Columnist

Igniting South Shields' regeneration at One Trinity Green

In September 2012, South Tyneside Council and regeneration charity, Groundwork South Tyneside & Newcastle, embarked on a mission to put South Shields on the map as a business destination. The tool was One Trinity Green, a brand new business centre with some serious green credentials.

The £5.4m centre has already attracted a wide array of tenants - from marketing and software firms to technology manufacturing and renewable energy outfits. One Trinity Green’s business manager, Siobhan O’brien, says South Shields is an obvious choice for those looking to do business in the North East, with good access to the A1 south and the Tyne Tunnel heading north.

Siobhan said: “There’s so much happening here - it’s a place that has suffered considerably from deprivation, but is now seeing a lot of money invested in it. We’re really pleased to be here at the start of something. Plus, there’s a beach just around the corner.”

With its cutting edge environmental energy systems and an “outstanding” certificate from the Building Research Establishment (BRE), One Trinity Green is nestled in hotbed of environmental building activity. Just down the road is the UK’s first carbon negative street, Sinclair Meadows, which has attracted huge national interest.

It’s important because the building is competing on a national platform. One Trinity Green has just been entered into a high profile national award through the British Council of Offices, which will see it up against a £350m London project.

Earlier this year, South Tyneside Council revealed plans to begin a £100m scheme to regenerate South Shields town centre, a plan that will really complement One Trinity Green’s own regeneration of the old Circatex circuit-board factory site.

“We were the project designed to kick start this big phase of regeneration. The next part is just beginning to take shape outside our window, and that’s 200 new homes,” added Siobhan.

One Trinity Green represents an innovative joint-partnership in the North East. Groundwork South Tyneside & Newcastle have worked on regeneration in the area for some years and invested not only financially in the building, but with their knowledge and expertise.

The model is forward-thinking as South Tyneside Council have brought in Groundwork as a not-for-profit organisation to manage the business centre. It means money generated by the centre is then put back into local regeneration projects.

For Siobhan, the setup has worked really well. She explained: “I’ve got a budget to manage the building so I can really use my personality and flair, which is not something you normally get. All of our staff work for Groundwork so they understand regeneration and its relationship with business.

“When people think of Groundwork they often think of traditional land regeneration, environment projects and youth projects. We have our own eco centre down in Hebburn, one of the first sustainable buildings in Europe, so we already have a long history in the sector.”

The centre alone has created 25 jobs since opening and long term out-of-work individuals are being offered work experience. It demonstrates that One Trinity Green is about more than just facilities management. Wider economic and social aims are at its core.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .