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Joint venture partner selected to deliver new innovation district

Graphic of buildings, cyclists and people walking

A North East council has selected nationwide placemaker, Muse, as its joint venture partner to deliver the first phase of a new innovation district.

The first phase comprises the Durham County Council-owned Aykley Heads site, which is currently home to the authority’s County Hall headquarters. The 15-hectare site already has outline planning consent for 40,000 sq m of commercial space.

The council has issued a conditional award to Muse for a joint venture delivery partnership, which will act as a catalyst for the wider Durham Innovation District.

The 62-hectare innovation district is already home to several major businesses and institutions, including Durham University Business School.

The opportunity will bring together the university, industrial partners, government, and private sector investors. The public-private partnership, supported by the university, is expected to create thousands of new jobs.

The council, with the support of the university, has shaped the vision for the innovation district, which is expected to become a regional hub for research, data science, fintech, green technology, and healthcare.

Subject to the execution of the joint venture agreement, Muse and the council will work in partnership to develop more detailed proposals.

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “These are really exciting times for County Durham.

“It is long-standing goal of ours to develop a Strategic Employment Site at Aykley Heads and progressing a joint venture delivery partnership with Muse shows we remain committed to fulfilling that ambition.

“Aykley Heads has the potential to deliver thousands of quality jobs for our residents and, together with other sites in the new Durham Innovation District, it can be a significant driving force for County Durham’s future economic growth, as well as that of the wider North East.

“We are delighted to have the support of world leading research institution Durham University and the North East Combined Authority, and look forward to the university’s presence acting as a catalyst to help us attract innovation-led businesses and investors to Aykley Heads and the wider district.

“An innovation district in County Durham which is of regional, national, and international significance will deliver jobs for residents and ensure our city remains a great place to live, work, visit and invest.”

Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse, said: “Durham County Council, supported by Durham University, has already developed an ambitious vision, and we are excited at the prospect of working in partnership to deliver the Durham Innovation District.

“The Aykley Heads campus will act as the catalyst for this nationally significant opportunity which will leverage the long-term vision of the council and delivery capability of Muse, alongside the innovation pedigree of the university.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive economic growth and job creation in County Durham and the North East.”

Kim McGuinness, the North East Mayor, said: “The rebirth of Aykley Heads and the wider innovation district represents an important turning point for Durham which has the potential to create thousands of new jobs close to the heart of the city.  We have invested £9.2 million in this partnership as part of our programme to support economic growth and create real opportunity for local people by bringing new businesses and jobs to our region.”

Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, said: “The development of Aykley Heads and the Durham Innovation District is a unique opportunity to catalyse inclusive, innovative and sustainable growth in our region, by attracting new investment and creating new, high-quality jobs.

“We look forward to working with Durham County Council to ensure our communities benefit most from this nationally significant project.”

Collage of proposed buildings Akley Heads

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Major milestone as first tenant signs up for £100million science park expansion

NETPARK phase 3 CGI image

A leading tech firm which supplies components and subsystems to space, aerospace, defence and telecoms is the first tenant to sign up for a new unit in a growing County Durham science park.

Filtronic will move into custom-built headquarters within the £100million Phase 3 extension to the North East Technology Park (NETPark) at Sedgefield in 2025.

An existing tenant of the park, the award-winning manufacturer’s new facility will more than double its operational footprint.

The move will further strengthen the firm’s capabilities and increase capacity, while enhancing its cleanroom facilities, engineering laboratories and testing facilities.

It comes at a time when the firm’s growth has been boosted by deals struck with Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, for the supply of critical RF subsystems for low Earth orbit satellites.

Left to right: Michael Tyerman, chief financial officer at Filtronic, is pictured in front of the company’s new unit at NETPark with North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, NETPark project director, Janet Todd and Leader of Durham County Council, Cllr Amanda Hopgood.Michael Tyerman, chief financial officer at Filtronic, said: “We opted to stay at NETPark due to its modern infrastructure, the presence of innovative and like-minded companies, and the flexibility it provides for scaling our operations.

