Sunderland City Council is to build a new depot as part of a £9.1m redevelopment project will help a council achieve carbon neutral status by 2040.
The plan for a vehicle workshop and depot in Washington will support Sunderland City Council towards meeting their target for Sunderland, which spans over the course of 19 years.
At the site in Washington, the existing workshop will be demolished and replaced with a new council depot building which will house workshop spaces and office accommodation, reports the Northern Echo.
The site will also house a new salt barn, capable of storing 7,500 tonnes of salt.
Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller, said: “Our city plan is about delivering a more dynamic, healthy and vibrant Sunderland, and it includes a commitment to making the city carbon neutral by 2040.
“As the council invests in new and lower carbon technology, including its vehicle fleet, we are looking to the new facilities and structures that are needed to support frontline services and their important work. The redevelopment of Parsons is helping to ensure we continue to deliver and have the capacity for further frontline service investments. We look forward to this partnership and redevelopment work at Parsons with Esh.”
The development will provide a new strategic asset for Sunderland City Council and will house frontline services for fleet management, highways operations, refuse collection, horticultural services and seasonal road gritting.
Construction is set to begin in early summer 2021 and will be delivered by Esh Construction in partnership with Howarth Litchfield Architects, Portland Consulting Engineers and Desco.
Chris Hale, Estimating Director at Esh Construction, said: “We are delighted to be delivering this development on behalf of Sunderland City Council who is one of our valued and long-standing clients within the region.”
To assist in achieving future green energy requirements, the depot will include a solar PV and battery storage system, which is being match funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
