Bid for Earth Centre

The Life
Park Project
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

Contents

Tender Submission Appendices
Introduction 1 A WSS Agreement
1 The offer 3 B Curricula Vitae
C 4th Pillar
2 Summary 5
D Birmingham and Aston Universities
3 Vision 7
E MiUni – Training Structure
4 Strategic fit 11 F Biofuels
5 People 15 G Architects Sketch Drawings
6 Business Plan 27 H Quantity Surveyor’s Report
I Mechanical and Electrical Report
7 Operation 31
8 Impact 37
9 Contacts 41

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council - The Life Park Project 3

Tender Submission
Tender
Submission
The Life Park Project
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

Introduction

We are delighted to submit our proposal for the purchase of the Earth Centre.
A proposal to create a national science, technology and engineering park
promoting sustainability through enterprise, training and education.

Our team has been working on the idea since November 2008. At first it was
reaching an understanding of what had gone wrong with the Earth Centre. We
walked the site, read the old Earth Centre accounts, studied the mining history
of the area, were impressed by the buildings, the lack of vandalism, the unique
ecology caused by the limestone spine.

Chris Hill That led to a dialogue with local people that revealed a distrust of outsiders with
Director of Harehills CIC/‘Shine’ big plans and a tendency to disappear – but still a hope that the community
and Camberwell and Developer of
workspaces for social benefit could be part of recreating the Earth Centre.

From that point we have built our proposal on three guiding principles:

- Involve local people in the development and make sure they benefit
- Deliver environmental technologies and training in a way that makes a major
impact on businesses in South Yorkshire and nationally
- Create a financial success story

The last year has been spent assembling the team and plan that can deliver that
ambition; bringing the community together in an organised form, attracting a
visitor site developer with a national reputation (Stephen Feber) and partnering
with one of the world’s foremost sustainability business consultants, Arup.

We have learnt the lessons of the past. If Doncaster Council gives us the
opportunity, we will create the UK’s principal centre for delivering our low energy
future and would welcome a chance to talk more about our proposals.

For further information please contact:

Chris Hill
T. +44 (0) 113 388 00 88
M. +44 (0) 7968 968862
E. chris.hill@cause-an-effect.co.uk


The Conference Building at the Earth Centre
Earth Centre Galleries and Solar Canopy

2 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council - The Life Park Project

1 The offer

Life Park Ltd is offering to pay £373,000, before fees, In the event of insufficient capital being raised, our
to Doncaster Council within six months of written partner Wind and Solar Systems (www.wss-gb.co.uk)
confirmation of Life Park being the preferred bidder.1 will purchase the site for the same amount at the end of
that period.
Within six months a detailed business plan will be
developed and capital raised to implement the ideas For the WSS Agreement, please refer to Appendix A.
detailed below.

1
Price is based on average agricultural land prices for South Yorkshire - £4,250 per acre (Farmers Weekly March 2010),
producing a total of £212,500 + an allowance for the two productive buildings – The Café Block and the Conference Hall
– of £150,000. In making the offer we note the GVA Grimley valuation report of Aug 2004:

Area A
(core site excluding tower area and compounds)
Area 33.3ha/82.3a
Planet Earth @ 5582m2
Cafe 444m2
Sub-station 51m2
Conference C 606m2
Waterworks 564m2 (Living Machine)
Natureworks 168m2 (Cold Classroom)

Total 7415m2 Annual rent £2500

Factors Leasehold + Restrictive user clause + Access
Valuation Nominal value even if access is available


Entrance over Kilner Bridge and the side of the Welcome Hall


2 Summary

With the history of the Earth Centre, it would be
surprising if there wasn’t a wary response to the idea
of opening, on the same site, a centre dedicated to
developing the research, production, training and Camberwell: A company experienced in developing
enterprise needed to create a low energy economy. Yet assets for social benefit.
the economic and political demand for such a centre is
stronger than it was in 1995 and our proposition very
different.
4th Pillar
Life Park will achieve the combination of holding the
site in trust for the community, returning benefits in the A community enterprise formed in support of the Life
form of leisure activities, training and jobs, while partners Park project.
undertake commercially driven activity related to energy
reduction.

Financial success will be determined by the number of
training courses on the site, conferences, seminars and Arup: A international design and engineering
expos, sponsored research and workspace rent from consultancy with a reputation for implementing
businesses. It will not be dependent on casual visitors. sustainability measures into the commercial world.
All these aspects will be carefully planned in the six
month option period.

Sustainability is not just ‘green stuff’. Creating a place Stephen Feber: A development consultant with a
that is permanent, but open to change, where people proven track record of producing large scale and
can meet and enjoy themselves, appreciate the financially successful visitor attractions.
landscape, learn skills and be active is just as important.
Life Park will be part owned by the community and
welcoming of the projects it wants to develop.
MiUni
MiUni: A deliverer of university accredited
Life Park will be England’s only sustainability park based
sustainability training.
on research, training and enterprise. Its economic
impact in terms of jobs, training places and business
growth will eclipse any consideration of the offer price
over a ten-year period and will raise the profile and
image of Doncaster. A national network of shareholders, Partnership for Renewables: A joint venture
build over the first six months will drive interest and partnership between the Carbon Trust and HSBC to
business to the site. deliver renewable energy projects.

To achieve these combined objectives we have
assembled a team that contains: These organisations bring not only their skills, but also
their business connections that will ensure Life Park’s
financial success.


3 Vision

Life Park
Extracting the benefits of low carbon living

Life Park will be a People’s Park - owned and operated manage waste streams as a resource. Now is the time
by the community. It is the opportunity for communities for these towns and villages to seize the opportunity
to understand and engage with the local and global and deliver new jobs, investment and a brighter, more
benefits of low carbon lifestyle. It will be a place where sustainable future.
local people learn to appreciate the value of truly
sustainable living - where long-term financial security, The Life Park will be an economic asset first, a local
supportive, healthy informed communities and low leisure and educational resource second and a tourism
environmental impact lifestyles combine. It will be a attraction third. From the outset, the Life Park will
place where the green dividend is real with new jobs be driven by business and economic development
and investment in renewable energy technologies and needs and it will derive income from renewable energy,
infrastructure, benefiting both existing residents and business space and conferencing. The local community
encouraging communities to grow. will want to engage with leisure and educational activities
on the site and all the facilities will be made available
The Earth Centre concept was ahead of its time which to achieve this. The site will deliver an environment
was part of its undoing. Community will, technological that engages people from all ages and background in
innovation and government legislation are now in place, the low carbon agenda and empowers and inspires
making us ready to create our green economy and a individuals and communities to play their role. We all
low carbon future. The economic recession and the face great challenges in the years and decades ahead:
political environment are now releasing the opportunity social, environmental and economic. We need vision,
for communities to get involved partly through necessity leadership, inspiration and community empowerment to
for obtaining jobs and reducing energy costs and partly respond to those challenges. Life Park will be a driver
through desire to do what is best for their future. The for change in the local area and the region. Over time
people of Doncaster have been in tough situations we have no doubt that it will develop and become a
before but they are now better equipped to make the significant attraction for the wider population.
most of new economic opportunities.
The Life Park will deliver the ideals of the Earth Centre
Now is the right time for the Life Park. With government and more but from a sound economic footing where
initiatives on Feed-in Tariffs, imminent heat incentives money is made from low carbon living. This will be
and an ongoing focus on empowering local done from an economically stable position of no debt
communities, the building blocks for communities to and community investment where returns are shared
deliver renewable energy are in place. The Dearne Valley equitably. The life park will become the model for
Eco Vision has built momentum and belief that local genuine low carbon living a concept that we all must
towns can shape their destiny has developed. There is a embrace for our children’s future.
desire to grow your own locally and drive the growth of
low carbon food, make choices on low carbon transport
trips by public transport and electric vehicles; and


3 Vision continued.

What the Life Park Project will offer

Research into
alternative energy
Learning from
production and
working
Horticulture, bio fuels
installations –
fishing and river anaerobic digester,
activities solar farm,
small turbines,
biomass plant

Start-up
workspace for
Skills training environmental
in green businesses
technologies

Natural parkland

Life Park
managed by Architectural
Yorkshire demonstration
Wildlife Trust projects

Community run
Welcome Hall and International
volunteer led visitor Expos and
facilities and projects conferences

A monthly music Specialist University
and cultural events led intelligence
programme sharing
University
accredited
training


