Category Archives: Announcements

We are pleased to confirm that work on our new 34,286 sq ft industrial development, Dale Court in South Kirkby has been completed. The new development will be officially launched at a breakfast reception on site at the end of the month.

The new development which has been part funded by the European Regional Development Fund provides 26 units with sizes ranging from 536 sq ft up to 3,372 sq ft. The new units are arranged in 3 separate terraced blocks and have been constructed to a high specification. The units over 2,200 sq ft incorporate integral office space, with each unit benefitting from dedicated parking and good communal circulation space.   The development has been constructed in line with BREEAM and has been designed to be energy efficient, with 30% of the site being given over to Green and Blue infrastructure.

Neil McManus, Senior Development Executive at Northern Trust commented “We are delighted to have been able to deliver this much needed SME industrial accommodation in South Kirkby. As a brownfield former colliery site which was previously remediated it was an ideal development opportunity, but required some grant intervention to bridge the gap between delivery costs and rents for the area.    Following completed there has been a significant number of occupiers wishing to locate to the development bring jobs and growth to the area. This demonstrates that there was demand and the European Regional Development Fund (now the levelling up fund) has supported unlocking these local business opportunities. Northern Trust will continue to operate the new facility alongside its wider portfolio providing long term SME support in the local area.”

The new development is actively managed by Northern Trust’s regional team based in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire portfolio now covers over 1.2 million sq ft of business space in over 500 individual units.

Dan Hodge, Regional Property Director at Northern Trust added “Having joined the team last year, it is great that we will be officially launching Dale Court. Given the current economic climate this development shows Northern Trust’s commitment to investing in the area and creating jobs for the local economy, with the portfolio supporting in the region of 25,000 jobs across the Country. We have already seen strong interest in the available space, and expect the first occupiers to be moving in before the end of the month.”

The 3 acre site was purchased from Wakefield Council and forms part of South Kirkby Business Park Enterprise Zone. South Kirkby Business Park consists of sites remediated for development on the former South Kirkby Colliery utilising The National Coalfields Programme and the European Regional Development Fund ReCHAR II Programme.

Sanderson Weatherall (SW) is acting as marketing agents on the scheme on behalf of Northern Trust. Jay Dhesi of SW added, “Dale Court is already proving popular with a number of the units already under offer and due to complete in the next few weeks. Northern Trust has once again provided an outstanding scheme that is of high-quality design and specification.”

For more details and current availability on the Dale Court please visit the website https://www.dalecourt-southkirkby.co.uk/ or contact our Yorkshire team on 01924 282020.

We are pleased to confirm that MGM Building & Property Maintenance Ltd, have completed the letting of Unit 10A on their Tanfield Lea (North) Industrial Estate in Stanley. The letting was completed on a 3 year tenancy agreement.

MGM Building & Property Maintenance Ltd, have worked as a contractor for Northern Trust since 2016. Their business predominately covers, refurbishment of industrial units including plumbing works, decoration, cleaning, waste removal, maintenance works and external decoration works. The company is run by husband and wife team George and Tanya Michiels.

Tanya commented about their new premises “We are so proud our business has grown and we are now able to acquire an industrial unit from Northern Trust on a lovely estate. We are looking forward to having the space for our business to keep expanding and a base to run it from instead of home. We enjoy working alongside Northern Trust staff and other organisations to ensure their tenants and future tenants are happy with the standard of the units we work on.”

Tanfield Lea is actively managed by Northern Trust’s in house managing agents, Whittle Jones. Steven Porter, Regional Property Manager at Whittle Jones North East commented “We have worked with MGM Building & Property Maintenance for a number of years now, with them helping on the property maintenance of our sites across the North East portfolio. I am therefore delighted we were able to satisfy George and Tanya’s occupational requirements, and I am pleased to welcome them to their new unit at Tanfield Lea. I look forward to continuing to work with them on our maintenance and refurbishment projects.”

To read the full press release please click here. 

We are pleased to confirm that J Barbour & Sons recently leased an additional 8,537 sq ft unit at Aidan Court, part of the Bede Industrial Estate in Jarrow taking their occupied space to over 370,000 sq ft on the site.