“The new facility expands our manufacturing and office space as well as upgrading test facilities. It will support the continued development of our leading-edge products and enable us to scale capacity to meet growing customer demand.

“This commitment to innovation was recognised earlier this year when we were honoured with the King’s Award for Innovation, making us one of the few businesses in the UK to hold both the King’s and the Queen’s Award simultaneously.

“It was also a core reason why SpaceX entered into a strategic partnership with us in April of this year, which includes the ongoing supply of E-band solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs), alongside collaborative efforts in developing and delivering comparable products across multiple frequency bands core to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.”

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, added: “Filtronic is one of a number of world-class companies we have at NETPark, and its success story really encapsulates what NETPark is all about.

“It came to NETPark as part of a company expansion in 2014, starting in a small incubator space and going from strength to strength ever since. Here we are 10 years on, with the company having had a spectacular five months during which it has secured £30million of orders from Elon Musk’s SpaceX for RF subsystems for its Starlink platform as part of an ongoing strategic partnership.

“To think there will be critical products travelling through space that were made in County Durham is pretty mind-blowing really and it’s something we should be incredibly proud of.”

20 years of NETPark!

The announcement was made as NETPark, which is owned by Durham County Council and managed by Business Durham, celebrated its 20th anniversary today (5 September).

The occasion was marked with an event held in one of the Phase 3 extension’s new units.

Representatives of NETPark businesses, Durham County Council, and the North East Combined Authority were among those in attendance.

Born from a clear strategic vision and developed and delivered in partnership, NETPark has established itself as one of the UK’s leading science, engineering and technology parks.

It is currently home to more than 40 pioneering companies employing more than 700 people.

NETPark based companies are developing cutting-edge products that help people live healthier lives, keep people safe, generate sustainable energy and more.

Cllr Hopgood said: “Twenty years ago, when the council took the bold decision to allocate land to establish a science park in County Durham, the vision was for NETPark to become a global hub for engineering, science and technology-based companies.

“It’s certainly achieved that, and the county is reaping the benefits now as NETPark’s success has brought hundreds of higher-skilled, high-value jobs. The 20th anniversary has given us an opportunity to celebrate that success and thank all of the partners and businesses that have made it possible.

It’s a success based on harnessing the skills and knowledge base of our advanced manufacturing heritage and bringing them together with the research capabilities of a world-class university. The combination of those things makes for a unique and world-class offer.

“We’re now investing £100million to expand NETPark and this will take things to a new level, bringing another wave of high-value jobs. The new units are attracting major interest, while enabling us to retain growing companies like Filtronic in County Durham so they can realise their ambitions here and not somewhere else.

“All in all, we expect the expansion will unlock over 285,000 sq ft of new lab and scale-up production space and create up to 1,250 high-value jobs on site along with a further 2,200 jobs in wider supply chains.”

Earlier this year, NETPark was confirmed as a Growth Site in the North East Investment Zone as part of the £4.2billion devolution deal.

North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, said: “NETPark has become a driving force for attracting national and international businesses in Durham and the North East, demonstrating our reputation as a fantastic place to live, work and do business.

“As Mayor, I will back NETPark, and the whole of County Durham, so we create more jobs, attract businesses and investment and create real opportunity for local people. As a Combined Authority we are investing in NETPark through our Investment Zone, creating over 1,200 high skill, high-paid jobs, building amazing new lab and production spaces for businesses to grow; and adding over £600million to the North East’s economy.

“We have spades in the ground, with infrastructure and enabling works already underway. From semi-conductors to the next generation in space technology, we can create a very bright future for NETPark, County Durham and our great North East.”

For more information about opportunities at NETPark visit www.northeasttechnologypark.com.

Pic caption: Michael Tyerman, chief financial officer at Filtronic, is pictured in front of the company’s new unit at NETPark with (left to right) North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, NETPark project director, Janet Todd and Leader of Durham County Council, Cllr Amanda Hopgood.

