Description
Schools
According to the National Property Dataset there are 2,247 school premises within the region which cover ages from pre-school up to secondary schools, sixth forms, colleges and the universities. As can be expected with such a large number of buildings there are of a variety of ages and styles. The number of school types varies with pupil age, with more junior and infant schools than secondary schools and this is due to the greater number of students accommodated in secondary schools and colleges; these are normally located in cities and towns and are rarely found in smaller conurbations such as villages and this may be due to the greater populations found in these locations as well as the better transport links. The universities see a large reduction in the number of premises and again this is due to their much fewer number, their general location within the largest urban conurbation in the region and large student numbers. These building types vary from stone buildings in excess of 100 years in age to new construction. Many schools and colleges are mid-twentieth century and feature brick or concrete construction with flat roofs. Flat roof features are a common aspect of many public buildings. All schools are currently maintained, although many have a ‘make-do and mend’ approach to maintenance due to budget restrictions.
Hospitals and Healthcare
The North East Strategic Health Authority is one of 10 new strategic health authorities in England and replaced the strategic health authorities for Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Tees Valley. The North East Strategic Health Authority covers an area from the Scottish border, down to North Yorkshire and across to the Cumbrian border in the west. With a population of around 2.6 million, the region has eight hospital trusts, 12 primary care trusts, one ambulance trust and two specialist trusts providing mental health and learning disabilities services.
Hospitals within these primary care trusts have over recent years been centralised with many hospital or department closures in the recent past and the construction of new facilities, for example, the recent construction of The University Hospital in Durham or Hexham General Hospital. Some of the older hospitals still provide outpatient facilities and other specialist care facilities.
Emergency Services
The emergency services headquarters for the Police and Fire and Rescue Service of County Durham and Darlington can be found at Aykley Heads and Framwellgate Moor respectively. Northumbria Police who cover Northumberland and Tyne and Wear have their police headquarters located at Ponteland and Cleveland Police who are responsible for policing Tees Valley have their headquarters located in Middlesbrough. Police stations with custody facilities are generally located in the larger towns and cities of the region with smaller stations and offices in the smaller towns and villages.
The Fire and Rescue Service has 90 stations and other associated premises according to the National Property Dataset. In the region certain areas of the Fire and Rescue Service have recently undergone a consolidation with new stations being built or the amalgamation of stations to cover larger areas as a result of the closure of others.
There are 61 Ambulance Stations and associated premises in the region which are operated by the Ambulance Trust.
Emergency Planning
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 aims to deliver a single framework for civil protection in the United Kingdom. The Act redefined the definition of an emergency to focus on the risks faced in the 21st century. It defines an emergency as:
- an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare;
- an event or situation which threatens serious damage to the environment ; or
- war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to security.
The Act is split into two parts with Part 1 defining the range of possible incidents for which local responders must prepare and Part 2 sets out situations where emergency powers may possibly be used if the threat poses a risk of serious damage to a large geographical area. This section will deal solely with Part 1 of the Act; the statutory frameworks in place at a local level within the Region.
Part 1 of the Act divides the local responders into 2 categories. Category 1 responders provide the central part of emergency response and include the emergency services and local authorities and they are required to put in place emergency plans, business continuity plans and make arrangements to inform the public of civil protection matters among other duties. Category 2 organisations are “co-operating bodies” such as the transport and utility companies who are less likely to be involved in the planning work but who may still be heavily involved in ‘on-the-ground’ response to a given response, and whose operations are of critical importance to the population, e.g. the failure of a water treatment works during the summer 2007 floods left around 350,000 people without water for 10–17 days.
Within the region the there are four bodies responsible for the creation of emergency plans for the region:
- Northumberland Emergency Planning Department;
- Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning unit;
- County Durham and Darlington Civil Contingencies Unit; and
- Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
Council offices and public buildings can be found throughout the region and include administrative centres for the one and two tier local government systems that are curently found in the region (although this is set to change in Northumberland and County Durham with imminent local government re-organisation). These include County Halls in Northumberland and County Durham and various Town Halls and Civic Centres.
In addition to this, central government organisations exist such as the Government Office for the North East located in Newcastle and the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) office in Longbenton, Tyne and Wear.
The large number of buildings across the region varies in location, age, construction materials and condition vary vastly across the region. Construction types include steel framed and clad, masonry, brick and reinforced concrete.
There are 212 libraries with the region and these can be found predominantly in the cities, towns and larger villages of the region with a high proportion of these associated with the universities.