3 Vision continued.

How the project will be supplemented

The partnership will undertake the development of
eco housing south of the river (not part of the sale
package) adjacent to a newly installed solar farm (under
application).
Housing transactions are at a forty year low and doubt
has been thrown on the ‘green premium’ value of low
energy homes. However, it remains the case that those
that focus not only on technology, but our whole lifestyle
needs, still achieve commercial returns in this difficult
environment. That means attention to green space,
transport links, shops and leisure facilities, temporary
workspaces and human networks.
Arup’s Beddington Zero Carbon Housing Development
The reopening of the Earth Centre will unlock that in Sutton

potential. Riverside eco-housing next to the train station
with shared spaces within it and access to the facilities
of the Park will hold the value to make the development
commercially viable. Evidence of this approach is shown
in the Greenhouse development in Leeds delivered by
one of our partners CITU (www.greenhouseleeds.co.uk),
who put the development in one of the poorest areas of
Leeds on the market at the low point of early 2010. Only Half hourly rail link to Doncaster and Sheffield
25 of the 170 units are still available. They are deeply
green, but the appeal was as much in the courtyard,
coffee bar, gym, workspace, free bikes, IT network and
allotments as the low carbon.
We will recreate this environment if successful in
purchasing the council owned site (combined with the
HSBC plot) and will try to achieve the added advantage
of all the power being supplied by the solar farm that
The Trans Pennine Trail passes through the site
should be established to the west of the site.
There is increasing evidence from many of our
sustainable housing developments that low carbon
living is attracting a premium in terms of house value. We
can see that similar housing developments adjacent to
the Life Park will be highly desirable and command an
increased value. Critically, house owners become more
aware of their carbon footprint and commit themselves to
low carbon living on different fronts. Easy public transport access to major shopping centres


© Kingspan

Earth Centre’s solar canopy that will quickly be turned back on


4 Strategic fit

The Life Park has a strong strategic fit with the Sheffield The Life Park has a very neat strategic fit with a number
City Region’s economic and spatial development plans. of key planning documents for the surrounding area. The
The “Roles of Places” work undertaken by Arup for key documents are:
the Sheffield City region, identifies the Dearne Valley
as a priority area for regeneration and change in the - The Sheffield City Region Development Programme
city region. This policy priority is reflected in the City (2010)
region Development Plan, and also in the City region’s - Local Enterprise Partnership Proposal for the Sheffield
successful Local Enterprise Partnership proposal (which City Region
Arup helped produce). An important priority for the area - The Dearne Valley Eco Vision (2009)
is to improve its image and attractiveness as a place to
live and in which to invest. The Sheffield City Region Development Programme
report establishes the need to develop low carbon
The Life Park will greatly enhance the area’s cultural
infrastructure (insulation, transport etc), move closer to
product and economic competitiveness. The work
energy self-sufficiency (local production), lower energy
Arup undertook for the City Region on transport and
use (for manufacturing cost reasons as well as reduced
worklessness identified particular challenges in terms
carbon emissions) and to increase the skill levels of the
of creating jobs and connecting people to jobs in the
workforce.
Dearne towns. The Life Park will assist in terms of
job creation, and also in terms of enhancing linkages
between local communities in the area.


4 Strategic fit continued.

The Life Park addresses a number of issues and lies
at the heart of one of the seven key development sites
identified in the Sheffield City Region Development
Programme.

Sheffield City Region DaSTS
Connectivity Study - Sheffield City Region Overview
Sheffield City Region Map

DONCASTER
BARNSLEY
Barnsley

Doncaster

The Life Park Site
Stockbridge

Rotherham
SHEFFIELD Harworth
ROTHERHAM
Sheffield

Dinnington B A S S E T L AW

Retford
Worksop

CHESTERFIELD
BOLSOVER
Chesterfield

Shirebrook
DERBYSHIRE
DERBYSHIRE
DALES
DALES
Clay Cross

Matlock


4 Strategic fit continued.

The Sheffield City Region Development Programme The Dearne Valley Eco Vision (2009) had this to say
(2010) gives the first of its overarching priorities as to... about the Earth Centre...

“Support the output and “The Earth Centre, with its
employment growth in exemplar buildings, could
key sectors across the provide the basis for a new
City Region - specifically Schumacher centre...creating
Advanced Manufacturing and a meeting point for global
Materials and related Low and local ideas, experience
Carbon/Energy industries.” and solutions. In order to
do this it would work at a
local level with the Dearne
Valley Education Partnership
and the College, as well as
making links with Yorkshire
Universities. It would also
develop links with European
centres of expertise aligned
with the eco-vision.”
We have already started to bring together the partners
to implement this aspirational vision for the area.


