A Grade II-listed Bristol office block that was once one of the most polluting buildings in the city is on course to achieve a net-zero target after securing funding to help cut its emissions.

The Cheese Lane Shot Tower, home to charity the Workforce Development Trust, has been a distinctive feature of Bristol’s skyline for decades. The building, near Temple Way, was built as the headquarters of the Sheldon Bush and Patent Shot Company – manufacturers and suppliers of lead shot.

It opened during the late 1960s as a replacement for the original 18th century lead shot tower in Redcliffe. Lead shot was manufactured in Bristol until the 1990s before it was banned due to environmental concerns.

Following Sheldon Bush’s eventual closure, the 142ft tower was empty until it was converted into offices around the turn of the millennium.

John Rogers, the chief executive of The Workforce Development Trust, which supports the NHS and other frontline public services develop and maintain a sustainable workforce, describes the tower’s recent carbon cutting overhaul as “quite the turnaround”.

He said: “It is an irony that a building which at one point was producing a cocktail of toxic chemicals causing untold environmental damage can now be held up as a symbol for a much cleaner, greener future and economy for the city.”

With the support of a Green Business Grant from the West of England Combined Authority, the building has been fully upgraded and retrofitted with a range of carbon reduction measures, including low-energy LED lighting and solar panels.

A total of £2m has been made available for businesses across the region to help cut emissions, with applications open to firms until March next year.

Dan Norris, mayor of the West of England said: “It’s great to see our Green Business Grants make a real impact on an iconic piece of Bristol’s skyline. Cheese Lane is a towering example of how my Mayoral Combined Authority is helping local businesses harness solar power.”

The Workforce Development Trust is targeting net zero by 2030. Mr Rogers added: “By sharing our slightly quirky journey, we’re hoping that it will help to inspire other small charities and businesses in the region to seek out the support they need to reduce their carbon emissions.”

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