New high energy performances coming soon to Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot
Published Tuesday 4 August 2026
The latest high energy performances at Cornerstone will be a bit different than the dance, comedy and musical shows South Oxfordshire District Council’s arts centre is best known for. Next week work begins installing solar panels and air source heat pumps on Didcot’s landmark building.
From Monday 10 August contractors will start to dismantle the site’s old gas boilers and will begin the process of adding four air source heat pumps and 56 solar panels on the arts centre roof. It is estimated that the work could save around 55 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year*. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Users of Cornerstone should notice little change in the day-to-day running, as the contractors will be mostly working outside the building, on the roof and at the rear. Any disruption of service will be kept to a minimum and will be advertised in advance. Construction traffic will be based behind the centre.
The work has been funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) – which is money from new developments in the area which goes towards local infrastructure as well as from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. In addition, the council was also awarded just over £370,000 towards the project from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme delivered by Salix.
Cllr Pieter-Paul Barker, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property Assets at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “I am delighted to see this work begin at Cornerstone. It is our ambition to reduce carbon emissions in the district and in council operations. By making these changes to our arts centre in the heart of Didcot we will effectively be doing both. Reducing carbon emissions will help tackle climate change, which has been clearly embodied by this long hot summer. The use of renewable energy at the centre will make it cheaper to run and less vulnerable to sudden rises in energy costs. This will make it sustainable from both a climate and a financial perspective.”
Director of public sector decarbonisation at Salix, Ian Rodger said: “We’re delighted to support this project. This work demonstrates the importance in investing in our public buildings to tackle climate change while reducing long-term energy costs. Upgrading Cornerstone with renewable energy technology will help protect this much-loved community venue for future generations, making it more sustainable, resilient and efficient.”
Notes to editors
*At the time of application for the government’s PSDS fund, projected carbon emission reduction was 55.47 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Working with new energy consultants, Hive, the council is anticipating further reductions, through system design and technology improvements over the past few years. The work will also make the building more comfortable to be in; new building management systems will give greater control of the environment.
The work at Cornerstone Arts Centre is being carried out by Ashe Construction Ltd and consultants, Pellings LLP.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provides grants for public sector bodies to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures. You can find out more about it on the government website.
The finance is delivered by Salix Finance on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The scheme aims to tackle emissions from heating public sector buildings, aid a green recovery and support the UK’s 2050 net zero target and clean growth goals.
About Salix: Salix supports organisations to lower their energy costs, create warmer and healthier buildings and achieve their net zero ambitions. It is a delivery partner to the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, regional combined authorities and public sector organisations across the country.
The schemes delivered provide funding for energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects for public sector buildings as well as the housing sector. They are dedicated to reducing carbon emissions and supporting the government’s ambitious net zero targets. These programmes include the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund and in Wales, Digarbon.
Since its formation in 2004, Salix has helped organisations commit to more than 22,000 projects by administering £3.7 billion of funding, with projects saving 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
