A NEW HOME FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES
NetPark is an exciting new science and technology park project located in Sedgefield, County Durham. The development is a forward-looking flagship project, which will help create new industries and act as a magnet for investment in new technologies.
Jointly led by Durham County Council and Sedgefield Borough Council, the NetPark project is intended to create the ideal environment for knowledge-based industries to thrive and compete in the global market place. It benefits from close working links with the North East of England's five universities, of which the University of Durham will play a leading role in establishing NetPark's position as a breeding ground for scientific and technological excellence.
NetPark’s exceptional links with the Region’s universities are central to its evolution and create an environment for a true ‘meeting of minds’.
It will harness the world-class strengths of the Universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside in a central location and will provide fast-track access to their world-class research and teaching facilities, led by Durham University.
It also has links with the North East Centre for Scientific Enterprise (NECSE). NECSE is led by the University of Durham and involves the other Universities in the Region to commercialise science and technology from the Universities’ high quality research base.
The principal NetPark development partners - Durham County Council, Sedgefield Borough Council, the University of Durham, One Northeast, Sedgefield Borough Business Service and the County Durham Development Company - can call on a number of government and independent agencies to support and assist incoming or developing businesses.
NetPark acknowledges that the future of business will be driven by knowledge-based industries, a view central to the North-East of England's Regional Economic Strategy 'Unlocking Our Potential' and the Government’s mission to foster a national economy more able to compete on a global stage.
The project will allow companies to respond to the rapid pace of change in a competitive business world that demands investment in the research and development of ICT and advanced and science-based technologies.
NetPark will create an atmosphere which allows businesses to develop innovation and excellence, both through the skills of their own teams and in collaboration with the experts based in the region’s existing companies, universities and colleges.
A study of the NetPark project by Arthur D Little Consultants endorses the concept and recommends three broad areas of focus:
- Applied Bioscience
- Polymeric Materials
- Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics & Photonics
If you are considering a new location for developing a science or technology-based business, NetPark offers you a unique opportunity to become a part of The Home for Future Technologies.
DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION
NetPark is being developed on a site in the Borough of Sedgefield as a regional technology park for knowledge-based industries, satellite R&D facilities of major international organisations, and as a dynamic incubator/start-up environment for entrepreneurs and regional University graduates.
It will provide a working environment of the highest quality and set new standards in technology park design. The location has been selected as one which is ideal for a prestigious new development which preserves the site’s mature parkland setting.
NetPark, which is being jointly developed by Durham County Council and Sedgefield Borough Council, is marketed and promoted by County Durham Development Company and Sedgefield Borough Business Service. The project involves the University of Durham and is supported by One NorthEast.
KEY FACTS
- Phase 1 totals 13 hectares (33 acres) with potential for large-scale expansion to the north. All land is owned by the public sector.
- Phase 1 has outline planning permission for B1 users, i.e. office/hi-tech use.
- Individual plots are to be available for self-build, with gross areas ranging from .42 Ha (1.05 acres) to 1.62 Ha (4.00 acres).
- Plots will be initially available on leasehold terms, with an option to purchase freehold at a later stage.
- On-site and off-site works including a new spine road, drainage and utility services’ and improvement to the access from the A177 are complete.
- Gas, water and telecommunications services will be provided. A medium voltage electricity supply is being installed and substations will be installed once development of premises starts.
- ICT provision: broadband connectivity will be available throughout the site, up to a bandwidth of 155Gb/second.
- Located in a Tier 2 Assisted Area, accessing Department of Trade & Industry assistance in the North East, as well as an attractive local support package.
- Strong academic and research links with the University of Durham, and the region's four other major universities. NetPark is situated midway between Durham University's Durham City campus and its campus at Stockton-on-Tees
- NetPark enjoys good road communications with direct access from the A177. The main north-south A1 (M) trunk road is only a few minutes' drive away. The site also enjoys easy access to major UK transport arteries and international travel hubs.
- An attractive rural location which will include comprehensive landscaping to take full advantage of its existing mature parkland environment.
- More than 200 high quality houses have been constructed on the southern edge of the park by Miller Homes.
-
Adjacent to the historic medieval village of Sedgefield, other local amenities include Hardwick Hall Hotel, a golf course, Sedgefield racecourse and a range of local shops, pubs etc. are within easy reach.
-
Population within
5 miles - 43,800
10 miles - 482,000
20 miles - 1,478,000
BUSINESS SUPPORT FOR NETPARK
NetPark, which lies to the north of Sedgefield Village, is in a Tier 2 Assisted Area. County Durham Development Company (CDDC) and Sedgefield Borough Business Service (SBBS) can assist eligible projects, which qualify for a range of financial assistance to attract financial support such as:
Central Government - Department of Trade and Industry
- Regional Selective Assistance Grant aid for companies of any size contemplating a new project of at least £500,000 capital expenditure. The majority of grants range between 5% and 15% of fixed project costs with an average of £4,000 per job. However, there is the potential for larger grants for appropriate projects.
