London-based Citrus Group has unveiled plans for what it claims would be one of the biggest North-East commercial and industrial developments in more than a decade.
The developer says the scheme — on a 180-acre site just off Junction 61 of the A1(M) at Bowburn, near Durham City — would create up to 4,500 jobs and pump at least £2.7bn into the regional economy when completed sometime in the 2020s.
Citrus says investment in its Integra61 scheme could eventually be as high as £160m. It is now working closely with Durham County Council and other stakeholders to produce an outline planning application ready for submission before the end of the year.
Although the group’s development manager, David Cullingford, says the overall design is still “very fluid” the developer envisages up to 1.7m sq ft of industrial and distribution units, premium office space, a 70-bedroom hotel, shops, a gym, a nursery and up to 300 new homes along the site’s boundary with Bowburn Village.
Depending on the response from planners and local residents, a public consultation period starts next month, infrastructure work on the site could get underway by early 2017.
“We are 100 per cent committed to Integra61,” said Cullingford. “This will be a landmark development for the North-East and County Durham in particular.
“We have been diligently working over many months to reach this position where we can publicly announce our intentions.
“We are also acutely aware there have been false dawns with this site in the past,” he added. “Because of that we have assembled a large and experienced team to ensure we deliver a scheme that would add substantial economic value to the region.”
Citrus — which has offices in London and Birmingham and describes itself as having a “solid track record in acquiring properties with asset enhancement opportunities” — bought the site after a similar industrial development collapsed during the recession.
