Nature is neighbours with industry at factory site
A KINGFISHER, a fox and her cubs, and six recently hatched baby birds – nature has moved in alongside industry at a Rotherham factory site which now operates without the use of any natural gas.
A one-kilometre Tree Walk which sits within the ten-acre grounds of the AESSEAL’s Mill Close engineering base was officially opened by by Rotherham United chairman Tony Stewart and attended by children from St Bede’s Catholic Primary School in Kimberworth, as well as representatives from the Millers, youth sports clubs, business and education, Rotherham Titans rugby club and Olympic Games silver medallist Peter Elliott.
The opening at the site was followed by a commemorative tree planting ceremony, which the youngsters took part in at the site where AESSEAL – which has pledged to invest £29million by 2029 on environmental initiatives – has decommissioned the last of its natural gas-fired heating systems.
AESSEAL managing director and founder Chris Rea told guests that around 25 years ago William Hague – prior to becoming leader of the Conservative Party – was one of the company’s three board members and asked questions about what could be done with regard to the environment at the site which was then unused wetlands and fields of mud.
The original suggestion was to build a pond within the developing site but the company’s Factory for the Future, which contains 175,000 sq ft of new buildings, now stands on the land alongside the walk, bug hotels, meadows and woodlands, trees, a hedgehog crossing and hives for 60,000 bees – plus a pond – all of which are accompanied by interactive information available by scanning QR codes.
Mr Rea said: “It’s something that has been created over a long period, and we’ve just enhanced it and developed it and planted more and more trees and added more attractions like wildlife sculptures, the seal family, brass etching stations, wildlife and plant life boards, as well as providing a home for rescue hedgehogs and bees.”
Prior to its official opening staff have been using the facilities including a picnic and meeting area, which cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, as a relaxing ‘break-out’ green space.
Replacing old cladding and roofing with new materials has now resulted in the thermal energy balance becoming sufficient for the site to utilise as much power as possible from the building’s 3,000 solar panels and 2.2MW of batteries, which will see the gas supply decommissioned by the utility company in the next few months.
Mr Rea said: “If you pursue excellence, there’s nothing excellent about destroying the environment.
“There’s nothing excellent about not being a good corporate citizen.”
Tony Stewart added: “I have been associated with AES for many years and known Chris for a long time and what he has done, not just for Rotherham but on a world stage, sets the standard.
“He is a great ambassador.
“I have been on the Tree Walk and it is a fantastic facility for staff and for schoolchildren to visit and one that shows his commitment to the town and to the environment.”