Retail
Shopping centres in the region include the Metro Centre which is the largest shopping centre in the region and the second largest shopping centre in Europe. The Metrocentre opened in 1986 and has nearly 330 shops occupying 165,000 m² of retail floor space. Also within the region are other shopping centres, e.g. Eldon Square in Newcastle, Milburngate Shopping Centre in Durham and The Bridges in Sunderland. These buildings are common for shopping centres in that their construction is similar to any large building or industrial unit involving large flat external surfaces and a mixture of flat or pitched roofing. External surfaces are generally clad onto a steel or reinforced concrete frame. Their size mans that roof drainage is particularly important to prevent ingress during its transit over the roof and the ensure downpipes are of sufficient size to deal with intense rainfall.
Places of Worship
Places of worship within the region include churches and mosques and in the case of churches are generally of older construction built in materials such as stone and timber joists. In addition to Durham Cathedral there are also two cathedrals in Newcastle and one in Middlesbrough. Modern churches and many mosques and other places of worship are generally built from modern materials such as concrete or steel.
Vulnerable Populations
People may be at particular risk during weather-related events because of their health, where they live, and the amount of support they have. The NHS identifies at-risk groups to include:
- Older people, especially over the age of 75 and/or living on their own, or in a care home;
- People suffering from mental ill health, those with dementia, and those who rely on help from other people to manage day-to-day activities;
- People who are bed-bound;
- People taking certain types of medication;
- People suffering from chronic ill health.
Demographically, the population of England and Wales is changing. The elderly population is increasing both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the total population, with an expected increase in people over 75 years of age of around 5 million by the 2050s. This will represent around 15% of the population at that time. This change can be seen in the population pyramids presented below for England and Wales:
 |
 |
2003 |
2050 |
Residential Housing
Council-owned housing stock is generally of mid-twentieth century in age. The nature of housing is reasonably varied, from blocks of housing and flats generally found in cities such as Newcastle and Sunderland, to the red brick semi detached housing and rendered terraces that can be found throughout the region (The stock of council housing is renewed, replanned and refurbished as needed due in part to the condition of the housing stock but also as a solution to social problems). Council housing is more prevalent in the urban areas forming a linear relationship with population and, in urban areas especially, can be found to be located densely in certain areas as opposed to being spread throughout the suburbs and inner city areas.
Many councils are no longer responsible for residential housing stock with housing associations taking over this mantle such as the Gentoo Group who own and manages 350,000 homes in Sunderland.
Parkland Management
There are numerous parks, public open spaces and road-side verges across the region. These require maintenance in terms of vegetation control by local authorities or private landowners (e.g. The National Trust).
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
There are 162 cemeteries and 13 crematoriums that serve the region.
Impacts
Schools
Stone buildings are particularly at risk to the threat of continued wetting and drying which can cause weathering of the stone façade. Older buildings featuring lead flashing may be at risk due to the expansion of the lead in hot weather. Wetting and drying and freeze-thaw activity is also a concern for brick masonry where it can cause spalling and the loss of mortar from joints.
Increased rainfall will be a risk to all buildings with the possibility of water ingress. This is a problem for all roofs especially those in poor states of repair but is possibly more of a problem for flat roofed buildings which are very common feature of public buildings with school, hospital, police stations and council buildings all featuring this style of roofing. Increases in wind could exacerbate this with rain being driven into any weaknesses such as cracks. Even small holes can be a problem in a flat roof, especially if water is ponding as the head developed encourages water ingress. Water ingress may cause fungal attack of timbers such as joists or cause current fugal attack to be more aggressive. Wet rot may occur when timbers become saturated with dry rot occurring in moist timbers or where wet timbers are not dried sufficiently.
Wetter winters could have adverse effects on reinforced concrete structures. Corrosion of steel reinforcement could occur at faster rates than is witnessed currently with buildings already attacked most at risk. The wetter winters may also mean buildings not currently attacked may be susceptible to fresh attacks in areas of insufficient concrete cover. Increased wind and rain could drive moisture further into concrete causing fresh corrosion problems.
Extreme temperatures can affect bitumen roofing surfaces at both ends of the temperature scale with cold temperatures causing cracking of bitumen felt roofing and high temperatures, causing the bitumen sealant to run out of joints. Bitumen roofs are good absorbers of heat due to their general black or brown colouring.
The guttering and drainage of buildings may be undersized if a large increase in rainfall is expected. This is a particular problem for buildings with internal guttering where resizing of down pipes, for example, is complicated and is common on flat roofs where problems could cause ponding. The sub-surface drainage may also be undersized for expected increases in rainfall.
Increases in summer temperatures may mean that more buildings may require the installation of air conditioning or ventilation or new buildings will have it fitted as standard. The Trades Union movement is proposing a temperature threshold of around 27°C or 28°C as a safe limit for staff working inside buildings. The retro fitting of air conditioners could place increased loading on buildings, especially if fitted on rooftops. Buildings should be structurally assessed before the large-scale installation of air conditioners. Increased demand may be placed on the electrical supply network of buildings and the increased costs of running air conditioners will have to be considered in future budget reviews.