- Enterprise Grant: grant-aid for businesses of less than 250 employees (SMEs) with a project of less than £500,000 capital expenditure. Maximum Grant: £75,000.
- Smart: competitive grants for SMEs towards innovative feasibility and development projects involving a significant technological advance.
- For a feasibility study - 75% of eligible project costs up to a maximum of £45,000.
- For a development project - 30% of eligible project costs up to a maximum grant of £200,000 (including any grant already received for a Smart micro-project or feasibility study).
- Other Government / European Schemes include the LINK initiative (promotion of research partnerships), the Fifth Framework Programme (European Support for collaborative research) and TCS (graduate placement).
County Durham Development Company
Grant aid by way of a Property Development Grant or a Rates Equivalent Grant up to a maximum of £25,000. Small start-ups or expansion projects can qualify for up to £2,000.
Sedgefield Borough Business Service
The following grants are available to companies employing 100 or less at NetPark
- Development Grant of up to £10,000 for companies building, leasing or purchasing additional floor space up to 1,400 sq m.
- Small Business Grant for companies moving into premises of less than 300 sq m up to a maximum of £2000.
- Business Consultancy Grant to assist with the costs associated with specialist consultancy up to a maximum of £2,000.
- Company Development Programme offering grant to encourage marketing, export, research and development, ICT and quality assurance, accreditation and environmental assessment activities, for companies employing 50 or less.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
NetPark is being promoted and marketed jointly by the County Durham Development Company and Sedgefield Borough Business Service, the business support arms of Durham County Council and Sedgefield Borough Council respectively.
Both provide a comprehensive service to companies wishing to start up, grow or move into County Durham in general and NetPark in particular, and are fully equipped to handle all aspects from an initial enquiry to ensuring that a project is brought into full fruition and beyond with the minimum of difficulty.
One NorthEast (The Regional Development Agency for the North East of England) and the Department of Trade and Industry lead the task of attracting inward investment to the North East Region, and both organisations play an important supporting role.
For further information about NetPark or for a confidential discussion about opportunities for your business, please contact the NetPark marketing team at either:
County Durham Development Company
County Hall
Durham
United Kingdom
DH1 5U
Tel:
Fax:
E-mail:
ABOUT COUNTY DURHAM
Lying at the heart of the North East of England, County Durham provides a strategic location to serve the UK domestic market as well as being ideally placed for entry to Europe. The quality and abundance of industrial sites coupled with realistic land prices and property rentals provide modern industry with the basic requirements for growth.
County Durham covers an area of almost 861 square miles (215,250 hectares). The Western half of the County with its open moorland and wooded river valleys is recognised as an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty".
During the last 20 years or so, industrial estates and business parks have been added to this rich building heritage from the past, but nowhere does this growth threaten the County's charm.
The County's resident population has remained fairly static in the past few years at 486,600 of which 214,800 are economically active. There are 7 Local Government Districts in the County; Chester le Street, Derwentside, Durham, Easington, Sedgefield, Teesdale and Wear Valley. The County has 12 main centres of population ranging from Barnard Castle with 5,700 residents to Durham City 37,700 and Newton Aycliffe 25,300.
County Durham boasts a thoroughly modernised communications system with an excellent road network of motorway and trunk roads, Intercity rail links, Newcastle and Teesside Airports, and the ports of Tyne and Wear, and Tees. It also has its own port facilities at Seaham, offering a wide range of general cargo services.
County Durham offers high appeal to people moving in from outside the Region. New housing developments, new schools, modern community and sports complexes, and excellent shopping facilities all show the strides made in the continuing improvements to the County's quality of life in recent years.
Locating in County Durham means more than just setting up a business - it would also mean becoming part of a community that as well as having a memorable past, has a bright and promising future with all the basic ingredients for a full and satisfying lifestyle.
SEDGEFIELD
Sedgefield Borough is situated towards the south of County Durham and lies astride the main road axis of north/south communications in County Durham - the A1 (M) motorway.
To the east of the motorway the area is generally rural in character with rich low-lying agricultural land to the south of Sedgefield Village, giving way further north to the villages of the old Durham coalfield. To the west of the motorway, the land becomes more undulating and the area more densely populated with the major towns of the Borough - Shildon, Spennymoor, Newton Aycliffe and Ferryhill concentrated within a few miles of each other.
The Borough has a population of 88,300 and an area of 21,740 hectares (52,546 acres) with mixed development comprising historic villages, small towns and a new town development, all of which offer a wide choice of housing and lifestyles, with easy access to the countryside, shopping and leisure facilities.
Sedgefield had a strong tradition of employment in industry, and the Borough now has a large workforce with an engineering background, successfully adapting to the challenges of industry and manufacturing at the start of the 21st century.
The Borough of Sedgefield has all of the advantages of life in an urban community incorporated in a rural setting - in short, an attractive place to live and work.
 Top of Page
|
