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Getting Building Fund support sees expansion of AirView Park Enterprise Zone

Two new state-of-the-art flexible workspace buildings are currently being built on the AirView Park development in Woolsington following a £944k investment from government’s Getting Building Fund.

Strategically located next to Newcastle International Airport, AirView Park aims to grow the number of businesses in the North East involved in international trade and attract inward investment from startups and SMEs keen to take advantage of the region’s global trade links.

When complete, the two workspaces that form part of Phase Two of the development will have the potential to support up to 100 new SMEs and provide the flexibility for businesses to expand and grow, creating more local jobs and providing a boost to the North East economy.

The £944k awarded to developer Tynexe Commercial Ltd from the Getting Building Fund ensured essential infrastructure works could be delivered during the coronavirus pandemic and construction of the new employment sites could continue.

Helen Golightly OBE, Chief Executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “By responding to the changes brought about by the pandemic and creating office space that meets the needs of businesses both now and in the future, the new developments at AirView Park have already generated a lot of interest.

“By focusing Getting Building Fund investment on key strategic sites like AirView Park, the North East LEP is helping to create the right environment for businesses to grow and create more and better jobs in the region.

“The development’s location next to Newcastle International Airport also supports the North East LEP’s ambition to increase the number of North East businesses that export goods and services from 6% to 9.5% by 2030.”

One of 21 Enterprise Zones sites across the North East, AirView Park aims to create more SME businesses focussed on growing and maximising trade and inward investment between North East England and the rest of the world. It also aims to attract UK or global companies looking to build or establish a strategic northern base, as well as fully support organisations wishing to take advantage of new and existing export routes.

The North East Trade and Export strategy – published in 2021 by the North East LEP, North East England Chamber of Commerce and Department for International Trade – showed approximately 4,500 businesses in the North East region (North East LEP and Tees Valley Combined Authority areas) currently export goods and services. Businesses in the North East LEP area that currently export goods and services typically generate over £15bn of revenue from exporting each year.

One of the new buildings will provide a dedicated Business Support Hub for North East SMEs, offering a physical service centre for export expansion. All key exporting services and resources will be co-located at the Hub, creating a launch pad for businesses to begin international trade.

The second building, Denyer Court, will offer multiple leased office units or a single occupancy HQ building.

Mike Clark, Director of Tynexe Commercial Limited, developers of AirView Park, added, “We are delighted to have the full support and backing of the North East LEP as the allocated grant funding has enabled us to progress the site at pace, delivering a high quality scheme to meet market demands at a time when needed.

“We are already receiving enquiries from potential new occupiers, some operating in emerging and fast growing industries, so we are very confident that Phase Two and AirView Park will become a key site for Newcastle and the wider North East economy.”  

Mark Hunt, Chief Financial Officer at Newcastle International Airport, said: “The Airport provides multiple daily connections to some of the largest airport hubs across Europe and the Middle East, seamlessly connecting businesses in the region to the rest of the world. AirView Park is a prime site that provides a lot of opportunity for growth, export links and inward investment. We are very much looking forward to the completion of the scheme and welcoming the companies that choose to locate there.

“Global trade relations are key to the continued growth of the North East, and as we begin to see a way out of the economic downturn, our export links with countries like Pakistan are very important. Collaborations and strategic partnerships linking local companies with those overseas can help deliver a stronger recovery and so Newcastle International Airport, as a gateway to international markets, very much supports discussions like this with potential trade partners.”

Newcastle City Council’s Cabinet member for Resilient City, Cllr Alex Hay, who has responsibility for jobs and the economy, said: “AirView Park is going to be an important generator of jobs being so close to Newcastle International Airport – the main gateway to the region.

“The construction of these two buildings will form a key part of that development and provide a further boost to the local economy once they are filled with small to medium-sized businesses, so I warmly welcome them.”

When complete, AirView Park will offer 175,000 sq ft of bespoke offices, tailor-made to suit businesses looking to relocate to more cost effective out of town premises. AirView Park is already home to the national headquarters of Bellway Homes plc.

