PROPERTY experts are breathing new life into the North-East, offering the region’s workforce the facilities they need to flourish and expand.

Northern Trust Co Ltd was established in 1962 and is now one of the UK’s largest and most successful privately owned property investment, development and land regeneration companies.  Their existing property portfolio extends to over 7.7m sq ft of industrial, trade counter and office parks, together with more than 5,000 acres of land throughout the UK.

The Commercial and Industrial portfolio consists of industrial/trade and office accommodation in over 4,000 units, with sizes ranging from as little as 285 sq ft to 50,000 sq ft and office suites for as little as one person upwards.  The portfolio is managed by Whittle Jones, an in-house asset management division, which deals with all aspects of portfolio management including day to day property management, all features of building maintenance, lettings and credit control.

Its specialists can meet a wide variety of occupational requirements on flexible terms to suit, and offer a fast and efficient service from professional management teams. With planned maintenance programmes, security improvements and new developments, its customer base is continuing to grow year on year.

Dedicated to assisting new and existing businesses expand and relocate where possible in the Northern Trust portfolio, Whittle Jones prides itself on offering secure workspace, flexible terms, competitive rents, easy-in, easy-out agreements on smaller units, a wide variety of size of units and locations, business premises immediately available to let, with new units constantly being added to the portfolio.

In Consett, Number One Industrial Estate is leading the way in helping local businesses and attracting new firms to the region to boost the North-East economy.  The estate extends to over 790,000 sq ft of commercial space split into 105 units and is home to more than 70 different businesses and approximately 1,200 employees. Units on site range from 495 sq ft workshops up to the largest factory unit of 122,560 sq ft, which is occupied by Gardner Aerospace. Other occupiers on the estate include, CAV Ice Protection Limited, Legrand Electric Limited, Thomas Swan & Co, Howden Joinery and Screwfix.

The investment that Northern Trust Co Ltd has recently made at Number One Industrial Estate, Consett, has been hailed a major success attracting small and large businesses and securing a bright future for the local economy.  Over the past 18 months Northern Trust has acquired an additional 49,124 sq ft of space purchased from long leasehold interests and undertaken a substantial refurbishment programme on Blocks 14 and 15 and Units 32A and B.

Regional Property Manager for the estate’s managing agents, Whittle Jones North East, Barry Nelson said: “Following a phased refurbishment on Units 14A-F we secured two lettings to Thomas Swan & Co Ltd and CAV Ice Protection Ltd.  In addition, works to Block 15 have seen the space opened up with the demolition of a small front extension and internal two storey office space, resulting in flexible space capable of sub-division from 5,000 sq ft up to 35,000 sq ft. Refurbished accommodation is currently available in sizes ranging from 5,113 sqft to 23,474 sqft.

“The investment by Northern Trust will benefit the local and regional workforce by creating a range of units which are ideal for small and medium sized businesses looking to relocate or expand in the area.”

There has been a recent increase in interest from larger companies for the Block 15 space and furthermore 5,121 sqft in Block 32 has been placed under offer to a regional operator for use as a trade counter and showroom. 

Mr Nelson added: “The enquiry levels since undertaking the investment in the properties is encouraging and Northern Trust will no doubt see a continuation of the recent growth in occupier numbers on the estate, which is in an accessible location with the A691 and A692 nearby.”

“The key to the success of our developments is flexibility as we strive to help clients overcome any barrier that prevents them from thriving. Our estates tend to be richly diverse and vibrant offering everyone high quality commercial space whether they are a soul operator needing an office or a multi-national needing a large factory or warehouse space.”

“Success breeds success and often our developments become a positive community promoting a high degree of business to business trade and networking opportunities.”

Large format print solutions company Design Xpress relocated to larger premises on the estate in Linden Park, Consett, in October 2014. Since then the company has seen continued growth, almost doubling turnover to £1.2m.

It supplies printed POS, display and exhibition graphics to trade, print management companies and end user businesses. With varied sector experience, including food and drink, leisure, public sector, pharmaceutical/medical and retail, it offers a wide range of print solutions on various media and substrates.

A dedicated account team strives to build strong, lasting relationships and offers cost effective and reliable print solutions. Investment into HP flat bed and Pagewide technology, coupled with the move to more suitable premises at Linden Park, has driven the business forward.

Managing Director Juliette Brown said: “The move onto Linden Park was a turning point for the business and secured us regular turnover through print management, with the privilege to work with some top companies and brands plus regular Government work. The unit provided us with the space for a much improved production workflow and also improved our profile.”

CAV Ice Protection Ltd leased an additional 16,526 sq ft of space at Number One Industrial Estate within the refurbished Block 14.

CAV Ice Protection Ltd, part of the CAV Systems Group, is a global aerospace supplier of airborne ice protection systems for civilian, commercial and military aircraft. CAV Ice Protection Ltd and its sister company CAV Advanced Technologies Ltd are both headquartered in Consett. The Group’s vision is for “safe, efficient flight”.

CAV Advanced Technologies Ltd specialises in the laser drilling and laser cutting of aircraft components to provide porous surfaces for Hybrid Laminar Flow Control (HLFC) systems, which improve fuel efficiency, ice protection systems and noise attenuation.

CAV Ice Protection designs certifies and manufactures ice protection systems which meet the most stringent international regulations for “flight into known icing” (FIKI) conditions. Proprietary technologies include TKS® Ice Protection Systems and SLD Guard™. Other services include consulting related to testing, international approvals, component qualification, electrical system design, reliability and safety analysis, aerodynamics, thermodynamics, quality and manufacturing design and integration.

VP Business Improvement for the Group, Andrew Porteous, commented: “Unit 14A & B is ideally located next to our existing facility. We have an exciting new product strategy and we are confident that our innovative safety critical solutions will be adopted by our global aviation partners. We are about to commence a significant redevelopment of the site, and once completed, Unit 14A & B will provide the necessary manufacturing and office space to support the anticipated growth of the business.”

Thomas Swan & Co Ltd completed a nine-year lease on Unit 14D covering 8,263 sq ft, on Number One Industrial Estate.

An independent chemical manufacturing company with offices and warehousing in the UK, USA and China and a global network of distributers, the company services the domestic and international markets and exports to over 80 countries worldwide. Founded in 1926, Consett is still home to its manufacturing facilities. Thomas Swan today produces over 100 products. From early beginnings in road surfacing, the company has diversified into a wide range of businesses including photonics, protein separation, flat screen displays, contract research, MOCVD reactors and hydrogen storage. For more details on Thomas Swan & Co Ltd visit www.thomas-swan.co.uk.

Logistics Manager at Thomas Swan & Co Ltd Dave Herron said: “Unit 14D will provide additional warehouse space to store key products to help us meet increased demand and in line with our growth strategy. Increased stock levels will mean we can provide shorter lead times and improve customer service. In addition, part of the unit will also be allocated to our engineering department as storage for equipment used in our manufacturing processes.”