£86m Investment to Transform Ashwood Business Park as New Strategic Masterplan is Revealed
A new strategic masterplan for Ashwood Business Park has been unveiled at UKREiiF, setting out a compelling proposition for investors and occupiers, with the potential to deliver over 48,000 square metres (circa 525,000 sq ft) of employment space, supporting up to 1,000 jobs and generating investment of up to £86 million.
The strategic masterplan for Ashwood Business Park sets out a clear and ambitious framework to guide the next phase of development at one of Northumberland’s most strategically located employment sites.
Designed to support long-term growth and investment, the masterplan presents a modern, future-ready vision for Ashwood Business Park. It reinforces the site’s position as a high-quality employment location capable of accommodating advanced manufacturing, clean energy supply chains, logistics, and technology-led industries.
Ashwood Business Park is a key development site in Northumberland, positioned to deliver new employment space and attract inward investment to the region. Informed by robust market analysis and a detailed understanding of emerging supply-chain opportunities, the masterplan establishes a flexible and deliverable framework that can respond to evolving market demand. It provides clarity for investors and occupiers, whilst unlocking the potential for new private sector investment.
The launch of the masterplan by Advance Northumberland also marks a significant milestone in the ongoing regeneration of Ashington and the wider South East Northumberland area, further strengthening Ashwood Business Park’s role as a key driver of economic growth and job creation.
Steven Harrison, CEO of Advance Northumberland said: “Ashwood Business Park is a strategically important asset for Northumberland, and this new masterplan provides a clear and confident vision for its future. It offers the certainty investors require, the flexibility the market demands, and the quality businesses expect from a modern employment location.
This is a significant step forward in unlocking new jobs, attracting inward investment, and supporting long-term economic growth for Ashington and the wider region.”
Ashwood Business Park is strategically located within South East Northumberland with excellent connectivity and good access to Newcastle International Airport and the Port of Blyth. Making it a highly attractive location for national and international business investment.
The park already houses Europe’s most advanced paint and coatings production plant, AkzoNobel as well the HQ for Bernicia Homes, a major housing association and Contec, a leading manufacturer of contamination control products.
Ashwood Business Park offers both scale and proximity to projects of regional and national significance including the development of one of the UK’s largest data centres at Northumberland Energy Park, Cambois, which is also home to the North Sea Link Interconnector, linking the electricity systems of the UK and Norway and JDR Cable Systems Ltd new offshore cable manufacturing facility.