Hospitals and Healthcare
As identified by the NHS, the elderly, especially those over the age of 75, are most at risk to heat related deaths, especially if they live alone where they may not get the care they require, for example adequate hydration. They are also less likely to ask for medical assistance and may therefore die at home before hospital treatment can be administered.
The major risk to these groups from climate effects is through heatstroke. Heat exhaustion is usually one of the early signs of the development of heatstroke. As well as developing from heat exhaustion, heatstroke can also occur without warning. Heatstroke can result in organ failure, brain damage or death. During the heatwave in August 2003 there were 2139 excess deaths in England and Wales which represents a 16% increase. Worst affected were people over the age of 75 years with an overall increase of 22% and an increase of 59% in London.
The effects on people will be compounded if emergency services cannot get to people in remote rural areas due to other climate-related disruption, such as flooding, tarmac melt, or wind-blown debris blocking roads.
With the rising temperatures, there are also likely to be increased spread of other illnesses and diseases such as food poisoning, cryptosporidium, and tick-borne diseases such as Lymes Disease.
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to those experienced in schools.
More consideration will need to be given to cooling the inside of these buildings and keeping the indoor environment comfortable due to the delicate condition of many of the patients.
Emergency Services and Emergency Planning
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to those experienced in schools.
With the expected increase in winter rainfall, and therefore flooding, it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched as flooding becomes more commonplace and possibly greater in intensity.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
The problems impacting on the built environment of Council Offices and public buildings will be similar to those experienced in schools.
The increase in winter rainfall is the weather change likely to cause most problems to the fabric or structure of public buildings. The increase in winter rainfall will mean water ingress will be a problem on poorly maintained roofs.
Higher summer temperatures and the occurrence of extreme winter temperatures below zero may cause damage to felt roofing in the form of cracking or the melting of bitumen sealants. If water ingress does occur then fugal attack of roofing timbers may commence or become more aggressive. Water ingress would most become worse if strong winds were found to increase in strength and/or frequency.
With the higher rainfalls the guttering and drainage of buildings may not be sufficient and this will need to be addressed if a problem looks likely to occur. The blocking of guttering by debris may mean greater problems with increased rainfall. Ponding would be likely on flat roofs.
The increased summer temperatures will make internal conditions uncomfortable for workers. This may prompt the installation of air conditioning in many public buildings resulting in the anticipated impacts involved with installation and running costs. The Trades Union movement is proposing a temperature threshold of around 27°C or 28°C as a safe limit for staff working inside buildings, and failure to address the indoor environment could mean having to let staff go home during periods of high temperatures.
Retail
The impacts that will affect the fabric of the region’s main retail centres will be similar to those experienced in schools.
Most retail centres are already equipped with ventilation systems but as the climate warms through all seasons it may be that current ventilation will need to be improved to cope with the rising temperatures especially during summer.
In addition to this retail centres may be more at risk to the problems of surface softening of car parking and public transport facilities during periods of severe summer temperatures.
Places of Worship
The impacts associated with places of worship will be similar to those experienced in schools.
In addition to impacts to the fabric of the buildings, places of worship may need to pay particular attention to the need for cooling during the higher summer temperatures due to the large numbers of people in an enclosed space.
Vulnerable Populations
From the expected increase in summer temperature and especially severe summer increases combined with the changes in population demographics, it can be summarised that we are expecting an increase in the frequency and severity of heatwaves and heat-induced health effects. The increased vigilance and care needed to monitor the vulnerable groups will put greater pressure on the resources of the NHS and therefore the local Primary Care Trusts. Increased spending will obviously be required at times of increased temperature but also prior to this to ensure the required structure and resources are available because heatwaves can happen suddenly and rapid rises in temperature affect vulnerable people very rapidly.
The types of measures currently recommended by the NHS in relation to heatwaves include increased patient contact and managing discharges from hospitals so patients are not discharged to unsuitable accommodation or reduced care during a heatwave. The increased likelihood of heatwaves needs to be considered when planning care for this escalating elderly population.
Hospitals may need to be set up to accommodate large numbers of at risk elderly people from rural areas who cannot be regularly checked by care professionals and whose wellbeing could be better monitored from hospital.
Residential Housing
The vulnerability of housing stock to weather will depend on its state of repair. Wind damage as witnessed may be a problem with the loss of roof tiles and the further problems from water ingress if the problem is not repaired quickly or sufficiently. Water ingress through any deficiency in the skin of buildings could be a major problem, with damp and fungal problems the likely result. Housing estates and flats may have undersized guttering and surface water drainage systems that may need resizing to cope with any increases in rainfall if current service levels are to be maintained.
