Columnist

Unlocking the North East’s collective potential

The proposed Mayoral Development Zone is one of the most exciting opportunities on the table for our region. 

By streamlining planning and investment across Newcastle and Gateshead, it has the potential to accelerate regeneration, unlock housing and commercial development, and send a clear signal that the North East is serious about growth.

But the Mayoral Development Zone is about more than bricks, mortar and infrastructure. 

It speaks to a wider truth: the North East has always been greater than the sum of its parts.

From the Tweed to the Tees, our region is defined by the strength of its communities and the ambition of its people. 

From manufacturers on the Tyne and Wear, to universities shaping the workforce of tomorrow and creative clusters on Teesside, we thrive when we act with unity of purpose.

When business leaders speak about the future, their priorities are consistent. 

They want certainty for long-term investment, a strong pipeline of skills fit for the future, and civic leadership that is ambitious, joined-up and focused on delivery.

Business leaders and investors don’t see lines on a map – they see opportunity. 

A project in Newcastle can boost suppliers in Northumberland and Durham. 

Growth in Sunderland creates knock-on benefits across the supply chain. 

Hartlepool’s Northern Studios, within the boundaries of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, strengthens the North East’s creative proposition as a whole. 

Our success is shared.

That’s why parity of access matters so much. 

It isn’t simply about fairness – it’s about positive impact. 

What’s good for one part of the North East is good for all. 

And that is exactly the principle behind the Chamber’s recently launched policy plan, Unlocking the North East Economy 2025–27.

The plan provides a powerful anchor point at a time of political change. 

It sets out how the region can seize opportunities in skills, connectivity and net-zero, while removing the barriers that too often hold us back. 

Most importantly, it underlines the need for collaboration across every part of our region to deliver the sustainable, long-term growth we all want to see.

The Mayoral Development Zone is a practical way of putting that vision into action.

Business leaders will really welcome the collaboration. 

We, as a business and employer community, are ready to work shoulder to shoulder with the combined authority to make this happen.

Of course, differences of opinion are inevitable. 

But handled constructively, they strengthen, rather than weaken, our collective ambition. 

The test of leadership is whether we can work through those differences and keep our eyes fixed on the bigger prize: the investment, infrastructure and influence our communities deserve.

If we seize this moment with confidence and unity, the North East can show the rest of the UK what joined-up regional leadership really looks like.

John McCabe is chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce

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