Work is due to start on the next part of Stoke-on-Trent’s innovative District Heat Network – helping to bring a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future for the city.
The low-carbon network will offer alternative energy for businesses and residents, allowing them the potential to connect to low maintenance, affordable heat, without the need for gas boilers.
The next phase of works will take place in College Road, Ashford Street and Beresford Street from September 5 and is expected to take 30 weeks to complete.
Pipes will be installed under College Road from the junction of Station Road, heading northwards towards the city centre and ending near Stoke-on-Trent College.
The district heat network, being delivered by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, will harness heat from sources including deep geothermal energy and energy from waste, which will be transferred through a system of heat exchangers into the network. Initially the heat energy will be supplied to larger commercial and public sector premises across the city and over time the aim is to connect to a wider variety of properties including blocks of flats and clusters of houses across the city.
The scheme won multi-million pound investment through the government’s City Deal that was secured by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership in 2014.
Councillor Carl Edwards, cabinet member for environment, said: “The District Heat Network will bring affordable energy for businesses and residents - providing a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future for Stoke-on-Trent.
“This innovative project is also creating job opportunities and contracts for businesses to install and maintain the network, helping to continue the economic growth we’re seeing in the city.
“The work to install pipes and infrastructure has been planned so that we can keep one lane of College Road open, to minimise disruption. We appreciate that this work will cause some inconvenience and we apologise for this in advance. We’ve publicised the roadworks and also contacted nearby residents and businesses to keep them informed.
“We’d encourage residents and businesses to attend drop-in events to find out more information about the works, this innovative scheme and the benefits it will bring to the city.”
Contractor Vital Energi and the city council are holding drop-in events so residents and businesses can find out more about the network and the traffic management during the works.
Teams will be at the Maple Room, at Thomas Boughey Children’s Centre, College Road, on Thursday, September 5, from 2pm to 4pm and 5pm to 7pm.
During the works, College Road will operate as a one-way street northbound, towards Hanley Park and the city centre.
Road users will be able to travel southbound towards Stoke town and the A500 by using City Road and Leek Road, as normal.
The bus route that uses College Road will follow a short diversion as it travels towards Stoke Station, turning right down Avenue Road and then left down Stoke Road, before turning left again on to Station Road.