Parkland Management
With changing growing seasons, there will be a need for longer periods of parkland and road-side vegetation management, with associated resource implications. There will also be an increased risk of fires in parks spreading more rapidly in summer months due to the tinder dry vegetation.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
Changing weather patterns could impact upon the region’s cemeteries, which operate under tight schedules, leading to delays at highly sensitive times. Examples include periods of heavy rainfall or flooding causing the blocking of access roads or the saturating of soils making grave digging troublesome. It has not been noted through the workshop meetings that any cemeteries experience problems directly due to increased rainfall, with the problems they do witness due to the water-logging of soil more a result of the ground conditions and soil type.
Deaths rates are currently at about 50% capacity at the crematoriums during the summer months so increases in deaths due to increased severe summer temperatures and heatwaves are not envisaged to cause a capacity problem at this stage.
| Northumberland | Tyne & Wear | County Durham | Tees Valley |
Description
Schools
As is seen across the region the construction, age and condition of school buildings in Northumberland varies greatly and therefore no specific sites can be examined in detail. A major difference that Northumberland has over the majority of the region is the large percentage of rural area where students have to be transported to school either by friends, family or by the school or public transport system.
Hospitals and Healthcare
There are seven Hospitals in Northumberland all managed by Northumberland Care Trust. The main hospital in the region is Hexham General Hospital and was opened in 2004 at a cost of £28 million. The other Hospitals in the region offer services such as General Practitioner led care and rehabilitation wards in community hospitals.
Emergency Services
Northumberland is policed by Northumbria Police whose headquarters are based in Ponteland with Fire and Rescue for the region being operated by Northumberland Fire and Rescue who have 18 stations within the region.
Emergency Planning
This is operated by Northumberland Emergency Planning unit. More information on the roles of the emergency planning unit can be found in the Regional Assessment Section.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
The Main Council Offices in Northumberland are based in Morpeth which is the administrative hub of the sub-region. Additional council buildings and premises in addition to this are located throughout the sub-region from town halls to highways maintenance depots and libraries.
Retail
There are no major indoor retail premises situated in Northumberland but the impacts that are applicable to such structures are likely to still be applicable to large retail units, retail parks and supermarkets.
Places of Worship
There are no regionally important places of worship within Northumberland though it does feature many smaller churches in the villages and towns which are predominantly of older masonry construction.
Vulnerable Populations
People may be at particular risk during hot weather because of their health, where they live, and the amount of support they have. The NHS identifies at-risk groups to heatwaves to include:
- Older people, especially over the age of 75 and/or living on their own, or in a care home;
- People suffering from mental ill health, those with dementia, and those who rely on help from other people to manage day-to-day activities;
- People who are bed-bound;
- People taking certain types of medication;
- People suffering from chronic ill health.
As identified by the NHS, the elderly, especially those over the age of 75 are most at risk to heat related deaths, especially if they live alone where they may not get the care they require, for example adequate hydration. They are also less likely to ask for medical assistance and may therefore die at home before hospital treatment can be administered.
Northumberland is predominantly rural and as a result the elderly may be at increased risk during periods of hot weather as care professional may not be able to visit as regularly as would be recommended due to the larger distances involved in monitoring members of the public.
Parkland Management
Due to its large proportion of rural areas Northumberland has extensive lengths of verges, hedges and roadside trees that need to be maintained. This is in addition to the maintenance of parkland areas in the many towns and villages.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
According to the National Property Dataset there are 29 cemeteries in Northumberland and single crematorium.
Impacts
Schools
The impacts to schools in Northumberland will be identical to the impacts that are threatening the region as a whole.
In addition to these threats to the fabric of schools Northumberland has previously had problems with transport to and from schools during periods of bad weather, particularly during snow events. The sub-region can expect reductions in the number of days when snow occurs of up to 83% during winter and this dramatic reduction in snow days means that transport to and from school should become increasingly unaffected by snow.
Hospitals and Healthcare
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section.
More consideration will need to be given to cooling the inside of these buildings and keeping the indoor environment comfortable due to the delicate condition of many of the patients.
Hospitals in Northumberland may need to allow for increased beds during heatwaves if at risk elderly people cannot receive the required level of care and supervision in their own homes due to living in rural locations.
Emergency Services
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section.
With the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched as flooding becomes more common and possible larger in intensity. Northumberland may be particularly hit with flooding as the Tyne Valley particularly in Morpeth and Ponteland have previously been scenes of extensive flooding.
