Steel signing event marks milestone at eco-friendly community Tri-Station

Representatives from Esh Construction, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), Northumbria Police, North East Ambulance Service and local primary schools have taken part in a steel signing event to mark the completion of the first phase of work on the state-of-the-art Hebburn Tri-Station.

Steven Bewick, station manager for Hebburn Community Fire Station, Louise Norris, locality manager at North East Ambulance Service and Neil Hall, chief inspector at Northumbria Police, joined Esh Construction along with students and staff from Toner Avenue Primary School, St Aloysius RC Primary School and Hebburn Lakes Primary School to sign the building’s steel framework.

Located on a vacant site between Marine Drive and Campbell Park Road in Hebburn, the new station is set to be the first of its kind in the country to be carbon neutral. It will include staff accommodation and appliance bays for emergency vehicles, as well as a free-standing training building. Externally, the site will feature charging ports, with a view to all three services having a fleet of electric vehicles. It is expected to be operational by Spring 2024

The building frame is made up 585 hot rolled steel girders weighing 151 tonnes which were installed by Sunderland-based company, Harry Marsh (Engineers) Ltd.

Kate Marshall-Nixon, social value manager at Esh Construction, said: “I am proud to be part of the ceremony to mark this key milestone within the construction phase. This is the first of many opportunities which will see us engage within the community throughout the project, with plans in place to engage with local schools, provide funding, offer work experience placements and apprenticeships, as well as taking part in volunteering activities.”

Steven Bewick, station manager for Hebburn Community Fire Station, said: “We are so proud of the Hebburn Tri-Station project and what it will mean for the people of Hebburn, Jarrow, Monkton Village, and residents in the surrounding areas of South Tyneside.

“The way it will house and embrace the day-to-day operations of each blue light organisation, and how the officers will be working alongside each other under the same environmentally friendly roof.

“It was great to welcome the young people on-site, as the steel signing was a fun way of representing the community ownership aspect of the building, and how we want people, young and old, to see Hebburn Tri-Station as an integral part of the local area.”

Modern sustainable technologies will be utilised throughout the hub, including solar photo voltaic roof panels, ground source heat pumps and a rainwater harvesting and re-use system. A wildflower meadow will feature among the landscaping of the grounds to help promote local biodiversity.

Procured via the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO), Esh is working in partnership with Sunderland City Council’s Capital Projects Team, Desco and Todd Milburn to deliver the project in collaboration with TWFRS.