Plan to create 6,000 new jobs and bring £400million economic boost unveiled

Durham County Council’s Cabinet members will consider a detailed analysis of plans for the redevelopment of its own Aykley Heads site when they meet at County Hall on Wednesday.

An outline business case for the creation of a new central business quarter was agreed in July 2016, and Wednesday's report brings together the expert and independent analysis undertaken since.

Analysis shows Durham does not currently offer enough premises for business growth despite the fact that half of enquiries made in the North East are from businesses which would consider moving to the city.

The proposals going before members next week have a clear focus on attracting quality jobs in areas such as finance, banking and legal services.

The plans also respect the natural landscape and will ensure quality employment prospects for local people – with particular emphasis put on graduate spin-offs and research and development.

If the masterplan is agreed, the council would move to smaller, more affordable city centre accommodation, with more staff moving to sites at Seaham, Meadowfield, Green Lane in Spennymoor and Crook.

County council leader Coun Simon Henig said: "Paving the way for the development of Aykley Heads as a strategic employment site represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to attract thousands of jobs for Durham and put hundreds of millions of pounds into the county’s economy.

"Providing a high quality development within the beautiful natural landscape, with views of the World Heritage Site, and adjacent to the mainline train station with access to London in under three hours is a fantastic opportunity not just for the county, but the wider region.

"Our business case is robust and well evidenced, but alongside this, a key principle for us in vacating the site will be to ensure that interested businesses provide high quality jobsand opportunities for local people.

"This is vitally important as it will enable investment that will bring more and better jobs to our residents, with a real focus on retaining our gifted and talented young people whooften leave to pursue their careers in other parts of the country. Freeing up this site for private sector investment is a real game-changer for Durham.”

North East Local Enterprise Partnership Chairman Andrew Hodgson said the plan would have huge benefits to the regional economy: "The North East Strategic Economic Plan sets out an ambition to generate 100,000 more and better jobs for the North East economy by 2024.

"About 50,000 of these jobs have already been created – so another 6,000 jobs would count for more than 10 per cent of the remaining total we have to go.

"The new businesses this development will attract on Aykley Heads can contribute further to the economy via the supply chain that will develop around these businesses.

"Experience tell us that from the potential 6,000 new jobs created on Aykley Heads there would likely be a further 6,000 jobs generated across the region to support them. It’s a very important opportunity for the region.”

Coun Joy Allen, the council's cabinet member for transformation, said a move from County Hall would change the way the authority worked: "We are without doubt at a pivotal moment for the future of our county, but also for us as an organisation.

"These plans would also enable us to transform how we operate, with a focus on workforce development in a smaller, modern and fit-for-purpose environment that can support a more dynamic and flexible approach and where the operating costs can be significantly reduced.

"Not only is the current HQ on a site that is now recognised as a prime development location for the private sector but it will actually cost more to modernise it than it would to build a new one.”

The full Cabinet paper along with the evidence base and all recommendations linked to the Aykley Heads master plan, Archives potential and new HQ can be viewed here https://democracy.durham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=154&MId=9127&Ver=4The public can learn more about the plan at www.durham.gov.uk/AykleyHeads