DARLINGTON N E WS
On track
– a CGI of
Darlington
station’s
overhaul.
Clive Owen named
region’s ‘top’ corporate
finance team
Full steam ahead on station plans
A
bid for funding to dramatically
overhaul Darlington Railway
Station has been submitted to the
government.
The redevelopment will cost up to £100m
and a meeting of the Darlington Station
Programme Board agreed for the outline
business case to be sent to ministers to
make the project a reality.
A total of £25m had previously been
earmarked by the mayor and Tees Valley
Combined Authority to help deliver the
vision for the station.
If the funding is signed off by the
government, the redevelopment will also
create new train platforms for an improved
local and national service and futureproofing
the station for future HS2 services.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen: “This is
a major step forward in delivering this vital
project, a project that will make travel to,
A bridge not too far
from and around the Tees Valley easier and
better than ever.
“I’ve already committed £25m to kickstart
the work, but there is still more to be done.
Now it’s down to Whitehall to invest in these
much-needed improvements.
“Our plan would cut journey times,
improve regional transport links and give
visitors an incredible welcome to the area.”
The scheme would also see improvements
to the fabric of the station, including
improved entrances, and the regeneration of
the wider area around the station.
Once complete, the upgraded station will
unlock capacity across the area leading to
faster, more frequent and better-quality
services in Tees Valley.
It will also allow for better freight
connections from Teesport and prepare the
station for high-speed services and Northern
Powerhouse Rail.
Clive Owen LLP, which specialises
in corporate and commercial
clients, has been named the
North-East’s top financial adviser.
The firm, which has offices in
Darlington, Durham and York,
topped the most active financial
advisers’ volume table for the
second year in a row in Experian’s
annual mergers and acquisitions
(M&A) report.
This news comes after a
successful year where the team
has completed more deals
than ever and advised some of
the region’s most successful
businesses including Technocopy
in Darlington, Atkinson Print in
Hartlepool and Prosafe, which
is now Avenium Engineering, in
Middlesbrough.
Security assured for
FinTech organisation
DeepOcean makes
Feethams House its
North-East HQ
Cleveland Bridge UK has secured
another project in the region as part of
Highways England’s A19 Testo’s Junction
Improvement Scheme.
The Darlington-based company has been
awarded the project by smart infrastructure
solutions company Costain to fabricate and
install a new 141.4m bridge at the centre of
a flyover.
Further alleviating traffic congestion on
the redeveloped roundabout that connects
the A19 with the A184, the flyover is part of
a five-year £15bn programme by Highways
England to improve journeys between
the main North-East arterial route and the
surrounding areas.
Darlington-based FinTech organisation
Paid has undertaken a project to tighten
up its security, reassuring clients and
suppliers that their data is in safe hands.
Paid looked to the DigitalCity initiative
for support and after a competitive
tender exercise they connected them
with cybersecurity experts North Cyber
Security, which carried out the work.
Paid’s platform cuts out the middle-
man for payments between suppliers and
clients, forming an overall easier and much
more efficient process.
North Cyber Security offers penetration
testing and IT, technology and software
due diligence on investments, mergers and
acquisitions ranging from £1m to £300m.
DeepOcean has reaffirmed its
commitment to the region after
reaching an agreement with
Darlington Council to locate its
UK headquarters in the new
Feethams House development.
The global subsea services
company will move from its
existing premises in the town
to the new development in the
coming months, continuing the
company’s 27-year association
with Darlington. It has taken the
entire top floor of Feethams
House, covering over 7,000 sq ft.
Employing over 100 specialists
in the town, DeepOcean also has
a centre of engineering expertise
and offshore maintenance facility
in Blyth, Northumberland.
The voice of business in the Tees region | 109