Published by Neil Thompson, 12th June 2025
The Venues Collection is taking bold steps along its path to deep decarbonisation - with a powerful combination of live data, innovative technology and a hands-on sustainability champion in Martin Lyons, the group’s dedicated estates manager.
With five residential event venues - many properties over a century old - retrofitting for deep decarbonisation has required expertise and strategic planning. Lyons has been instrumental in modernising these historic buildings without losing their charm, leading the installation of next-gen technologies and driving behavioural change on-site.
Key technological upgrades across venues include:
- Energy Monitoring Systems: Installed at every venue, allowing tailored reduction strategies and creating energy usage league tables across the estate to drive accountability and best-practice sharing.
- Voltage Optimisers: Reducing electricity consumption and energy waste.
- New Energy-Efficient Boilers: Paired with digital controls to reduce gas use - achieving up to 46% cuts at certain sites.
- Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Systems: Generating 540,000 kWh of renewable energy per year on-site.
- Low-Flow Showerheads & Smart Water Management: Saving 640,000 litres of water annually.
- On-site Composting Systems: Aerated systems transforming food, paper, and cardboard waste into nutrient-rich compost.
“Retrofitting historic venues is far from simple,” says Lyons. “We’re balancing heritage with innovation - installing energy-efficient tech, overhauling heating systems, and using live data to help make better decisions for our business, guests and the planet.”
Recent results speak for themselves:
- All venues are Green Meetings accredited to ‘Silver’ status
- CO₂ emissions cut by 500 tonnes in 12 months
- Water savings of 640,000 litres annually
- Electricity use down 12% at one site thanks to targeted energy monitoring
- Gas consumption slashed by up to 46% in some venues through smarter boiler systems
The Venues Collection has also introduced energy league tables across its venues, encouraging friendly competition and sharing best practices. Each venue receives tailored audits and dashboards to empower on-site teams to reduce consumption and drive real change.
Lyons has also run sustainability workshops with everyone in the business, from frontline staff to central teams so they can understand why it is so important, how it affects them and our customers.
“We’re not just talking about deep decarbonisation - we’re building it from the inside out, led by people who truly care. We, as an industry need to be doing better now. The work Martin is doing is inspiring our entire team - and even influencing other parts of our parent company, Compass Group.”
Joanne Barratt, Managing Director, The Venues Collection.
Alongside infrastructure change, the group’s Future First Charter keeps its goals on track - supported by zero waste to landfill, carbon-labelled menus, the planned installation of solar-powered EV charging, and a biodiversity strategy across its 80-acre estate.
For more on The Venues Collection’s sustainability journey: www.thevenuescollection.co.uk
