Teesmouth Seal Rescue and Coastal Conservation Centre
The Seal Rescue Centre
This building at South Gare has been obtained from PD Ports, through a partnership arrangement with TSCT, to convert and use as the Teesmouth Seal Rescue and Coastal Conservation Centre.
As well as being adapted to facilitate seal rehabilitation work, the first floor will become a training, meeting and conference facility that will not only be used by TSCT, but also other community groups, charities, and organisations engaged in science-led coastal and marine conservation.
Being located on the mouth of the Tees estuary the building is ideally situated to be repurposed as a seal sanctuary. It is also a stand-alone facility with little public and noise disturbance.
The rooms are very well suited to repurposing and we are currently working on the refurbishing scheme.
Top floor of the building to be used as a meeting, training, and conference facility.
This will provide excellent facilities for TSCT, and other organisations and groups involved in coastal conservation to have use of this valuable `hub` meeting space.
Top floor of the seal rescue centre is to be used as a meeting, training, and conference facility.
This will provide excellent facilities for TSCT, and other organisations and groups involved in coastal conservation to have use of this valuable `hub` meeting space
To see a 3D image and explore the centre click this link
Seal food storage and preparation facility
Unsurprisingly, there is a need to store frozen fish and prepare feed for seals in care. There is therefore a requirement to have large walk-in freezer capacity and hygienic facilities for food preparation.
There is also adequate space to provide office accommodation that has additional capacity to provide more space should the team of staff and volunteers develop in the future.
The Basement has two large rooms that will be ideal to house the seal rehabilitation pens.
Very young seals require dry, heated pens during the first stages of their care. They are transferred to pens with small pools as they get older. These `wet pens` are filled with clean and screened sea water.
The basement of the seal rescue centre has two large rooms that will be ideal to house the seal rehabilitation pens.
Very young seals require dry, heated pens during the first stages of their care. They are transferred to pens with small pools as they get older. These `wet pens` are filled with clean and screened sea water.
Location for the seal rehabilitation and exercise pools.
Towards the end of their care, seals are placed in large pools where they can exercise with other seals and continue to develop their swimming and feeding skills. Here they undergo observations to ensure that they are fit and healthy enough, having reached their target weight, for release back into the estuary. There is a slipway adjacent to this area.
TSCT will seek assistance to review greening options for the building and subject to the lease terms, solar and wind power generation options will be fully appraised.
Having a `dockside`, the novel approach of water heat-sourcing for the building will be explored. Sea water will also be available to seal pens and pools to ensure optimal and natural recovery and rehabilitation.
Grey water harvesting options may add value for non-potable water requirements and will be assessed on cost/benefit over the 30-year lease term.