NEWS
NECC’ s policy plan was launched at Middlesbrough FC’ s Riverside Stadium, with( from left) John McCabe, Natasha McDonough( MMC Research and Marketing and NECC), Nikola McNicol- Kenney( Sage), Dr Suzanne Hague( Teesside University and NECC), Rhiannon Bearne( NECC) and Gill Hunter( Square One Law).
POLICY POINTS
Chamber’ s 2025-25 plan is launched
The North East Chamber of Commerce has launched its new policy plan 2025 – 27, Unlocking the North East Economy, outlining how business, government and communities can collaborate to drive growth, create highquality jobs and build a fairer future.
Representing nearly 2,000 organisations which together employ around 40 % of the region’ s workforce, the chamber has a unique role as the collective voice of North-East business.
Developed in close collaboration with members across all sectors, the new plan reflects the opportunities and challenges facing the region and builds on the chamber’ s commitment to place-based solutions designed with, for and by the whole of the North-East.
The policy plan sets out six priorities to guide the chamber’ s advocacy and campaigning work on behalf of its members over the next two years, including securing quality jobs of the future, capitalising on the region’ s strengths in clean energy and net zero innovation and championing an internationally trading North-East.
NECC chief executive John McCabe added:“ The North-East offers a rare blend of business opportunities, affordability, cultural richness, passionate and skilled people and natural beauty.
“ Written in conjunction with our members, Unlocking the North-East Economy articulates the chamber’ s advocacy focus for the next two years. It underscores our region’ s ambition and provides a unified call to action for meaningful change.
“ We look forward to working with all our members, partners and stakeholders to deliver it.”
See page 24 about an Aycliffe Business Park Community event which included a panel Q & A featuring three NECC representatives.
WORK STARTS ON DPD’ S AYCLIFFE SITE
Developer Richardson Barberry has appointed Caddick Construction as main contractor for a 63,000 sq ft warehouse unit at Forrest Park’ s £ 250m Aycliffe Business Park development.
DPD has signed a 25-year lease for the unit on an eight-acre site at Forrest Park, a joint venture between Durham County Council and local landowners the Forrest family, next to Junction 59 of the A1( M).
Practical completion is expected in the summer of 2026.
Caddick Construction group managing director Paul Dodsworth said:“ We’ re seeing significant investments in the industrial and logistics sector as our project pipeline continues to grow across the North-East, and key to this is our appointment by Richardson Barberry to deliver this phase of Forrest Park.”
Richardson Barberry has secured detailed planning consent for a development of eight warehouse units at Forrest Park with £ 14m
Spades in the ground at Forrest Park. Pictured( from left) are Michael Dennison, Steve Ford and Steve Bell( Caddick), Jon Robinson( Richardson Barberry), Durham County Council leader Andrew Husband, Jamie Anderson( DPD), Christian Pape( DCC), Jake Clifton( Aecom) and Greg Kirby( Richardson Barberry)
already invested on preparing the site for development.
Durham County Council approved the company’ s plans for the first phase development of 830,500 sq ft of warehouse / logistics space on 42-acres of the 116-acre site at Forrest Park.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
MORE COFFEE, PLEASE A new Starbucks drive-through will be built on Aycliffe Business Park. The international retailer will open the new store on the site of the former Bede House and St Cuthberts House.
The site was previously occupied by office buildings before they were demolished in June 2024.
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES A global first is primed for launch at Teesside Airport after a £ 1m deal to host a driverless baggage and passenger transport system was rubber-stamped.
An autonomous baggage and passenger system will begin a pilot at Teesside Airport after the Tees Valley Combined Authority agreed a contact with aviation firm Aurrigo International plc.
It will mean year-round flights jetting off to Alicante, Malaga and Amsterdam could well feature passengers and bags being ferried around Teesside Airport by cuttingedge autonomous vehicles from early in 2026.
UNIVERSITY AWARD Teesside University has been crowned as the best modern university in the country in a major national award which highlights the transformative impact of its learning and teaching, setting a new benchmark for modern universities across the country.
The Daily Mail Modern University of the Year 2026 award recognises and celebrates the numerous achievements Teesside University has made to provide an outstanding learning and teaching experience for its students, while also delivering on its core mission to transform lives and economies.
Teesside’ s groundbreaking Campus Masterplan, which has seen more than £ 300m invested in state-ofthe-art facilities, was singled out for acclaim.
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 21