Arlington Real Estate has appointed industrial and logistics property specialists HTA Real Estate and CBRE as joint marketing agents for its landmark West Hartford Park development in Cramlington, as the scheme moves closer to a planning decision next month.
The 126-acre site, being brought forward in partnership with Homes England, is described as the largest remaining strategic employment allocation in Northumberland and has capacity to deliver more than one million sq ft of industrial, manufacturing and logistics space.
Arlington said the appointment of the two agents marks another key milestone as the development progresses towards an anticipated planning determination at May’s committee meeting.
The scheme has already attracted interest from local, regional, national and international occupiers looking for large-scale space in a connected North East location.
Located close to Port of Blyth, West Hartford Park sits within the Energy Central Partnership cluster, which promotes South East Northumberland as a centre for offshore wind, renewable energy, clean technology and advanced manufacturing.
The site is also expected to benefit from recent offshore wind announcements, with The Crown Estate confirming new seabed sites will be leased off the North East coast.
The outline application proposes units ranging from 40,000 sq ft to 532,000 sq ft, available on freehold or leasehold terms, alongside office space, innovation facilities and retail amenity.
Arlington said the development could create more than 2,000 jobs and generate in excess of £150m of investment into the regional economy.
Dean Cook said: “Appointing HTA and CBRE is a significant step forward for West Hartford Park.
“We are already seeing very encouraging levels of interest from occupiers across multiple sectors, including advanced manufacturing, renewables, logistics and technology.
“As we work alongside the local planning authority towards a committee decision in May, our focus is on ensuring the scheme is ready to move quickly following approval, so we can convert that interest into investment, jobs and long-term economic value for Northumberland.”
Richard Scott from HTA Real Estate said the development was one of the most strategically significant employment sites currently being brought to market in the North East.
CBRE’s David Cato added that there was strong national demand for large industrial and manufacturing sites capable of delivering bespoke solutions.
