How work is progressing on projects to make South Tyneside cleaner and greener

A children's centre is getting a green makeover as part of efforts to drive down carbon emissions in South Tyneside.
Primrose Community Centre.Primrose Community Centre.
Primrose Community Centre.

South Tyneside Council is aiming to become carbon neutral by 2030, and chiefs say the ambition is on track, with millions being spent on carbon reduction schemes across the borough.

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Work at Primrose Children’s Centre is the latest to near completion.

The centre, which is adjoined to Primrose Community Centre and Valley View School, has had a carbon intensive gas water heater stripped and replaced with a type powered by solar panels fitted to the roof the centre.

It is expected that the solar panels will supply the electrical requirements of the building and save 3.2 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The council is also fitting an electric vehicle charging point on site – taking the total number of points in the borough to 55.

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Cllr Ernest Gibson, Lead Member for Area Management and Community Safety, with responsibility for Climate Change, said work completed so far had made the council confident it could meet its climate targets.

“We are determined to become carbon neutral as an organisation and are using every opportunity available to us to meet our ambitious target,” he said.

“Since launching the Sustainable South Tyneside Strategy last year, we’ve already made great strides in reducing the Council’s overall carbon footprint. We pledged to cut our emissions by 4,285 tonnes by March 2023 and are already two thirds of the way towards achieving that figure.

“Decarbonisation schemes are taking place right across the Borough. We’re delivering renewable energy projects that have attracted funding due to their highly innovative approach.”

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The council was awarded £8million by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation projects within public sector non-domestic buildings in March 2021.

The £8million covers 100% of the costs with no match funding needed from the council.

Key measures being implemented include:

:: Energy efficient heat pumps to replace gas fired boilers

:: Conversion of existing lighting to LED

:: Roof mounted solar PV panels

:: Building fabric improvements

:: A large amount of the funding has been used for enabling works as part of a future South Shields District Heating System (similar to that currently being developed in both Jarrow and Hebburn)

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