Work on the new multi-million pound headquarters for Bellway has now resumed meaning that the UK housebuilder is on track to be the first anchor tenant of AirView Park, the soon-to-be-launched business park next to Newcastle International Airport.
Construction work, being undertaken by Bowmer and Kirkland, was already at an advanced stage when lockdown measures were first enforced. However, following the introduction of new social distancing guidelines, work has restarted and entered the final phase of construction for the new 21,000 sq ft head office building.
Tynexe Commercial Ltd, the property development company behind AirView Park, has welcomed the move and is confident that other companies will now follow the national home builder onto the 175,000 sq ft site in the near future.
The park, on the outskirts of Newcastle at Woolsington, has planning permission for up to four more bespoke office buildings or alternatively, 150,000 sq ft premises. Given its connectivity to the airport, main road and passenger rail networks, management envisage the site becoming a highly strategic base for local companies looking to expand, or national organisations like Bellway requiring a northern or North East presence.
Mike Clark, Development Director of Tynexe Commercial Ltd and Dysart Developments Ltd commented, “This is a very welcome move by Bellway and we’re delighted that they’ve restarted work onsite to complete the new building. We’re expecting approximately 80 staff to be based there when fully operational, hopefully by the end of the year, so it’s a great start for AirView to have a major plc as its first tenant.
“It’s certainly very early days in terms of business recovery and no doubt there are challenging economic times ahead. However, there have also been signs of optimism with many companies having not only survived the crisis, but seeing increased demand for their products and services. Some may already be planning for the future, as much as they can, including whether their existing premises now suit their needs moving forward.
“In that respect, we can work closely with organisations to remodel or integrate new design features into any of the buildings not yet out of the ground. It’s a blank canvas really so we’re confident that companies looking for a much more strategic base to better connect with clients nationally or globally, or simply need more modern or spacious offices, will see the value of AirView Park.”
Jason Honeyman, Chief Executive of Bellway, added, “AirView Park is the ideal location for Bellway’s new UK head office and its proximity to the airport, A1 and Newcastle Central Station will enable us to stay connected with our 22 divisions across England, Scotland and Wales.
“We are thrilled to be the first tenants at the new site which will support the wider North East economy. Our new UK head office facilities will not only benefit staff based there, but also those working in our divisional offices across the UK.”
AirView Park offers Enterprise Zone status and developers are now working closely with commercial agents, the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (NELEP), Invest Newcastle and Invest North East, to attract other organisations. Those relocating will benefit from instant access to main transport links and national and international business routes once flights at the airport resume.