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Milestone in mine water heat project as work starts

Ground breaking event to mark the start of work. 11 people in hard hats and safety clothing standing in a row.

A key milestone has been reached in one of the UK’s first large-scale mine water heat projects, with work now underway.

Durham County Council is working with a number of organisations to deliver the project, which will ultimately see mine water used to heat homes on a new sustainable community, near Seaham.

The authority has teamed up with the Mining Remediation Authority and Karbon Homes, to heat 750 affordable homes on the Seaham Garden Village development. The ultra-low carbon district heat network has thus far received more than £4m in government funding.

All legal and land agreements were recently completed, including the appointment of Vital Energi to design, build and operate the ultra-low carbon district heat network that will heat half of the homes on the new garden village.

With the agreements in place, Vital has begun work to construct the energy centre, which will take heat to those homes.

Cllr Mark Wilkes, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, said: “We are delighted to have started work on what will be the UK’s first large-scale mine water heat project using a mine water treatment scheme, right here in County Durham.

“This innovative project will have significant environmental benefits – making use of currently untapped heat to keep houses warm, and, in doing so, avoiding the need to use non-renewable sources of energy.

“The affordable properties will also provide a welcome boost to County Durham residents looking to get on the housing ladder; while the prospect of more homes, a school and innovation hubs in the future will, we hope, attract people looking for somewhere to live, families and those seeking work.

“A lot of planning has gone into this project in recent years involving a number of organisations and it’s therefore really exciting to have all the necessary agreements in place and work starting on the ground.”

The project will harness mine water treated at the Mining Remediation Authority’s Dawdon Mine Water Treatment Scheme.

Water is extracted from the former coal workings to protect the groundwater aquifer which provides drinking water to local households. This water is extracted at 19-20 degrees throughout the year, is treated to remove heavy metals and is then discharged out to sea.  The heat currently dissipates into the atmosphere. 

However, under the council-led project, the heat from the extracted water will instead feed into the ultra-low carbon district heat network. A new energy centre will increase the water temperature through a heat exchange and the water will then be provided to the new homes through a new pipe network.

The mine water project has received £4.3m from the government’s Heat Networks Investment Project; including £3.23m towards construction.

Richard Bond, Innovation and Services Director at the Mining Remediation Authority, said: “This scheme is a further milestone in our journey to harness mine water heat to provide sustainable heating solutions across the former coalfields. It opens up possibilities to use our treatment facilities across the UK, where warm water is already being pumped to the surface.

“With over 80 mine water treatment schemes across the UK, we see great potential to deliver dual-purpose facilities that protect water supplies and generate renewable heat. Whether accessing mine water heat via our treatment schemes or boreholes, the Mining Remediation Authority is proud to offer innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions by repurposing the amazing UK coal-mining heritage.”

Granted garden village status by the government in 2019, Seaham Garden Village will be built over the next ten years. It will comprise 1,500 homes, 750 being developed for private sale by Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes and 750 being developed for affordable tenures by Karbon, as well as a new village centre, primary school and innovation hubs. 

The 750 affordable homes delivered by Karbon, the first phase of which is underway with Karbon’s construction partner Esh Group, will connect to the network.

Paul Fiddaman, Chief Executive of Karbon Homes, said: “Our involvement in the delivery of Seaham Garden Village shows our commitment to investing in the area, working with our construction partner Esh Group to build new affordable homes that help meet local housing need.

“With further commitments to ensuring the homes we build are of the highest quality and energy efficiency, it’s fantastic to partner with Durham County Council and the Mining Remediation Authority to connect our homes to this innovative low carbon heat system, one of the first of its kind in the country.

“Paired with boasting a range of energy efficiency technologies, like solar PV panels, these homes will be well on the way to net zero.”

The new homes from Karbon are part-funded by Homes England, through the housing association’s Strategic Partnership with the government’s housing delivery agency.   

The strategic partnership has provided Karbon with £165m in funding, to deliver 2,200 new affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire over the next few years.

To find out more, visit https://seahamgardenvillage.co.uk/