Wetlands at the Earth Centre; ideal for nature observation


5 People

Introduction The Board

We have assembled a team capable of delivering a Initial Board members of Life Park will be:
high profile, economically successful, sustainability park
that over a ten year period will have a major impact on
Doncaster. Chris Hill
Director of Harehills CIC/‘Shine’ and Camberwell and
The impact will be measured not only in jobs, business Developer of workspaces for social benefit
and leisure facilities, but in a creating a profile for the city
that puts it at the head of environmental research and
demonstration. Ian Pearson
4th Pillar representative, Magistrate and trustee of the
For detailed career profiles of the key players in the largest community transport charity in the country
project, please refer to Appendix B, Curricula Vitae.

Jo Smith
Head of Conservation, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Mike Marchant
Rapid Technology Transfer Group/ MiUni and Developer
of university accredited sustainability training

On raising the initial £800,000 (led by Chris Hill and
David Vincent of Ethical Investments, recent raiser
of £1.6m for a sustainable forestry project – www.
ethicalinvestments.co.uk), Life Park will appoint Arup
(a global firm of designers, planners, engineers and
technical consultants, owned by its 7,000 employees,
with offices in Sheffield and Leeds – www.arup.com) and
Stephen Feber (developer of ten visitor attractions and
sites in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Derbyshire
– www.stepenfeber.com) to work on developing the
business plan for the commercial elements of the site
and the overall vision.

For CVs and full details of experience please refer to
Appendix B, Curricula Vitae.


5 People continued.

Ownership structure The park as a whole will be a managed nature reserve,
busy with training, community activity and events.
Life Park will be a national science, technology and
engineering park promoting intelligent sustainability The commercial areas will be operated on a long lease
through enterprise, training and education. from Life Park Ltd by a share limited company owned
and driven by Camberwell/Feber/Arup and Life Park
Life Park Ltd is an Industrial and Provident Society for itself.
the Benefit of the Community (registration in process),
owned by its shareholders on a one-member one-vote
basis. The company will hold the land in trust for the
community in perpetuity.

Ownership structure diagram

Rents space to
events organisers,
stalls holders etc
Leases land to Takes charges for
training organisers/ leisure activities
WSS and others on the river etc

Life Park Industrial
and Provident Society
Owns whole site, discusses purchase
of remaining Earth Centre land.
Board elected by shareholders
on a one-member
one-vote system

Life Park grants a 999 year lease on c.10 acres of land and buildings to a share limited
company owned and run by Arup/Camberwell/Life Park/investors.

Share limited company purchases land south of the river to develop for housing.


5 People continued.

Key people Other parties involved are the community groups and
individuals of Conisbrough and Denaby that have
Also involved in building the bid have been: participated in 4th Pillar.

For further information on 4th Pillar, please refer
Bev Morton to Appendix C.
Connections CIC, delivering skills training through the
services delivered on site

Chris Cook
CEO, Nordic Enterprise Trust, attracting investors

Scott Newhouse
Operations Director WSS, lead tenant and financial
contributor to social projects

Imelda Havers
Blue Fish Regeneration, assisting 4th Pillar in establishing
a community enterprise

Colin Oliver
CEO Futuresound Music, creating an events programme
to run continually from 2012

Daniel Walker
Director Performing Earth, establishing a theatre
company based on the site with an international
programme that can be used to generate the reputation
of the Life Park

Malcolm Lynch
Wrigleys Solicitors, a national authority on
social finance


5 People continued.

Organisations Arup relevant experience:

Wath Manvers Reclamation, Rotherham
Arup The development of the lake at Wath Manvers has
Arup are a global design and engineering consultancy set the tone for the wider Dearne Valley Eco Vision,
with a reputation for leading edge thinking on establishing quality green infrastructure.
sustainability. With offices in Sheffield, Leeds and
York we are very much engaged with the economy California Academy of Sciences, California
of Yorkshire. Regeneration of the coalfields has been The learning programme for low carbon living has been
part of our business and Arup were instrumental in developed jointly with Arup and California Academy
the design of the lake at Wath Manvers (right) that has of Sciences and we would look to bring shared
successfully led the approach for further environmental experiences to the Life Park.
enhancements in the Dearne Valley. We supported the The Eden Project, Cornwall
Earth Centre during its development and we are very The success of the Eden Project is in part down to
familiar with its reclamation, buildings and infrastructure. the strong leadership and clear business plan, and we
Through our frameworks with SYPTE and relationships would look to bring our knowledge and understanding of
with Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham council we the project to the Life Park.
have delivered major infrastructure and regeneration Beddington Zero, Sutton
projects throughout the towns of the area. We recently Arup worked closely with the developers to establish a
supported the Sheffield City Region with writing their very high level of sustainability. This was also connected
bid and strategy for the newly formed Local Economic to a programme of low carbon living which has been
Partnership. We have developed a number of economic monitored since the development’s completion in 2001.
masterplans and business cases for different projects
not least the 2012 Olympic Games. Hanham Hall, Bristol
Hanham Hall is an exemplar sustainable housing
Arup have all the abilities to prepare and deliver a very development, which is driven by a philosophy of low
successful business plan for the Life Park. We are, carbon living and accommodates local food production,
however, more than conventional consultants because low carbon transport systems and local energy
where we see a community project that needs our help generation.
we will invest our time, skills and resources into the
project in helping them achieve their aims. Through our
business connections to client organisations such as
Partnership for Renewables, Nordic Enterprise Trust and
HSBC we believe that we can bring financial investment
and surrounding land assets together to create a
compelling low carbon living project.

We believe that the Life Park can achieve its aims, which
is why Arup is committed to supporting the project.


Wath Manvers Lake, Rotherham - High quality green infrastructure


California Academy of Sciences, California - A learning programme for low carbon living


The Eden Project, Cornwall - Leadership, knowledge and understanding


Beddington Zero Carbon Housing Development, Sutton - Early sustainable housing development


Hanham Hall Eco Housing Development, Bristol - An emphasis on local food production


5 People continued.

Stephen Feber Stephen Feber relevant experience:

Over the course of our work we have worked alongside Magna, Rotherham
talented people like Stephen Feber. Stephen is a Stephen Feber was the development director for the
specialist in business planning for tourism, visitor Magna project which is in a very similar location to the
attraction and sustainable living projects. He has a Life Park.
successful track record of delivery with the development
of Eureka in Halifax, Magna in Rotherham and Eureka, Halifax
Heartlands in Cornwall. This child-centred learning attraction was established
and managed by Stephen Feber. It has been an
Stephen’s understanding of life in former coal mining enormous success in transforming engagement of
communities in Wakefield will be invaluable in terms of children with science and engineering.
developing the innovation and visitor attraction elements
of the business plan. Heartlands, Cornwall
This project has many similarities with the proposed
Arup have worked with Stephen Feber on the Airedale Life Park in that it has high quality business space,
Economic Masterplan which included the development renewable energy and adjacent low carbon living
and marketing of digital industries. Out of this plan the accommodation.
Advanced Digital Institute was established and has
been tremendously successful in developing creative
industries in the Shipley area.

We also worked with Stephen Feber on the Derwent
Valley Mills World Heritage Site Economic Masterplan.
This explored the development of new business space in
former mill buildings and the development of renewable
energy sources, in particular hydropower.


5 People continued.

Eureka, Halifax

Magna, Rotherham Heartlands, Cornwall


Inside and outside the Conference Building


6 Business Plan

Learning the Lessons of the Earth Centre The development process

Reasons for the failure of the multi million-funded Earth On being given a six month option, Life Park
Centre project are many; several are undisputed: will raise:

- A lack of clarity as to what it was – a serious - £25k loan funding from Key Fund within 4 weeks,
environmental demonstration project or a family which will allow us to begin the business planning
leisure park - £800k from a Community Share issue to buy the land
- Reliance on and overestimation of potential visitors and complete the business plan and capital-raising
- Too much dependence on grants (that were usually scheme. That money will come in between month
for capital, not revenue) and too little control on costs. 1 and month 6.

