THE perception of progress at Newcastle Great Park may have focused on the Sage headquarters and a great deal of housing, but the autumn could see significant steps forward in providing more business space and on building the town centre. Major business addresses such as the Regent Centre have already demonstrated that Gosforth has many attractions as a location for business. But whereas the Regent Centre has created jobs for many thousands, Newcastle Great Park is still in its infancy. The most obvious commercial building is the Sage headquarters and the company has already announced it is to go ahead with further expansion of this major international office in the not too distant future. But for immediate action, beyond the continuing development of housing, is the speculative development of two 30,000sq ft office buildings. This is the much needed statement that Newcastle Great Park is indeed being developed as a total community with a very large slice of business space. In all 500,000sq ft are planned for the areas between Sage and the A1. The buildings to be developed, as a start of this business park in a parkland setting, will offer 10,000sq ft floorplates and a high specification, including an iconic design statement. Lease terms are flexible with both leasehold and freehold options. As a location, the business park has two main advantages – immediate access to the A1 trunk road and just minutes from Newcastle International Airport with its scheduled flights to 20 UK and European cities. The town centre is also likely to see a start on site this autumn. It is also close to the business park and will eventually be a pivotal link between the residential and business elements of Newcastle Great Park. Paul Nicholson is director of agency at Atisreal in Newcastle. |