Richardson Barberry has secured detailed planning consent from Durham County Council for a £100m development of eight warehouse units at a North East business park.
Earthworks and construction of the 830,500 sq ft of warehouse and logistics space on a 42-acre site at Forrest Park are expected to begin next year.
Forrest Park (Newton Aycliffe) Limited, is a joint venture between Durham County Council and local landowners the Forrest family, who have signed a development agreement with Richardson Barberry. Over the next 10 years, it is hoped the park will provide 1.8m sq ft of industrial space and boost County Durham’s economy by almost half a billion pounds.
Jonathan Robinson, Barberry industrial development director, said: “Our phase one reserved matters planning consent marks a major step forward for what is a hugely important development for the region. We are excited at the prospect of starting work soon to deliver one of the North East’s premier business parks, which will stimulate economic growth and create thousands of new jobs. We are speaking with several occupiers who are interested in the scheme and hope to announce some more good news during 2023.”
Robinson added the first eight units will be available in a range of sizes, from around 37,000 sq ft to 250,000 sq ft, and there had already been strong interest from “local, regional, national and international occupiers in this prominent, motorway-connected, serviced and consented site”.
Mark Watkins, representing the Richardson family, said: “Forrest Park is part of the council’s long-term ambitions to create a thriving environment for businesses and investors to develop and grow while creating and safeguarding more and better jobs. This will also be crucial to the county’s economic recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is great to be on the brink of finally getting started on this exciting development.”
