Durham County Council set to expand Jade Business Park

Phase one of the site next to Dalton Park outlet centre at Murton near Seaham delivered seven industrial units, totalling 155,000 sq ft of new space for distribution, technology, and advanced manufacturing businesses

Now Phase 2 is set to deliver in excess of 500,000 sq ft of additional industrial space at Jade Business Park by Q3 2023.

The secret is the power of clusters - bringing together in one place companies keen to invest in the region as well as their own futures. Having elements of your supply chain next to you and perfect logistics on your doorstep is making a big difference to the Jade  firms and the stats are certainly impressive, with the location a big attraction for more national and international investors:

• 11 miles from Nissan Sunderland
• 12 miles from Durham Rail Station (under three hours to London)
• 3 miles to Port of Seaham
• 15 miles to Port of Tyne
• 21 miles to Newcastle Rail Station (approximately three hours to London)
• 27 miles to Teesport
• 28 miles to Newcastle International Airport
• 30 miles to Teesside International Airport

And with a labour market of 250,000 economically active people on its doorstep, businesses are moving Jade to the top of their list.

Cllr Elizabeth Scott,  Durham County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Partnerships, says that the abundance of potential is irresistible for investors.

Jade Business Park (Image: Press release)

"With all that is happening here now, it is amazing to think this used to be a disused area of County Durham until the County Council created the business park in 2020 on the site of a former pit and coke works," she said.

"There are already 160 people employed on the site so it's a significant part of what we can offer businesses - and these are good jobs at outstanding businesses like CoreHaus and Power Roll.

"Now we want to build on that success and are extending to develop phase two of the site to bring in another 550,000 square feet.

"The cluster effect is vital here, and very desirable for businesses in the green economy so we are wanting to build on that and bring more jobs to the area in a growing sector, which Durham seems to be excelling at. This is a demand-led development so we know that the businesses want to be there and want to grow."

Sites like this across the county mean the support infrastructure around them has to be spot-on as well, and with plans for around 3,000 homes in that part of the county, the area becomes more attractive place to live and work and grow a business through working with the likes of Business Durham, the business support service for Durham County Council.

"Business Durham is so good at this sort of major project and has been fantastic to work with at Jade Business Park," said Cllr Scott.

Jade Business Park is growing again (Image: Press release)

"The organisation is absolutely integral to the council because behind the scenes, you've got all of the departments working together, the planning department, highways, thinking about transport, links to employment and so many other factors.

"There are all these people working behind the scenes, but businesses don't want to know about that. They want to meet professionals from experienced organisations like Business Durham and that's why it's such a successful integration."

"We've all worked very hard in the last 18 months to bring together an inclusive economic strategy and that is really about lining things up for County Durham so that we are constantly working on a pipeline of businesses, but also investing in skills to make sure that you've got people who will work in those businesses.

"Then there are other elements like the housing mix, and making it an attractive destination for visitors is really important as well, because when people come here on holiday, that can spark a thought of 'actually, I'd like to live here or start my business there.

"They rightly expect everything to be here for them, so we won't just focus on one aspect of the economy and expect things to work. We will always look at the big picture."

Longer term, the county is set for a dazzling future as it develops new sites and new ambitions.

Cllr Scott explains: "When we did the City of Culture bid last year it shone a spotlight on Durham, and we've had positive feedback ever since. We're on the map, so come and see if we can help you. We want to work with partners across the board, private sector partners, to fulfil our ambitions and theirs.

"County Durham will never say 'this is what we're doing and we're not doing anything else' - just look what we've seen in the last three years. You've got to be able to change tack and the County Council is in a good place to be an enabler, leader and facilitator of that scale of change."