Emergency Planning
With the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched as flooding becomes more common and possible larger in intensity. As the climate become more extreme it is likely that the emergency services will become increasingly called upon to deal with weather related impacts. The emergency planning departments are going to become increasingly important in the formulation of crisis plans and for orchestrating better communication and planning among the Category 1 and Category 2 responders.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
The problems impacting on the built environment of council offices and public buildings will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices sections at the regional assessment level.
Places of Worship
The problems impacting on the fabric of the places of worship in Northumberland will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices sections at the regional assessment level.
Vulnerable Populations
The impacts to the vulnerable populations will be of a similar nature to those described in this section at a regional assessment level.
Due to the large rural area of Northumberland the elderly at particular risk from high temperatures may find it hard to receive the level or care and supervision they require due to the large distances or possible high numbers of elderly people managed by care professionals.
Residential Housing
The problems that face residential housing will identical to those identified at a regional level of assessment.
Parkland Management
Tynedale Council are currently cutting their grass 22 to 24 times a year which is an increase from the figure of 20 cuts a year previously noted. Due to the large lengths of rural roads and their associated hedges and verges Northumberland will be particularly affected by increases in growing seasons and the possible impact of a reduced window in which to carry out this work.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
The impacts faced by the cemeteries and crematorium of Northumberland will be of a similar nature to those impacts given at a regional assessment level.
Description
Schools
As is seen across the region the construction, age and condition of school buildings in Tyne and Wear varies greatly and therefore no specific sites can be examined in detail. Tyne and Wear is a much urbanised sub-region and therefore schools and colleges are spaced relatively close together, or are larger in size than seen elsewhere due to the higher population density and larger number of students.
Hospitals and Healthcare
There are seven Hospitals in Tyne and Wear and include the General Hospital and Freeman Hospital which serve the region in a number of specialist areas such as neurology and burns. In Tyne and Wear the majority are major hospitals offering service such as Accident and Emergency departments and this is due to the large populations served by the Hospitals in the sub-region, both from inside Tyne and Wear and from the region as a whole.
Emergency Services
Tyne and Wear is policed by Northumbria Police whose headquarters are based in Ponteland with Fire and Rescue for the region being operated by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue who have 17 stations within the region.
Emergency Planning
This is operated by Tyne and Wear Emergency Planning unit. More information on the roles of the emergency planning unit can be found in the Regional Assessment Section.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
There are a number of administrative hubs in Tyne and Wear due to five unitary authorities that constitute it, such as Newcastle Civic Centre and Sunderland Town Hall. Additional council buildings and premises are located throughout the sub-region within the unitary authorities from highways maintenance depots, sports centres and libraries.
Retail
Situated in Tyne and Wear is Europe’s largest shopping and leisure centre; the Metro Centre. In addition to this is Eldon Square Shopping centre in Newcastle, the Galleries in Washington and the Bridges in Sunderland. The size and number of these shopping centres is due to the large population of Tyne and Wear but also these areas being retail hubs for people from other
Places of Worship
There are numerous places of worship in Tyne and Wear for a variety of different faiths and these include churches, mosques, Hindu Temples and synagogues. These buildings vary greatly in age, construction methods and condition and as such cannot be assessed on an individual basis.
Vulnerable Populations
People may be at particular risk during hot weather because of their health, where they live, and the amount of support they have. The NHS identifies at-risk groups to heatwaves to include:
- Older people, especially over the age of 75 and/or living on their own, or in a care home;
- People suffering from mental ill health, those with dementia, and those who rely on help from other people to manage day-to-day activities;
- People who are bed-bound;
- People taking certain types of medication;
- People suffering from chronic ill health.
As identified by the NHS, the elderly, especially those over the age of 75 are most at risk to heat related deaths, especially if they live alone where they may not get the care they require, for example adequate hydration. They are also less likely to ask for medical assistance and may therefore die at home before hospital treatment can be administered.
Due to the large population of Tyne and Wear there will also be an associated large number of elderly people in the region who may need attention or supervision during heatwaves and periods of sever temperatures.
Parkland Management
Tyne and Wear is a heavily urban area and as such the maintenance of the public spaces associated with the urban environment such as parks, cemeteries, public sports grounds and general open spaces will have to be considered.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
According to the National Property Dataset there are 37 cemeteries in Northumberland and seven crematoriums.
Impacts
Schools The impacts to schools in Tyne and Wear will be identical to the impacts that are threatening the region as a whole.
Hospitals and Healthcare
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section.
More consideration will need to be given to cooling the inside of these buildings and keeping the indoor environment comfortable due to the delicate condition of many of the patients.