By contrast the Life Park will: Business Plan development will be undertaken by Arup,
Camberwell and Stephen Feber (please refer
- target business users, rather than be dependent on to Appendix B - CVs) and will include:
visitors. Income will be generated by space lettings,
land licences and events, with any visitor income a - Site survey, structures, systems
bonus - Appraisals/valuations
- have a clear focus on enterprise, research and - Business planning on the basis of a fully developed
training within a community driven parkland setting model used at Heartlands, Cornwall (www.
- have a business model that is not grant dependent heartlandscornwall.com)
(though we will look for grants as investment capital) - Appraisal of the renewable/sustainability/ training/
and will only expand its cost base as income allows. development market
- Visioning/branding of the project - comparator and
competitor analysis
- Legal and operational structures – especially for
the income generating elements – on site energy
production, education and training, events and
demonstrations, enterprise workspace and the
development of eco housing to the south of the site
- Cementing the relationship of the commercial
elements of the site to Life Park Ltd and the local
community.


6 Business Plan continued.

Sources of income at the Life Park

Research Trading
MiUni centre for energy Company
HE learning and multi- and biofuels Enterprise,
level skills training from conferencing,
‘The Foundry’ demonstration
projects

Rental income Dividend

Events
organisers
Life Park Ethical
investors
Hire income
Site Owner Direct investment

Visitor income and
Volunteer activity
land lease

Financial support
from solar farm Craganour and Oval
Yorkshire 4th Pillar Tenants and Residence
Associations
Wildlife Trust Community
Conisborough Forward
Maintenance and organised support
projects
Wind company Doncaster West
and Solar Development Trust
Systems Entour
Tom Hill Boxing Club
St Peter’s, St Albans and
All Saints Churches
Food Aware
Doncaster Federation of
Tenants and Residents


6 Business Plan continued.

Finance Main investment

On purchase of the Earth Centre, between £2m -£8m The investment that will take place after purchase of the
will be invested directly by the new commercial operating main site will be a mix of loan, grant and equity (external
company (Camberwell/Feber/Arup) to bring the site into and from partners).
full operation and through associated investment on the
site by partners (WSS in the solar farm and others into The group is receiving professional advice from Chris
energy projects). Cook, 6 years Director of the International Petroleum
Exchange and now of the Nordic Enterprise Trust.
A bid for the housing land south of the river will also
be submitted within the 6 month period with a plan to Preliminary discussions have been held with:
develop eco-housing. - Bridges Ventures
Share issue - Big Issue Invest

We are confident of raising the £800,000 from the share - Partnership for Renewables
issue for the following reasons: - Triodos

- The Ethical Investment Company and David Vincent - Yorkshire Forward (ERDF)
come from recently having raised £1.6m for an ethical
All discussions have so far been positive.
Bolivian forestry scheme, and have a well developed
network of ethical investors after more than ten years
in the field.
- We will be offering a likely return of 6% a year from
year 4 on investment in Life Park and the Enterprise
Investment Scheme will be worth a similar amount in
tax allowances for the first three years.
- The environment lobby is well organized and
contactable. As well as local investors, this will be
a unique opportunity for individuals nationally to
back such a large-scale sustainable research and
demonstration project while earning a return.


Walkways thread through the site and will be brought back to standard


7 Operation

The project will have five strands of activity: 1) Training

Delivering university and company backed sustainability
1) Training training from HE Level 4 and above as part of new
2) Community Centres for Natural Energy and Fuels and for Resource
Security. Initiative to be driven by Mike Marchant of
3) Research, enterprise and demonstration Rapid Technology Transfer Group and MiUni.

4) Environment Please refer to Appendix D - Birmingham and Aston
Universities for examples of two training interventions
5) Events
planned for the site: Aston University - Sustainable
Communities; and Birmingham University - Biodiversity
Management. A structure for the whole training suite
can also be found in Appendix E - MiUni Training
Structure. Discussions about provision are underway
with 15 Universities in all - five are already committed.

A copy of the 2007 bid for the Earth Centre from the
Biofuels Training Board can also be found in Appendix
F - Biofuels. This was to turn the Earth Centre into a
“National and International centre of excellence not just
in the Biofuel sector but for Renewable Energy as a
whole”. We are working with the leaders of this bid to
reinvigorate the partnership and bring biofuels research
and training to the site.

Environmental basic skills training will be delivered by
local training companies Connections CIC, Mulberry
Tree and others. The initial agreement is to focus
training on:
- Business administration
- Customer Services
- Catering
- Accounting and IT
- Horticulture
- Green technologies (particularly building related).

