Newcastle City Council’s application for the funding has been approved by the government, enabling a great reduction of carbon emissions and overall improvement of the city.
The eco-friendly measures will be installed in 32 public buildings, including the monumental Theatre Royal.
Schools, libraries, leisure centres and cultural venues will count on solar panels, “smart” building management systems, new LED lights, heat pumps, energy storage and pipework insulation.
This will really help towards our ongoing target of being net-zero by 2030
Councillor Nick Forbes
The energy efficiency measures are predicted to eliminate up to 4050 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, which is the equivalent of almost 3000 cars.
According to Councillor Nick Forbes “[This] will really help towards our ongoing target of being net-zero by 2030”.
This initiative is not only beneficial for the environment and public spaces in the city, but it would also be the source supporting and safeguarding more than 800 jobs.
Newcastle City Council was able to receive the full funding they applied for out of the £1 billion Public Decarbonisation scheme. The bid was signed off on at the end of February, with Tom Warburton, the council’s Director of City Futures, confirming that the projects are now expected to go ahead.
There is no intention of stopping there, however. Warburton has said that this has been strongly encouraging and that further applications for funding will continue to be made, with the aim of upgrading more buildings and continuing the improvement of the city.
The news comes after the city council announced its plans last month to spend £2.5 million on revamping Grey Street, making it more "people-friendly". In total, £50 million has been put aside to renovate the city in the coming years.