Work to breathe new life into a 30,000sq ft industrial hub in North Tyneside is now underway.
Newcastle-headquartered TRI Construction has started work on the £1.4million redevelopment of E2 at Tyne Tunnel Estate.
Estate owner, UK Land Estates has already agreed terms with a party to relocate to the estate, bringing further jobs to North Tyneside.
UK Land Estates is funding the development as part of a wider invest programme which will see it spend tens of millions of pounds into refurbishing several buildings across its estates throughout the next year.
Once work completes in April 2025, the former Encon Insulation site will be transformed into a high specification industrial hub comprising 26,371sq ft of open-plan manufacturing or warehousing space and 2,821sq ft of office accommodation.
Elanders and Lookers have both relocated to newly refurbished, state-of-the-art facilities on the estate over the past 18 months, joining tenants including Ringtons, Howdens, Screwfix, Kitwave and Jewson.
Brandon Bailey, projects director at UK Land Estates, said: “We are delighted to see work finally begin on the redevelopment of E2.
“Boasting over 29,000sq ft of quality office and warehousing or manufacturing space, the unit will bring much-needed, high quality industrial space to the market in what is a really desirable part of the North East.
“Working with a North East construction company in TRI Construction, it will also ensure the bulk of the jobs supported by the construction are for local people. It will provide a real boost to the local area in every respect.”
With demand for high-quality industrial and warehousing space in the region continuing to outstrip supply, UK Land Estates is confident that schemes such as this, which boasts close proximity to each of the region’s key transport routes, will see it generate lots of interest.
Brandon added: “We are looking to redevelop several sites across our estates in the North East over the next 12 months, representing a multi-million-pound investment in our existing stock.
“We also have ambitions to build a number of new speculative units, due to the pent-up demand for high spec, available industrial space, which is really straining the market at present. It is a real show of faith from the company into the North East as a place to do business.”
The redevelopment of E2 will see the revamped unit meet the most stringent of environmental EPC targets, with solar panels, LED lighting, EV charging points and high efficiency electric heating systems all being installed as part of the project.
Keith Wigham, commercial director at TRI Construction, said: “We are delighted to be appointed principal contractor on the project. It follows on from successfully completing similar refurbishments on the estate for Howdens, Axminster Tools, Encon and Lookers. We look forward to continuing our relationship with UK Land Estates on future projects next year.”
For more information on UK Land Estates, visit: https://www.uklandestates.co.uk/