Barnsley College launched their latest venture, the Think Low Carbon (TLC) Centre, at an official ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday 9th March.
The TLC Centre will be the first of its kind in the Yorkshire and Humber region; providing a knowledge transfer hub for the research, development and up-skilling of the sustainable construction and renewable energy industries.
Recognising existing and anticipated skills shortages in the industry, Barnsley College secured £2.75million from the European Union, through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF programme 2007-2013, to build a centre of excellence and the turf cutting marked the beginning of the project.
The remainder of the building’s cost, totalling £4.5million, will be self-financed by the College. Colin Booth, Principal of Barnsley College said that; “The green agenda that was started by the last government and is being reinforced by the current coalition means that a host of new legislative targets will need to be communicated to builders, businesses and individuals across the country, and Yorkshire will be no exception. However, good work has already started in Yorkshire to ensure that we will not just be reactionary to these changes and the TLC Centre is set to turn Yorkshire into an epicentre for the development of sustainable technologies, techniques and projects.”Barnsley College Chair of Governors, Frank Johnston added; “Auditors from the ERDF were extremely impressed with the Colleges’ vision, stating that they had been all over Europe and although there are small projects, there is nothing that is on the same scale or covering the diverse areas to address the skills gaps within this sector. The lead auditor stated that people will come from all over Europe to see what we are doing and this could become the ‘Silicon Valley of the north’ for low carbon.”
The Centre will support the creation of innovative zero carbon buildings and retrofit technology that will reduce the carbon footprint of existing building stock as well as benefit planning for the future. A demonstration area open to trade will enable the Centre to link with national and international manufacturers, suppliers, employers and industry leaders, as well as supporting cutting edge research.
Alongside its research and development provisions, the support that the Centre will provide to small and medium enterprises, employers and individuals both inside and out of the construction sector, means that its impact will be wide reaching and long lasting.
It will ensure that more homes, business and new buildings in the region will become energy efficient and that the regions construction industry will be fully equipped to implement forthcoming legal requirements.
Regional and national industry experts joined Mr Booth, local dignitaries and other Barnsley College staff and students to celebrate this new innovative project for the College. Chief Executive of the Leeds based company, WYG, Paul Hamer and the Director for Housing Futures from the national agency BRE, Oliver Novakovic spoke as key partners at the event.
Paul Hamer said; “I am delighted I was asked to perform the Turf Cutting ceremony on such a prestigious project in the Yorkshire and Humber area. Legislative changes, including the Climate Change Act, forecast that demand for environmental technologies will grow significantly, increasing the sector by 45 per cent across the region within eight years, creating around 30,000 jobs. We are extremely proud of our heritage in Yorkshire and the Humber and this initiative is exactly what’s needed within the region.”
Work on the building is expected to be completed by October 2011.
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