Striking new images have been revealed to show how a successful £20m bid to the Levelling Up Fund could transform South Tyneside.
Artist's impressions issued by South Tyneside Council show how South Shields town centre and riverside could look if the projects receive the cash boost. New college facilities, a redeveloped Customs House and a cultural quarter lie at the heart of the multimillion-pound bid, which also includes a flagship centre of excellence at the pioneering Holborn Renewable Energy Network.
The authority said the combined three-part submission aims to boost footfall and visitor numbers, foster creativity and culture and provide residents with the skills to capitalise on opportunities in the green economy. The redevelopment of the Customs House could add new classrooms and a rehearsal space, as well as an outdoor performance area, while student accommodation would be created at the campus, as part of Tyne Coast College’s relocation into the town centre.
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Tyne Coast College announced last month that it had been successful in its bid for £20m funding from the Department for Education to relocate South Tyneside College from its current site at Westoe into a modern campus in the town centre. The funding would be used create a 138-bed new build accommodation block and for the refurbishment of the Grade II listed 16 Barrington Street building to create accommodation for senior maritime officers and visitors.
Investment into the The Customs House and the development of a cultural quarter would help ensure vibrancy day and night, with an enhanced food and drink offer and a stronger link between the town centre and hundreds of new homes on the riverside at Holborn.
Ray Spencer, executive director of the Customs House Trust, said: “Levelling Up gives us a rare opportunity to enrich the cultural assets of the borough while driving our creative economy.. The Customs House is very excited to be part of this hoped-for kickstart to regeneration and the unlocking of the potential that has laid dormant in South Tyneside. New Jobs and new opportunities will be created for our people and place.”
Meanwhile, Holborn Renewable Energy Network would provide a venue for educational visits, skills training and research, while also becoming a tourism attraction demonstrating the borough’s industrial heritage and more recent moves into renewable energy.
The Hebburn Minewater scheme, which draws geothermal energy from abandoned flooded mines, would be extended to develop a low carbon Hebburn and Jarrow. If successful, the project would cut an estimated 460 tonnes of carbon per year – more than doubling the original annual saving of 319 tonnes.
Three local schools, two NHS facilities and a community hub would benefit from renewable and affordable heat, helping to deliver on Net Zero and energy security. The expansion would be complemented by substantial restoration of Jarrow Hall and the Bede Museum to create an immersive visitor experience and significantly boost visitor numbers.
This third element of the proposed package would also create new public green space in Hebburn alongside sports pitches and a new glazed canopy over open-air shopping, enabling outdoor seating and food and cultural events.
A ‘Levelling Up in Practice’ report, published by think tank Onward last month said: “...the future of South Tyneside lies in the green economy. The council is leading the way on geothermal as a way to generate energy, pumping water around former mining shafts deep underground to capture heat which is then distributed through nearby homes. These harbingers of the new green economy, backed by major industrial businesses and offering the potential for high quality jobs, should be a direct route to levelling up.”
Coun Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “These three inter-connecting projects aim to boost the economic and social recovery of South Shields through culture, skills and the green economy. This package seeks to showcase our expertise, boost footfall and visitor numbers and ensure residents have access to the skills and training to provide a clear pipeline for new green jobs.
“As recognised in the recent Onward report, South Tyneside has enormous potential to be right at the forefront of the green revolution but we need further support and investment to play to our strengths and ensure local people can gain full benefit from those opportunities. We’re confident that we’ve submitted a really strong bid.”
Dr Lindsey Whiterod, chief executive of Tyne Coast College, which operates South Tyneside College and South Shields Marine School, said: “The borough of South Tyneside has great but as yet untapped potential to be at the centre of this region’s green revolution and better skills agenda. Funding for the first piece in this ambitious jigsaw of innovation, which will see the college and marine school move into the most modern of education facilities, has been secured.
“But it is vitally important the two other projects identified, which have huge positive potential for generations to come, are also fully funded.
“This is a landmark opportunity for real and lasting progress to be made around the green skills agenda in South Tyneside, and I strongly support the council in its plans.”
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