Originally established by John Barbour in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England to provide outerwear to fishermen, sailors and mariners, to protect them from the worst of the British weather, today Barbour offers a complete wardrobe of clothes, accessories and footwear for men, women and children. Shirts, knitwear, trousers, footwear and accessories are now just as much in demand as Barbour’s iconic outerwear.

Joe Bernhoeft, Director at Barbour commented “As we bounce back from the pandemic, we’ve experienced a strong increase in demand for our products, particularly through many of our online channels. As this digital movement increases, we are investing in our capabilities and capacities to feed our digital channels with excellent quality Brand material and content. As such, we have worked with Northern Trust to expand and include a new dedicated Photo Studio, enhancing the clarity, quality, and relevance of our digital content for our customers. This exciting new step forward is a significant investment in technology and the expansion of our talented digital content team. We believe this will enable us to drive positive interactions and relationships with our consumers across the UK and global markets.”

You can visit the Barbour website at https://www.barbour.com/uk/

from left to right – Barry Nelson, Regional Property Director at Whittle Jones Welcomes Andrew Liddle, Facilities Manager at Barbour.

Northern Trust’s land ownership at Bede Industrial Estate extends to over 1 million sq ft, with 164,201 sq ft lettable space in 56 individual units with individual sizes ranging from just 495 sq ft.

Barry Nelson, Regional Property Director at Whittle Jones added “We have worked closely with Barbour for a number of years now on their occupational requirements; and are delighted we were able to provide the additional space they required to further their expansion plans. Having Barbour as an occupier on the site is a real plus for other businesses that are looking to relocate to the area.”

To read the full press release please click here. 

We are pleased to confirm that we have completed the letting of a 9,958 sq ft unit at our North Seaton Industrial Estate in Ashington to New College Durham.

The detached unit has been fully refurbished to include a new roof, windows, doors and office space and benefits from an enclosed yard and parking provision. New College Durham has completed the letting of the unit and is planning to open a new training facility at the site.

New College Durham is a high performing further and higher education college with a focus on skills contribution and development. It is the only college in the North East to have been awarded a ‘Strong’ skills rating by Ofsted, demonstrating the level of commitment to skills development in the region.

New College Durham provides programmes for young people, adult learning, apprenticeships, provision for learners with high needs and higher education delivered through the NCD University Centre. The new premises in Ashington will support the college’s vision to be one of the leading training and education providers in the North East, extending delivery north of the Tyne.

Colleen Peters, Vice Principal at New College Durham said: “New College Durham is delighted to be securing premises that will further enable our ongoing collaboration with the key stakeholders. Having a site in the area means we can make training and development even more accessible and available for North of the Tyne residents, and we can strengthen our networks with local employers in the region. We are excited to be creating our training portfolio, for delivery to commence in the near future.”

For more details on New College Durham please visit the website at https://www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk/

To read the full press release please click here. 

We are pleased to confirm that following completion of the new 35,773 sq ft industrial development in St Helens, in August last year, the estate is now fully occupied within 5 months of completion.

The phase two development at Gerards Park prominently situated on College Street, added 20 units to the popular scheme. The new units have been constructed to a high specification and are arranged in 3 separate terraced blocks with sizes ranging from 818 sq ft up to 2,900 sq ft.

The phase two development has been part funded by the Local Growth Fund. Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund.

The new development sits alongside Northern Trust’s existing Gerards Park scheme which was developed back in 2012 and is actively managed by Northern Trust’s in house managing agents, Whittle Jones. In total Gerards Park now provides over 66,650 sq ft in 41 individual units.

To read the full press release please click here. 

The family business, Aaardvark Jewellers first moved into the Jewellery Business Centre in Birmingham in January of this year and took additional space in May. They now occupy 554 sq ft in two suites and have recently revamped their office space.

Jewellery Business Centre is a 3 storey building providing a total 31,648 sq ft of modern office space located in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Built around a beautiful landscaped courtyard, the Business Centre is also home to Northern Trust’s in house management company, Whittle Jones Midlands. The Centre is home to over 60 different businesses, supporting over 300 jobs.

Aardvark Jewellery is a company that specialises in the unique. They feel that something as special as jewellery should not be mass produced from a production line. Each piece that they produce is made on an individual basis. They produce one-off items, as well as completely bespoke jewellery that is tailored to individually required specifications. Ashley Adams of Aardvark Jewellery commented “We are extremely excited about the new studio space. I feel that the design and layout really lends itself to the friendly, one-to-one approach we take with each client.”