Hospitals in County may need to allow for increased beds during heatwaves if at risk elderly people cannot receive the required level of care and supervision in their own homes as there may be insufficient care professionals to facilitate home visit due to the large number of elderly in the large urban area.
Emergency Services
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section and emergency service general impacts have been covered in the regional assessment section.
As the weather becomes increasingly extreme and in particular with the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched. Newcastle and Gateshead were hit by a large urban flooding event in 2005 and these events are expected to increase in frequency and intensity highlighting potential problems for emergency services.
The warmer drier summers mean that in public open spaces vegetation is likely to become very dry and tinder like conditions may mean that grassland and vegetation fires in urban areas may become increasingly prevalent. This is particularly a threat in urban areas where sources of ignition such as cigarette stubs are readily discarded by members of the public.
Emergency Planning
With the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched as flooding becomes more common and possible larger in intensity. As the climate become more extreme it is likely that the emergency services will become increasingly called upon to deal with weather related impacts. The emergency planning departments are going to become increasingly important in the formulation of crisis plans and for orchestrating better communication and planning among the Category 1 and Category 2 responders.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
The problems impacting on the built environment of council offices and public buildings will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices sections at the regional assessment level.
Places of Worship
The problems impacting on older buildings especially those featuring masonry or timber construction have been extensively covered in Durham Cathedral and Castle Section. Impacts on newer buildings or of a different construction will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices section at the regional assessment level.
Vulnerable Populations
The impacts to the vulnerable populations will be of a similar nature to those described in this section at a regional assessment level.
The large population of Tyne and Wear may mean that during periods of heatwaves or severe temperature that insufficient resource is available to allow the correct level of support and care to be administered without drafting in additional support. If support is not available then many elderly people’s lives will beat risk during periods of high temperatures.
Residential Housing
The problems that face residential housing will identical to those identified at a regional level of assessment.
Parkland Management
Due to the large areas of grassed public spaces and public gardens in Tyne and Wear increased maintenance will be needed to continue to offer the current level of service. Alternatively reduced maintenance may have to be adopted to negate the need for additional funds.
The warmer drier summers mean that in public open spaces vegetation is likely to become very dry and tinder like conditions may mean that grassland and vegetation fires in urban areas may become increasingly prevalent. This is particularly a threat in urban areas where sources of ignition such as cigarette stubs are readily discarded by members of the public.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
The impacts faced by the cemeteries and crematorium of County Durham will be of a similar nature to those impacts given at a regional assessment level.
Description
Schools
As is seen across the region the construction, age and condition of school buildings in Northumberland varies greatly and therefore no specific sites can be examined in detail. County Durham can be virtually split in two downs its centre with the eastern half very urbanised when compared to the western half of County Durham, in Weardale and Teesdale which is rural in nature. Therefore schools are more prevalent in the east of County Durham due to the higher population density and students have to travel much shorter distances to school or college when compared to the rural areas.
Hospitals and Healthcare
There are eight Hospitals in County Durham. County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust are an acute Trust providing healthcare across County Durham and Darlington and surrounding areas from three main acute hospitals, at Durham, Darlington and Bishop Auckland alongside other community hospitals. The main hospitals in the region are the University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland General Hospital and Darlington Memorial Hospital (which is located outside of this sub-region but still offers services to its inhabitants). The other Hospitals in the region offer services such as General Practitioner led care and rehabilitation beds in community hospitals.
Emergency Services
County Durham is policed by Durham Constabulary who’s headquarters are based in Akeley Heads near Durham with Fire and Rescue for the region being operated by the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service who have 15 stations within the region, these are strategically located to deal with the main fire risks of the region such as Tees Valley Airport, student halls of residence, the Port of Seaham or the new industrial estates that are appearing around the region.
Emergency Planning
This is operated by County Durham and Darlington Civil Contingencies Unit. More information on the roles of the emergency planning unit can be found in the Regional Assessment Section.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
The Main Council Offices in County Durham are based in Durham which is the administrative hub of the sub-region. Additional council buildings and premises in addition to this are located throughout the sub-region from town halls to highways maintenance depots and libraries.
Retail
There are no major indoor retail premises, though there is the Gate complex within Durham City which is small compared to other indoor shopping premises in the region. However, the impacts that are applicable to such structures are likely to still be applicable to large retail units, retail parks and supermarkets.
Places of Worship
County Durham contains Durham Cathedral and Castle which is an UNESCO World Heritage site and as such internationally important. In addition to this there are many other churches present within the sub-region in the many cities, towns and villages.
