Developer appointed to bring forward proposals for new 55 hectare business park in Cramlington

Government agency Homes England, the site owner, has named developer Arlington Real Estate as its joint venture partner for West Hartford Business Park, which it is proposing for a site north of the A192 near West Hartford Fire Station.

The land is designated by Northumberland County Council and North of Tyne Combined Authority as a ‘strategic employment site’.

An outline planning application for the scheme is expected to be submitted this summer and will feature up to a million square feet of commercial and light industrial premises for a multitude of uses.

Dean Cook, managing director of Arlington Real Estate, said: “We are exceptionally proud to become Homes England’s joint venture partner to deliver this strategically important site in the North East.

“The West Hartford Business Park will become a fundamental part of Northumberland’s growing economy, providing high quality space for a range of businesses that will benefit from operating out of this region.

“We hope to attract further inward investment as well as safeguard the fantastic businesses that are currently here and allow them to grow.”

Arlington’s previous projects in the North East include the DurhamGate, Freemans Reach, and Milburngate developments in County Durham.

Jon Irvine, interim director of national development at Homes England, added: “We are pleased to appoint Arlington Real Estate as our joint venture partner for the development of the West Hartford Business Park.

“This site presents some exciting economic opportunities for Northumberland and with Arlington Real Estate’s track record of delivering high quality schemes that generate employment, we are confident that this site will be a valuable addition to the area’s commercial activities.”

Homes England has previously had a planning application to build 501 dwellings and a primary healthcare facility at the site rejected.

Northumberland county councillors dismissed the previous proposal in 2019, opting to preserve the site, at the time representing more than half of Cramlington’s available employment land, for industrial use.

The site was previously owned by regional development agency One NorthEast and came into Homes England custody after One NorthEast’s abolition more than a decade ago.