Member Article

UK Land Estates given go ahead for Team Valley development

Gateshead Council has granted UK Land Estates planning permission for a major development at the former Huwoods site on Team Valley.

The approval of Numbers 1 and 2 Kingsway North comes as another big development on Dukesway nears completion and a tenant prepares to move in to Queens Court, site of the first speculative build in eight years on the flagship estate.

Keith Taylor, Managing Director of UK Land Estates, said: “Kingsway North is a major development at the Northern gateway to Team Valley and demonstrates our confidence in the local economy.

“We expect significant interest in the two Grade A buildings because there isn’t anything of this sort of size, style and elegance in the region, never mind at Team Valley.”

UK Land Estates expects the two showpiece industrial units with two-storey office space will appeal to companies looking for a headquarters in the region.

They are getting inquiries from the engineering, manufacturing, IT and energy sectors – and from distribution as well.

Mining engineers Huwoods once employed 2,000 people there. It closed in the 1990s but their huge sign continued to be seen up to a mile away until the building was demolished in 2013.

Meanwhile work is nearing completion on a 55,000 sqft plot at Dukesway Central where three units are being built. A deal is in the offing for one of the two larger units and a company is showing a strong interest in the other.

Mr Taylor said: “This is a really exciting time for Team Valley. We embarked on the first speculative build on the estate for eight years at Queens Court and we can now announce that it will be occupied by Adept Fasteners.

“The interest shown in the Dukesway development is encouraging - and a useful barometer of confidence in the region - and we are confident that our investment in Kingsway North will pay off and attract a lot of genuine interest.

Work has just finished on another development on Dukesway proving that, quite literally, things are all good on Team Valley.

Food company All Good, producer of own-label and branded savoury snacks including Mexican Dave’s Legendary Tortilla Chips and Manomasa, were outgrowing their Team Valley home so UK Land Estates came up with a £750,000 solution.

They refurbished the 16,000 sqft unit next door – occupied by Catering Equipment Wholesaler for 30 years – and extended the building to make two become one.

All Good MD Calum Ryder said: “Our requirement was quite bespoke and our timescales quite demanding but we worked closely with UK Land Estates for over six months and got the perfect solution to our requirement without interruption to the business.

“Since moving in to the unit business is flourishing to the extent we may need to work with UK Land Estates on additional property which we would be more than happy to do.”

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