For more details on Aardvark Jewellery please visit their website at https://aardvarkjewellery.com/

Lauren Mclean, Lettings Manager at Whittle Jones Midlands added “Ashley and the team at Aardvark Jewellery have been a pleasure to deal with. Their revamped office space looks amazing. The Centre is located in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter and benefits from its bustling atmosphere. It is for this reason that we welcome so many small start-up businesses and watch them grow as the years go by.”

Jewellery Business Centre is situated on Spencer Street, just 1 mile from Birmingham City Centre. There are an array of restaurants and bars in close proximity with the Jewellery Quarter rail and metro station just 2 minutes’ walk away. The Centre also benefits from excellent transport links with Junction 6 of the M6 only 2.5 miles away.

To read the full press release please click here. 

We are pleased to welcome Barry Grant to our Whittle Jones Scotland team.

Barry has joined the company as Property Maintenance Manager, and will be focusing on the planned maintenance programme and refurbishments.

Barry has worked within the property industry for over 20 years having worked for both the public and private sectors. With a BSc (Hons) degree in Real Estate Management, Barry is looking forward to his new challenge, “Over a month into my role I am enjoying getting to know the various sites. Since being with the company everyone has made me feel welcome and I am glad to be part of the Scotland team with exciting times ahead for the Company with its expansion plans, and the recent announcement that work has started on the £3.5 million industrial development at Eliburn Industrial Estate in Livingston.”

The Scotland portfolio extends to over half a million sq ft of multi-let industrial and office accommodation in 13 locations containing over 130 individual units / office suites. The portfolio is actively managed by Northern Trust’s in house managing agents.

To read the full press release please click here. 

We are pleased to announce the acquisition of 2 estates at North Seaton Industrial Estate, Ashington and Glover Industrial Estate in Washington adding circa 40,000 sq ft to our portfolio. The acquisitions take our ownership to 78,718 sq ft in 26 units at Ashington and 47,925 sq ft in 16 units at Washington.

North Seaton Industrial Estate

Glover Industrial Estate

Tom Parkinson, Director at Northern Trust commented “These acquisitions enable us to improve the range of unit sizes at two of our existing locations in the North East as we continue to expand our industrial portfolio through strategic multi-let acquisitions and developments supporting the SME business community. Currently our portfolio supports in the region of 25,000 jobs across the UK.”

North Seaton Industrial Estate is positioned in a well-established business location in Ashington, only 15 miles north of Newcastle. There is currently only 1 unit available on the estate which is a newly refurbished warehouse unit of 9,958 sq ft.

Glover Industrial Estate is also located in an established business location in Washington and benefits from good transport links with the A1231 linking to the A1(M) and A19 providing access to the wider region. Glover Industrial Estate is currently fully occupied.

The newly acquired premises will be actively managed by Northern Trust’s in house management company, Whittle Jones. The North East regional portfolio covers circa 3 million sq ft in over 1,300 individual units.

To read the full press release please click here. 

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We are pleased to announce that we have entered into a planning promotion agreement with the private landowner on land at Shortheath Road, in Moira, Leicestershire.

The land which extends to 12 acres is currently a Greenfield site in agricultural use. The plans for the site will be promoted with the aim of providing up to 100 new homes.

To read the full press release please click here.

We are pleased to announce that we have completed the refurbishment works on a dilapidated building at our Rothbury Industrial Estate to create a semi-detached block of units.

Units 1A & 1B now provide a unit of 4,268 sq ft and 2,250 sq ft respectively which are available to let individually or combined to create a larger floor area of 6,518 sq ft.

Works to the building included demolition of low level office space and ad hoc extensions, along with removal of asbestos floor tiles. The wall cladding, perimeter glazing and flat roof were replaced with new insulated cladding and metal profile roof with rooflights. There has been replacement of personnel doors, fire exit doors and electrically operated loading doors. Work has also included the installation of a new electrical system including distribution boards and LED lighting, along with the creation of forecourt parking to the front of the unit.

The units form part Rothbury Industrial Estate, which offers 17,777 sq ft of workshop / warehouse accommodation, split into 11 units. The estate is actively managed by Northern Trust’s in house managing agents, Whittle Jones.

To read the full press release please click here.