New milestone for Gateshead’s 2.5 million sq ft Follingsby Max development

Pre-development works on a new 2.5 million sq ft industrial scheme in Gateshead have reached a new milestone.

Half of the of the 250,000 cubic metres of cut-and-fill earthworks at Highgrove Group’s Follingsby Max development are now complete.

Close to 40% of the stone carpet has also been laid to form a resilient surface with fully serviced plots, putting the scheme on track to be ready for development by the end of the year.

Elsewhere, work on a series of ‘green infrastructure’ elements has started, including the formation of attenuation ponds and drainage features, and the capture and relocation of nearly 25 great crested newts.

Other works in the pipeline include a widening of Follingsby Lane, starting this month and due for completion in time for Christmas.

Follingsby Max is located next to Follingsby Park, one of the most prominent industrial and distribution parks in the North East.

David Price, operations director at Highgrove, said: “It’s very pleasing to see the development really now starting to form as the pace of infrastructure works and pre-development accelerates.

“We are firmly on track to having the development plateaus complete, fully serviced and oven ready for development by the end of the year.”

David Land, investment board chair at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, commented: “It’s great to see this significant Enterprise Zone coming forward to be ready to attract companies within the distribution/logistics operations, manufacturing and automotive sectors.

“Enterprise Zones are a strategically important asset for the region and have the potential to help deliver more and better jobs for our region.”