PLANS have been submitted to build two industrial start up units as part of a £90m project at a business park.

An application has been submitted by Ryder Architecture on behalf of Merchant Anglo to build a new 4,704spm gross internal area for industrial start up units in Newton Aycliffe, with associated landscaping and vehicle and pedestrian access.

The facilities have been proposed in response to the demand for industrial units and developers say they will bring jobs and investment to County Durham.

In the design and access part of the application it says the site is on brownfield land and forms part of the wide masterplan for the area, known as Merchant Park.

It reads: “The development is intended to serve the small start up business. The proposal will facilitate the safe movement of large format delivery vehicles.

“Unit A will provide 2,607sqm of accommodation, Unit B will provide 2,097sqm of accommodation. The scheme is split into ten units, ranging in size from 296sqm to 807sqm. Car parking will be provided for staff, deliveries and visitors, comprising 35 spaces.

“The proposed buildings are single storey and lend themselves to an elevational treatment that emphasises surrounding landscape rather than the built form. Therefore they aim to make use of colour, simple forms, planting and non reflective materials to blend into the existing landscape rather than to stand out from it.”

Developers say the proposals hope to build on County Durham’s strong manufacturing sector by delivering a modern industrial facility suitable to accommodate new and growing businesses.

The plans have been submitted due to demand in the area for high quality and flexible industrial units, helping to create new jobs whilst generating investment opportunities in the heart of Newton Aycliffe.

The broader Merchant Park site forms an extension onto the industrial environment.

Merchant Park is part of Aycliffe Business Park, which is the second largest industrial estate in the North-East.

The business park has a total site area of 672 acres and is home to more than 250 companies employing more than 8,000 people.

Major occupiers at Aycliffe Business Park include Hitachi Rail, Husqvarna, Ineos,Tetley and Lidl.

Developers believe the site is ideal for the plans, the application states: "Newton Aycliffe benefits from excellent road communications with the A1(M) located immediately to the east of the town, which is the main north/south link road serving the region.

"The town also benefits from easy access to some of the UK's busiest east coast ports such as Teesport and Port of Tyne.

"The estate is located approximately 1.5 miles south of Newton Aycliffe town centre and less than one mile north west of junction 59 of the A1 (M) via the A167 dual carriageway. The site is also served by a number of the principal bus routes.

"There are no listed buildings on or adjacent to the site and it does not lie within a conservation area.

The full planning application and comments on the proposals can be found online at durham.gov.uk