Durham County Council has approved plans to expand Jade Business Park - a move that could support another 1,000 jobs once completed.
The Murton site will host another seven units across 550,000 sqft of floorspace after the council's planning committee approved phase two of the development. The council, which manages phase one of the park through its business support service Business Durham, say the expansion will make use of transport links and emerging renewable energy sources.
Coun James Rowlandson, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for resources, investments and assets, said: "This is fantastic news for the county’s economy and something which will be a catalyst for wider regeneration. Expansion of Jade Business Park will allow us to build on our Council Plan for 2020 to 2023 to create more and better jobs by enabling business growth.
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"This is being done by developing a pipeline of projects and investment plans at major employment sites, providing modern high quality commercial premises to meet the needs of growing businesses in the county. The ambition is to capitalise and build on the success of Phase One at Jade to bring new opportunities to the area and provide an improved employment offer.
"This will also complement the 3,285 new homes that are allocated to East Durham in the County Durham Plan.”
Don Scott, chief commercial officer at Power Roll, one of the businesses based at the park, said: "We built our solar film pilot manufacturing line at Jade Business Park during Phase One and we have significant growth in our ambitions for over the next three to five years. We are excited for Phase Two to potentially support that growth locally and make it easier to scale our business seamlessly.”
Buckinghamshire Properties Limited, which developed Phase One, will deliver the next phase alongside the council and with support from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership. Durham County Council says Phase Two of Jade Business Park will be financed by the private sector.
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