Public Building Retrofit Fund is the latest step being taken towards meeting the city-region’s carbon neutral target: £120 million has already been invested in retrofitting schools, leisure centres and public buildings across Greater Manchester.

Cllr Tom Ross, Greater Manchester Lead for Green City-Region, said:

“Decarbonising our public buildings is a vital part of our journey to net zero and this fund will give local organisations the support they need to take action. 

“The Greater Manchester Five-Year Environment Plan commits us to creating a carbon neutral, climate resilient city-region, and retrofit is central to that. This is about reducing carbon, but it’s also about creating jobs, supporting innovation, and making sure the benefits of greener growth are felt across all our communities.” 

Three application rounds will be rolled out, each involving a two-stage assessment. The first application round of £1.6 million is now live. Projects supported through the fund are expected to take a whole-building approach to decarbonisation, although phased upgrades will also be considered. Improvements could range from installing heat pumps to upgrading lighting – all of which help to reduce energy use and carbon emissions.