Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 42 | Page 21

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 21
Finley Structures
estimating
manager Andrew
Workman at
the five-storey
Feethams House,
a grade A office
development the
firm is building in
Darlington.
Office block adds metal
to Feethams development
D
arlington town centre’s skyline is
changing once again as the steel for a
new office takes shape.
Newton Aycliffe construction specialists
Finley Structures won a contract to fabricate
and erect 330 tonnes of steel for Feethams
House in the town.
The five-storey office block development
in the centre of Darlington will complement
the area’s ongoing rejuvenation which has
included a state-of-the-art leisure complex.
The Feethams development, which opened
in early 2016, is a £30m state-of-the-art
complex featuring nine-screen multiplex Vue
cinema, an 80-bed Premier Inn and a range
of bars and restaurants.
And the £8.5m, 30,000 sq ft Feethams
House – prominently located on Darlington’s
inner ring road (A167) – is adjacent to the
650-space multi-storey car park which could
bring 250 new jobs to the town.
The office development follows Finley
Structures’ high-profile work on the
Centre Square office development in
Middlesbrough.
Finley’s estimating manager Andrew
Workman said: “The project will see us
supply and erect over 330 tonnes of steel
along with placing the metal decking packs,
installation of a pre-cast concrete lift shaft
and 18 pre-cast concrete stair units.
“It’s a project which sees us once again
working close to home with main contractor
Willmott Dixon, following the successful
completion of the Student Life building at
Teesside University.
“So we’re delighted to be working on
another high-profile project which is going to
bring jobs and prosperity to our region.”
The Darlington Borough Council project
has been supported by the Tees Valley
Combined Authority, which has invested
£3.2m into the project, and has also been
part-funded by the European Development
Fund.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said:
“When it comes to professional services,
my top priority is to make the Tees Valley
the number one destination for firms who
would have previously been looking to base
themselves in Leeds or Newcastle.
“In funding the development, we’re
delivering the highest quality office space
that’s just a stone’s throw away from
the East Coast Main Line, building on
Darlington’s excellent transport links. It will
signal to firms across the UK that the Tees
Valley is open for business.”
The proposals came after Darlington
Council oversaw the construction of nearby
offices to retain hundreds of Department for
Education staff in the town.
Authority chiefs see the new block as a key
asset in strengthening the town’s existing
commercial environment, highlighting
its potential as a lever in attracting new
operators from across the professional
services, digital and creative sectors.
They say it will also mark another
significant investment in Darlington’s
Feethams area, which has seen a
new cinema and restaurant complex
complemented by a riverside walkway and
multi-storey car park.
The scheme is being marketed by property
consultancy Connect Property North- East,
together with Cushman and Wakefield.