Training related to energy demonstration projects will
also be delivered on the site, for example, solar panels,
turbine, anaerobic digester, ground source and water etc.


7 Operation continued.

2) Community 4th Pillar will be able to access government and
Trust funding not available to business and the public
The community felt damaged by the collapse of the sector as well as receiving donations from commercial
Earth Centre. So much money had been spent locally, operations on the site such as WSS. Applications will
yet in the end they gained nothing. In the site’s rebirth begin as soon as we are granted preferred bidder
as the Life Park, we will make sure that the community status, with Big Lottery (Reaching Communities) and
remains at the heart of the project (25% of the Board) Esmee Fairbairn (Welcome Hall manager and volunteer
and that it receives practical benefits from leisure organizer) particular targets.
facilities, training and jobs. We are also determined to
make Life Park a financial success that will ensure those Within commercial constraints, the intention is that most
benefits are permanent. services on site (catering, security etc) will be delivered
by social businesses committed to local training. A
As a result of over a year of discussions with individuals catering provider has already been identified.
and groups the community fully back our bid. A support
organization, the 4th Pillar, has been formed involving 13
local groups with its own constitution and objectives.

4th Pillar intends to run the Welcome Hall on a lease
basis from Life Park as a volunteer and visitor centre
bringing leisure, employment and training activity
to the Park and making sure the facility serves the
local community2. Horticultural projects and events
are of particular interest to the group (please refer
to Appendix C for information on 4th Pillar),
with a miners’ garden to be established in time to
commemorate the centenary of the Cadeby Main
disaster in July 1912 when 88 men were killed.

2
An example of the type of activity comes from the EcoTech Centre in
Norfolk that had 500 school student visitors to their turbine in 2009, paying
£6 a head 4th Pillar will run the Welcome Hall as a volunteer and visitor centre



3) Research, enterprise and demonstration Three tenants (MiUni, Performing Earth and WSS) have
been identified in early discussions. The numbers will be
During the six months of preferred bidder status, expanded over the six months with targeted approaches
financed by the loan and share issue, Camberwell, to companies and trainers in the sustainability field (e.g.
Feber and Arup will business plan all options and work those companies needing trained workers in the energy
on attracting partners to the site related to low carbon efficiency field that will expand as a result of the 2010
energy production and use, research and demonstration Energy Bill).3
projects.
Conferencing, events and meeting facilities will be
Early cost estimates suggest that the conferencing, café promoted throughout the private, public and voluntary
block and glassed exhibition space can be brought into sectors, not exclusively to environmental organizations.
use quickly and at low cost.
Training and catering can be delivered immediately from
Please refer to Appendix G - Architect’s Sketch the Café Block.
Drawings; Appendix H - Quantity Surveyor
estimates; and Appendix I - Mechanical and
Electrical Report.

Use of the Galleries and surrounding areas will be
considered in relation to business appraisal.

The outside of the Cafe Block

3
Employment in the insulation industry anticipated to rise from
27,000 to 100,000 by 2015 Gallery space to be opened up



4) Environment 5) Events

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will manage the whole site as Events will take many forms. There will be learning
natural parkland on the lines of Potteric Carr,4 with based events perhaps around a particular technology
specialist use areas (training, performance, horticulture and temporary exhibition as well as locally organised
etc) being leased by groups from Life Park Ltd. shows, markets and celebrations.

We are also working with the Don Gorge Community In addition, Futuresound Music are keen to develop a
Group that gathers volunteers to manage the river from sympathetic monthly programme around music and
Conisbrough east to the A1. They have expressed an the arts. They propose to organise twelve events a year
interest in co-managing the Welcome Hall and inclusion from literary and arts based events for smaller audiences
of the Earth Centre site will create an environmentally to larger-scale music events.
managed waterway all the way from Sprotbrough to
Mexbrough and Denaby Ings. Futuresound Music hope to put on events that celebrate
food and drink, as well as music and the arts and
their programme will offer welcome income generating
opportunities for Life Park.

In addition, the Performing Earth theatre company are
keen to base themselves on the site. As an experienced
international touring company with the environment at
the core of their programme, they will be a great
addition to the educational and entertainment capacity
of the site.

