PARK EXPANSION
Exclusive : Forrest Park plans are full steam ahead after £ 13m infrastructure works completed
The Forrest Park development to expand Aycliffe Business Park is full steam ahead after £ 13m-worth of infrastructure works were completed .
And developers have now revealed exciting plans for the remainder of the site , with a range of industrial and warehousing space across as well as a hotel and pub .
Forrest Park ( Newton Aycliffe ), a joint venture by Durham County Council and local landowners the Forrest family , has signed a development agreement with Richardson Barberry to develop out the 110-acre site .
The roadside retail development by Euro Garages has already seen a petrol filling station built which includes a convenience store attached to the filling station and a stand-alone KFC drive-through restaurant .
The ambition is that over the next 10 years , the park will provide 1.8m sq ft of industrial space and create over 3,000 jobs , boosting County Durham ’ s economy by almost half a billion pounds .
The site expands Aycliffe Business Park – already the largest in the North-East – and will accommodate a range of business , industrial , warehouse and trade units , as well as a 60-bed hotel , public house and roadside restaurant and retail space next to the A1 ( M ).
The signing of the development agreement with Richardson Barberry and the first development by Euro Garages are significant steps in the first stages of the park ’ s progress and demonstrate a continued developer confidence in the county as a place to invest .
The park is part of the council ’ s long-term ambitions to create a thriving environment for businesses and investors to develop and grow while creating and safeguarding more and better jobs .
This will also be crucial to the county ’ s economic recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
Cllr Carl Marshall , cabinet member for economic regeneration , said : “ The signing of this development agreement by Richardson Barberry is a significant milestone for Forrest Park , as it declares globally that the park is officially open for business .
“ This first sale of land is just the start of what the park has to offer in boosting the county ’ s economy , particularly in its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic , by attracting international investors to the county from across the globe and in turn creating thousands of high-quality jobs for our local residents . We look forward to welcoming more retailers and businesses to the park as its development grows .”
Jonathan Robinson , Barberry Industrial director and shareholder , said : “ Barberry , and 50 / 50 joint venture partners Richardson , are excited at the prospect of delivering one of the North-East ’ s premier business parks , stimulating economic growth and creating new jobs for the region .
“ We have made significant progress over recent months and we are now delighted to be in the position to launch the site to potential occupiers . This is a highly attractive location for a range of major businesses , with units available in a wide range of sizes .
“ We can provide building options for smaller occupiers on the trade park and bigger building options of circa 20,000 sq ft to 1m sq ft footprint on the site . Local , regional , national and international occupiers have already expressed interest in this prominent , motorway-connected , serviced and consented site , which is oven-ready for development and has access to an excellent , skilled labour demographic .”
Neil Findlay , development manager for Euro Garages , said : “ Working closely with the Forrest Park ( Newton Aycliffe ) team , we were delighted to complete the acquisition of this site at Forrest Park .
“ As an organisation we look forward to bringing our first in class roadside retail offer to the park and the wider Newton Aycliffe area .”
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 21