Vulnerable Populations
People may be at particular risk during hot weather because of their health, where they live, and the amount of support they have. The NHS identifies at-risk groups to heatwaves to include:
- Older people, especially over the age of 75 and/or living on their own, or in a care home;
- People suffering from mental ill health, those with dementia, and those who rely on help from other people to manage day-to-day activities;
- People who are bed-bound;
- People taking certain types of medication;
- People suffering from chronic ill health.
As identified by the NHS, the elderly, especially those over the age of 75 are most at risk to heat related deaths, especially if they live alone where they may not get the care they require, for example adequate hydration. They are also less likely to ask for medical assistance and may therefore die at home before hospital treatment can be administered.
County Durham is approximately half rural by area and as a result the elderly in theses areas may be at increased risk during periods of hot weather as care professional may not be able to visit as regularly as would be recommended due to the larger distances involved in monitoring members of the public.
Parkland Management
Due to its large proportion of rural area in County Durham it has extensive lengths of verges, hedges and roadside trees that need to be maintained. In addition to this County Durham also has a number of large urban and suburban areas so vegetation maintenance will be required in the parks and public areas.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
According to the National Property Dataset there are 72 cemeteries in Northumberland and two crematoriums.
Impacts
Schools
The impacts to schools in County Durham will be identical to the impacts that are threatening the region as a whole.
The rural areas of County Durham may have problems associated with the transport of students to and from schools during periods of bad weather, particularly during snow events. The sub-region can expect reductions in the number of days when snow occurs of up to 56% during winter in the uplands and this dramatic reduction in snow days means that transport to and from school should become increasingly unaffected by snow.
Hospitals and Healthcare
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section.
More consideration will need to be given to cooling the inside of these buildings and keeping the indoor environment comfortable due to the delicate condition of many of the patients.
Hospitals in County may need to allow for increased beds during heatwaves if at risk elderly people cannot receive the required level of care and supervision in their own homes due to living in rural locations.
Emergency Services
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section.
As the weather becomes increasingly extreme and in particular with the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched.
Emergency Planning
With the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched as flooding becomes more common and possible larger in intensity. As the climate become more extreme it is likely that the emergency services will become increasingly called upon to deal with weather related impacts. The emergency planning departments are going to become increasingly important in the formulation of crisis plans and for orchestrating better communication and planning among the Category 1 and Category 2 responders.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
The problems impacting on the built environment of council offices and public buildings will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices sections at the regional assessment level.
Places of Worship
The problems impacting on Durham Castle and Cathedral have been extensively covered in another section. The problems associated with the cathedral will also be applicable to churches and buildings of similar construction i.e. masonry and timber. Impacts on newer buildings or of a different construction will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices section at the regional assessment level.
Vulnerable Populations
The impacts to the vulnerable populations will be of a similar nature to those described in this section at a regional assessment level.
Due to the rural area of County Durham the elderly at particular risk from high temperatures may find it hard to receive the level or care and supervision they require due to the large distances or possible high numbers of elderly people managed by care professionals.
Residential Housing
The problems that face residential housing will identical to those identified at a regional level of assessment.
Parkland Management
Due to the large lengths of rural roads and their associated hedges and verges in addition to the large number of towns and villages with associated public spaces County Durham will be particularly affected by increases in growing seasons and the possible impact of a reduced working window in which to carry out hedge trimming.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
The impacts faced by the cemeteries and crematorium of County Durham will be of a similar nature to those impacts given at a regional assessment level.
Description
Schools
As is seen across the region the construction, age and condition of school buildings in Tees Valley varies greatly and therefore no specific sites can be examined in detail. Tees Valley is a much urbanised sub-region and therefore schools and colleges are spaced relatively close together, or are larger in size than seen elsewhere due to the higher population density and larger number of students.
Hospitals and Healthcare
There are 10 Hospitals in Tees Valley and are run by a variety of different Foundation Trusts and the sub-region is managed by five different Primary Care Trusts. Within Tees Valley there are a number of Major Hospitals based in locations like Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton and Middlesbrough and this is due to the large population of the sub-region. The other Hospitals in the region offer rehabilitation beds in community hospitals.
Emergency Services
Tees Valley is policed by two police forces. Durham Constabulary are responsible for policing the district of Darlington and County Durham and Darlington Fir and Rescue Service is responsible for fire and rescue services. They operate one fire station Darlington and from this site high risk locations include Teesside International Airport, main East Coast Rail Line, the A1 motorway, Darlington Memorial Hospital and several large industrial estates.
The remainder of Tees Valley is policed by Cleveland Police with their headquarters in Middlesbrough. Fire and Rescue for the remainder of Tees Valley is the responsibility of Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service ran from five fire stations.
