WORDS: COLIN YOUNG
MAIN PIC: CHRIS BOOTH
DRIVING
FORCE
Business Durham is leading the way
for economic prosperity in the region
A
fter confirming the identity of
Jade Business Park’s first tenants,
Business Durham leaders are
now looking forward to welcoming other
businesses to the ambitious new £14m site
near Seaham.
Business Durham, the economic
development arm of Durham County
Council, is playing a major part in bringing
continued inward investment to the region
with multi-million pound developments like
Jade Business Park and others in the pipeline.
With a wealth of business support and
funding initiatives County Durham is firmly
positioning itself as the place to invest, start
and grow a business.
Jade’s first tenants Sumitomo Electric
Wirings Systems Europe, a division of global
Japanese Fortune 500 corporation Sumitomo
Electric Group, are one of the top tier of
suppliers to the Nissan plant in Sunderland.
They will move from their current
Houghton-le-Spring distribution centre to
18
the 55-acre employment site in April 2020, in
a major vote of confidence for the site.
Sumitomo produces and distributes
automotive wiring harnesses, fuse boxes,
connectors and cables, with a turnover in
excess of €700m and over 20,000 employees
in Europe. The Japanese giant's expansion
to the new Jade Business Park and seven-
year lease agreement, will be part of the
Durham County Council-owned site’s first
development phase.
Business Durham is in partnership with
Highbridge Developments, the company
behind a similar and successful scheme at
Cobalt, North Tyneside, the largest office
park in the UK.
Peter McDowell, who manages 600,000
square feet of business premises as property
and business services director at Business
Durham, said: “Getting Sumitomo on board
is massive boost for the project. It also
means a third of the site was signed over
immediately and you cannot look past the
prestige of having a high-profile business like
this for the first lease.
“Jade is the ideal location for distribution,
technology and advanced manufacturing
businesses like Sumitomo, just a minute
from the A19, giving excellent access to Tees
Valley, Sunderland, Durham and Newcastle
with multi-model transport access to the rest
of the UK and beyond.
“In the past the private sector has helped
to build projects like this but on this occasion
we are doing it ourselves to stimulate activity
and growth. This is a very promising start
for us, we are looking forward to building
on Sumitomo’s arrival and welcoming more
tenants in the near future.”
Work has started on the seven new
industrial units at Jade Park, which is the
equivalent to 155,000 sq ft of new space
and ideal for distribution, technology and
advanced manufacturing businesses looking
to expand or relocate.
The creation of the business park
within minutes of an approved, improved
and widened A19 junction, is another
opportunity for Business Durham to
encourage several of the county’s thriving