“Faverdale, Darlington, is home to large Argos and Aldi warehouses and more recently Lidl has developed a regional distribution warehouse at Newton Aycliffe. “This part of Co Durham is an established manufacturing area dating back to its new town days, however more recently it has attracted distribution/logistics operations given the excellent A1M connectivity,” says Simon Haggie, industrial partner at Knight Frank. The selection of Newton Aycliffe against 40 other UK locations underlines the town’s connectivity by road and rail, important for Hitachi as the company has horizons beyond the UK and contracts such as the IEP and is openly negotiating for contracts in Europe. To say its ‘good news’ for the town is a significant understatement.
The arrival of Hitachi will bring with it a 450,000 sq ft plant, 500 direct jobs and direct rail access to the site. As a manufacturing base, this former new town has seen its industrial fortunes fluctuate. The significance for Newton Aycliffe is not to be understated. The long-awaited completion of the agreement between the Department for Transport and Agility Trains, the consortium consisting of Hitachi and John Laing, to deliver the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) is so close that after over two years of delay it could now be just a matter of weeks away from an announcement by the DfT. The proposed £77m investment by Hitachi Rail Europe in a new train assembly plant will revitalise Newton Aycliffe writes a special correspondent.