County Durham science park expansion showcased to government minister

The first was convened by Durham County Council, the driving force behind the Sedgefield park, to mark the momentous start of work on a £62m third phase of the site.

And the second saw a government minister visiting the park to hear from the county council about what phase three will herald and also to meet representatives of a key sector at NETPark – in the shape of businesses in the semiconductor industry.

Taking them in turn, the first event saw senior representatives of the council hosting invited guests who have made phase three possible or who will be involved in its delivery.

As well as heralding the start of work on the expansion of NETPark, it was also to celebrate the appointment of construction firm Kier to deliver phase three.

This new phase of the park, funded by the council with support from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, has potential to create to create 1,250 skilled jobs and to be worth £625m to the local economy over the next ten years.

These jobs would be across a broad range of specialties, such as science, technology, administration, accounting, marketing, IT and logistics.

The expansion also stands to provide an additional 2,200 in the supply chain.

What’s more, there is more space at NETPark that would enable further development and a proven record of growth.

As it stands, the park currently employs more than 700 people at 40 companies in specialist sectors. These include advanced materials and manufacturing, nanotechnology, X-Ray technology, semiconductors, defence, electronics, photonics, robotics, pharmaceutical and space/satellites.

And it was those employed in the semiconductor sector at the park that Science Innovation and Technology Minister Paul Scully met during his recent visit.

L-R – Richard Gibbs, Filtronic CEO, Paul Scully, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy), Cllr Richard Bell (Deputy Leader of Durham County Council), & Paul Howell MP for Sedgefield. (Image: Durham County Council)
As well as visiting to hear about phase three and the possibility of further expansion of the park, Mr Scully travelled north to get a snapshot of the dynamic semiconductor cluster at NETPark and also at County Durham and regionwide level. 

The sector has been a hot topic for the government in recent months with the launch of a semiconductor strategy which promised £1billion for the industry and the creation of a semiconductor panel to give businesses more of a say in the future of their sector.

NETPark was therefore a logical choice for the Minister to visit on the back of the panel launch, home as it is to national semiconductor companies such as Filtronic, Pragmatic and aXenic as well as the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult which recently established its North East presence at the Sedgefield site.

The three firms are part of a thriving North East but County Durham-centred cluster which encompasses the first semiconductor ‘fabrication plant’ to be built in the UK since 1996. This facility at Meadowfield near Durham City followed a $100m investment by Pragmatic.

The North East Advanced Material Electronics Cluster (NEAME) has developed with support from the council’s business support service Business Durham, and County Durham now hosts at least 700 jobs in the semiconductor industry.

The Minister’s visit gave the semiconductor companies and the county council the chance to make the case for further investment - in the industry, NETPark and County Durham.

Investment that could support the growth of NETPark both ahead of scheduled completion of phase three in early 2025 and with the potential for further expansion beyond.