Wetland ecology and species identification will be carried out by
Birmingham University

4
Extract from website – “Potteric Carr is Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s flagship
nature reserve and the largest of 80 reserves owned or leased by YWT. It
attracts over 33,000 visitors each year and is situated about two miles from
the centre of Doncaster, close to the M18 and A1M motorways. Its wide
range of habitats from open water and marsh to grassland and woodland,
covering an area of about 200 ha (500 acres), give it a rich diversity of wildlife.
In addition, Potteric Carr’s footpaths through attractive scenery make it an
ideal venue for all kinds of visitors ranging from those who simply enjoy a walk
in the outdoors to the nature enthusiast and photographer”. Small scale festivals will be a key part of the leisure activities



The site

All uses will be tested at business planning stage,
favoured options include:

Space Use Managed by
Conference Hall As is – for conferencing and events Camberwell / Feber
Galleries Conversion to flexible workspace/ meeting Camberwell / Feber
rooms and theatre/exhibition area. Possible
second phase
Exhibition Hall Conversion to workspace for small Camberwell / Feber
companies/meeting/research space
Café / Training Block As is - training Rooms + Cafe Camberwell / Feber
Welcome Hall Under community management as a visitor 4th Pillar
centre, organising school student trips etc
(under discussion)
Living Machine Waste water processing for the site. Life Park Ltd
Possible fish farm, with alternative reed bed
filtration
Former project sites Restoration of amphitheatre, leasing to Life Park Ltd
horticultural and training uses
Portakabins Probable removal with application
for car parking use given loss of
main car park
4ha of land on west side of site Application for solar farm from WSS WSS
Land surrounding the existing Demonstration projects, housing and Arup, Camberwell, Life Park Ltd
buildings workspaces, consideration of turbine

The main bridge into the site is adopted and can take “Key uses acceptable on this site will be
traffic over 30 tons. About 40 car parking spaces exist generally based around education and leisure
adjacent to the conference centre and if some additional uses including conservation and natural history
interpretation centres, museums and galleries
parking can be provided south of the river, we see no
and conference and exhibition uses.”
major planning issues at this stage and our development
fits comfortably within the site’s Green Belt designation
and the uses outlined in the Tender Brief, namely...


Recent photo of Welcome Hall - in surprisingly good condition


8 Impact

LIfe Park will make its impact by taking low carbon and
low energy technologies to the people and businesses
of South Yorkshire and the region. Tools for impact
measurement will be put in place from the start.

That will mean bringing people to the Park to learn about
the technologies through seminars and demonstration
projects, developing the technologies further through
research and collaboration, housing and supporting the
businesses that operate in the sector and delivering the
skills training that will be needed (high and basic levels).

In addition the impact will be measured by the number
On site electric transport
of people visiting the site for leisure purposes, the
number of children experiencing environmental
education, volunteers involved in projects, the quality of
the environmental management, the energy generated
on site, related regeneration effects of additional housing
and off-site new projects.

School education trips

Demonstration turbines


8 Impact continued.

Our targets South of the sale site

Our target figures have been gathered from experience Our partners WSS are already in discussions with
elsewhere and we do not consider them excessive. Doncaster Council about the establishment of a 25 acre
solar farm south of the river to the west of the scraped
Within the sale site land.

Within 4 years We are also exploring bringing together the land owned
by HSBC (the hotel) and the scraped land owned by
Jobs 200 Doncaster Council and designated for housing into an
New businesses 50 eco housing site through the Partnership for Renewables
(owned by the Carbon Trust and HSBC).
Training Places 500 per year
Conference and meeting 8,000 per year. We see the revival of the Earth Centre and marketability
visitors of a mixed tenure housing scheme (positive discussions
held with one housing association) as closely linked
Leisure pursuits 20,000 visitors a year
and providing a sound asset base for the overall
Community Resource 4th Pillar (Appendix C) development.

Low Carbon initiatives

Clean energy production: solar, wind, water, bio,
ground source

Demonstration projects: using all the facilities of the
above, plus horticulture and architecture

Research: five different collaboration projects already
provisionally organised with universities

Sustainability education for schools: 400+ visiting
school students a year


The strangely symbolic Earth Centre shipwreck. The recovery starts now!


9 Contacts

For further information on this submission
please contact:

Chris Hill
Shine
Harehills Road
Leeds
LS6 2AH

E chris.hill@cause-an-effect.co.uk
W shinebusinesscentre.co.uk
T +44 (0) 113 388 00 88


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