Emergency Planning
As with the Fire and Rescue and the Police the emergency planning in Tees Valley is operated by two bodies again with Darlington being managed separately by County Durham and Darlington Civil Contingencies Unit. The emergency planning for the remainder of Tees Valley is co-ordinated by Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
There are a number of administrative hubs in Tees Valley due to five unitary authorities that constitute it, such as Darlington Town Hall and Middlesbrough Town Hall. Additional council buildings and premises are located throughout the sub-region within the unitary authorities from highways maintenance depots, sports centres and libraries.
Retail
Middlesbrough has seen a retail boom over recent years and it has three indoor shopping centres.
Places of Worship
There are numerous places of worship in Tees Valley for a variety of different faiths and these include churches, mosques, Hindu Temples and synagogues. These buildings vary greatly in age, construction methods and condition and as such cannot be assessed on an individual basis.
Vulnerable Populations
People may be at particular risk during hot weather because of their health, where they live, and the amount of support they have. The NHS identifies at-risk groups to heatwaves to include:
- Older people, especially over the age of 75 and/or living on their own, or in a care home;
- People suffering from mental ill health, those with dementia, and those who rely on help from other people to manage day-to-day activities;
- People who are bed-bound;
- People taking certain types of medication;
- People suffering from chronic ill health.
As identified by the NHS, the elderly, especially those over the age of 75 are most at risk to heat related deaths, especially if they live alone where they may not get the care they require, for example adequate hydration. They are also less likely to ask for medical assistance and may therefore die at home before hospital treatment can be administered.
Due to the large population of Tees Valley there will also be an associated large number of elderly people in the region who may need attention or supervision during heatwaves and periods of sever temperatures.
Parkland Management
Tyne and Wear is a heavily urban area and as such the maintenance of the public spaces associated with the urban environment such as parks, cemeteries, public sports grounds and general open spaces will have to be considered.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
According to the National Property Dataset there are 24 cemeteries in Northumberland and three crematoriums.
Impacts
Schools
The impacts to schools in Tyne and Wear will be identical to the impacts that are threatening the region as a whole.
Hospitals and Healthcare
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section.
More consideration will need to be given to cooling the inside of these buildings and keeping the indoor environment comfortable due to the delicate condition of many of the patients.
Hospitals in County may need to allow for increased beds during heatwaves if at risk elderly people cannot receive the required level of care and supervision in their own homes as there may be insufficient care professionals to facilitate home visit due to the large number of elderly in the large urban area.
Emergency Services
The problems impacting on the built environment of hospitals will be similar to that covered in the schools section and emergency service general impacts have been covered in the regional assessment section.
As the weather becomes increasingly extreme and in particular with the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched.
The warmer drier summers mean that in public open spaces vegetation is likely to become very dry and tinder like conditions may mean that grassland and vegetation fires in urban areas may become increasingly prevalent. This is particularly a threat in urban areas where sources of ignition such as cigarette stubs are readily discarded by members of the public.
Emergency Planning
With the expected increase in winter rainfall and therefore flooding it is likely that all the emergency services will become increasingly stretched as flooding becomes more common and possible larger in intensity. As the climate become more extreme it is likely that the emergency services will become increasingly called upon to deal with weather related impacts. The emergency planning departments are going to become increasingly important in the formulation of crisis plans and for orchestrating better communication and planning among the Category 1 and Category 2 responders.
Council Offices and Public Buildings
The problems impacting on the built environment of council offices and public buildings will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices sections at the regional assessment level.
Places of Worship
The problems impacting on older buildings especially those featuring masonry or timber construction have been extensively covered in Durham Cathedral and Castle Section. Impacts on newer buildings or of a different construction will be similar to that covered in the schools section and council offices section at the regional assessment level.
Vulnerable Populations
The impacts to the vulnerable populations will be of a similar nature to those described in this section at a regional assessment level.
The large population of Tees Valley may mean that during periods of heatwaves or severe temperature that insufficient resource is available to allow the correct level of support and care to be administered without drafting in additional support. If support is not available then many elderly people’s lives will beat risk during periods of high temperatures.
Residential Housing
The problems that face residential housing will identical to those identified at a regional level of assessment.
Parkland Management
Due to the large areas of grassed public spaces and public gardens in Tees Valley increased maintenance will be needed to continue to offer the current level of service. Alternatively reduced maintenance may have to be adopted to negate the need for additional funds.
The warmer drier summers mean that in public open spaces vegetation is likely to become very dry and tinder like conditions may mean that grassland and vegetation fires in urban areas may become increasingly prevalent. This is particularly a threat in urban areas where sources of ignition such as cigarette stubs are readily discarded by members of the public.
Cemeteries and Crematoriums
The impacts faced by the cemeteries and crematorium of Tees Valley will be of a similar nature to those impacts given at a regional assessment level.