The Getting Building Fund was established early in the coronavirus pandemic to kick-start the economy, create jobs and help areas realise growth opportunities coming out of the coronavirus pandemic. The North East Local Enterprise Partnership is managing £47m awarded through the Getting Building Fund to support capital investment across the North East. 

The two new state-of-the-art flexible workspace buildings supported by the Getting Building Fund are due to be completed by the end of the year.

For more information about AirView Park visit www.airviewpark.co.uk.

Find out more about the Getting Building Fund and the other funding programmes managed by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Home / international trade

Building our recovery through trade

There is no doubt that recent statistics have been challenging across the economy.

Trade statistics have been volatile as we have seen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and new controls on exports to Europe, and more recently the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Last year, partners in the North East published the North East Trade and Export Strategy with the aim of making trade a key part of our recovery. The North East LEP’s Director of Policy and Strategy, Richard Baker, explains more.

Every month UK Trade Info releases data on goods exports from each region of England. Recent releases have showed the impact of the pandemic and new trade regulations, with total exports from the North East region (which covers both the North East LEP area and Tees Valley) falling in each of the first three quarters of 2021. The good news is that the latest release has seen a turnaround with a growth of 5% in quarter 4.

We’re not alone in this – many regions of England have seen fluctuating figures. We can expect more volatility as the impact of the war in Ukraine impacts trade and increases costs.

Beneath the headline figures though are some positive stories on which to build, with growth in exports of pharmaceuticals and energy related products. And there are signs of recovery in road vehicle exports, although these remain lower than two years ago and there is also evidence of strengthening service exports from the region.


The North East Trade and Export Strategy

When the North East LEP, Chamber of Commerce and Department for International Trade developed the North East Trade and Export strategy last year, we carried out a consultation with hundreds of businesses and sector bodies. We knew that people were finding things tough, with changes to the trading and regulatory environment compounded by COVID-19.

Addressing this effectively is crucial. It is estimated that exporting supports over 165,000 jobs in the region and evidence clearly shows that businesses that trade internationally are more competitive, faster-growing and more successful. Building trade is therefore central to our recovery as a region. That’s what we want for businesses in the North East, and we’ll continue to work together to make sure North East businesses benefit from global markets.

Working together

The North East Trade and Export Strategy identifies our exporting strengths as a region and identifies key markets around the world where there is demand for our products and services. It identified ways to bring the sponsor organisations together to put their resources behind work into these key sectors and markets – and this is illustrative of the way we are continuing to work together looking forward.

Within the region, the North East LEP and the DIT team based at the Chamber of Commerce are working hard and collaborating to provide support to individual businesses.  Alongside the free advice and support from DIT’s International Trade Advisers, examples of direct support to businesses include forthcoming trade missions to Ireland, Portugal and the USA. The ongoing Export Academy programme is also helping local companies take their first steps in exporting.  Alongside this, over £1m of grants has been awarded to local companies from the DIT Internationalisation Fund to help them promote their products and services to overseas markets.  This is helping North East businesses internationalise their websites and marketing materials, travel to overseas markets, exhibit at international trade fairs and get external expertise to help them with their exporting activity.

The North East Growth Hub continues to provide a point of information about trade activities in the region, including forthcoming events, training and trade missions being organised by the DIT.

As the DIT team at the Chamber is absorbed into the Department for International Trade following the publication of the UK Trade Strategy, we will work together to offer a more joined up service in the region and strengthen the focus of events and networking to promote exporting.

Nationally, the clear proposition in our strategy, and our partnership around its development, has been able to create regular opportunities to discuss with government what’s needed in the North East and show what our businesses have to offer international markets.

In the last few weeks alone we’ve met with the Secretary of State for International Trade, and with the DIT team, delegates from central America, and the Kuwaiti Ambassador – all opportunities to speak about our approach and develop new relationships for our region.

