A North-East entrepreneur, who last year unveiled plans for a £10m County Durham trade and retail park, says he is confident the scheme will be approved “within weeks”.
Andrew Ward — a one-time market trader who is now managing director of customised clothing specialist Workwear Express — claims interest in his scheme has been very strong. He says he is already in advanced negotiations with replacement car parts specialist Kwik-Fit to take one of the units, with McDonald’s already committed to a drive-through restaurant.
Last year Ward announced his venture after spending a seven-figure sum to buy a former Kerry Foods factory on Dragon Lane, near Durham City. If approved the 5.6-acre plot would be transformed to include 13 trade counter units, ranging from 2,992 to 10,656 sq ft. The total sales floor space, both trade and retail, would be more than 83,000 sq ft.
“If these plans get the go-ahead — and initial discussions have been encouraging — we hope to start construction almost immediately and complete phase one of the scheme by the end of the summer 2015,” explained Ward, adding that phase two would follow shortly afterwards.
He said there was also the potential to include a car showroom, a child-friendly restaurant, a diner or pub and the scope for his own Workwear business to expand from its existing base on the Belmont Industrial Estate in County Durham.
“This scheme has the potential to be one of the most vibrant business hubs in the North of England. It will certainly be the catalyst for expansion at Workwear and our target is to double turnover to £20m by 2018.
“We hope Durham County Council will recognise the value of this scheme, which will create much-needed jobs at a time when unemployment in the region is the highest in the country,” added the businessman. More than 300 jobs were lost when the Kerry Foods factory closed in 2012.
Peter Bartley is director at chartered surveyors and property agents Bradley Hall which is negotiating with prospective tenants for the site. “Andrew is one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in the country with the vision to make schemes like this a reality,” said Bartley.
“I have been amazed by the level of interest from national companies that want to set up a base on site, even though the units haven’t yet been formally put on the market.”