Changes to the international trading landscape  

Clearly, the international trading landscape has changed for the UK and we are working to make sure that the North East is not only positioned to take advantage of new Free Trade Agreements and growing markets in North America, Asia and the Gulf states, but that we are also supporting North East businesses to continue their trade with Europe.

And as FTA’s are developed, we are working together with partners in the region to try to shape them. Recently we made a joint submission to the DIT about the priorities the North East would like to see in the forthcoming trade deal with the Gulf Co-operation Council. We will do the same for future trade deals looking next at the deal with Canada.

As deals are signed, we’ll be providing the support businesses need during this transition to a new international environment and making sure we’re proactive in grasping opportunities.

Keeping North East businesses updated

Over the coming weeks and months you will hear from teams at the North East LEP and the DIT with more updates about the latest trade data and the range of work that is going on to help North East businesses trade strongly.

Whilst we can expect there to be continuing challenges in the data, we will be working hard to provide support to businesses in the region and take the opportunities we can see in the future.

Support and information on international trade is available on the North East Growth Hub: www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk.

The North East Trade and Export Strategy is available at North East Trade and Export strategy

Home / international trade

North East LEP and regional partners submit response to government’s consultation on trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Paul Carbert, Economic Policy Co-ordinator at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), outlines the promising potential opportunities for the North East.

As the UK looks to establish new trading relationships around the world, the government launched a consultation in October 2021 to help inform its approach to negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the future.

The GCC represents the countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

These countries have not traditionally been leading trade partners for the North East. However, given the £300m sale of Newcastle United to a consortium led by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia last October, opportunities to build on this relationship for increasing exports and inward investment have grown.

The links with the region were also boosted when Emirates last month indicated there will soon be a resumption of daily flights between Newcastle International Airport and Dubai, up from the current four services a week.

As outlined in the North East trade and export strategy Global North East: Driving growth in North East trade and exports, increasing the number of exporters in the North East and increasing the value of exported goods and services is a key part of our regional Strategic Economic Plan.

Our GCC consultation response highlighted the specific opportunities for the North East to respond to import priorities identified by GCC states, including growing exports from key manufacturing, energy and service sectors in the North East, including renewable energy, electric vehicles, pharmaceutical manufacturing, life sciences, business, digital and professional services.

We also referenced the need to reduce existing barriers to trade and investment, as well as the good opportunity to use the power of soft diplomacy through culture, tourism, and sport to capitalise on the growing interest in Newcastle United Football Club.

An added benefit of these sorts of links is also the promotion of shared understanding and values across different parts of the world.

Our response is a combined regional viewpoint drawn up by a group comprising stakeholders convened by the NewcastleGateshead Initiative, North East Local Enterprise Partnership and Department for International Trade regional team and includes Newcastle International Airport, the Port of Tyne, Newcastle United Football Club, the North East England Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, DWF Law LLP and North East businesses in the construction, digital, life sciences and legal sectors. The group also spoke about the potential to form a business forum in the future to make this alliance permanent.

The partners that contributed to this response believe that the North East has a unique opportunity to forge a new trading relationship with the Gulf states, growing the regional economy and delivering on the government’s Levelling Up agenda and the ambitions outlined in the national Export Strategy. The partners are enthusiastic that trade negotiations with the GCC represent a significant opportunity for the North East and were determined to highlight this to the government negotiating team.

Of course, it remains vital that we improve on our relationship with the EU, our biggest trading partner, to recover our export rate, but we are also ready to seize new opportunities when they arise. Global North East identifies specific opportunities for extending exports in countries like the US and Japan, and to build new markets in the far east, taking advantage of free trade agreements around the world.

The trade negotiations with the GCC states provide a valuable opportunity to grow exports from our manufacturing and services sectors, increase inward investment to the region, and represent an important Levelling Up opportunity for the UK.

It is vital that the North East is recognised as a key priority in building new trade links with GCC states.

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North East LEP publishes new regional trade and export report

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership, in partnership with the Department for International Trade (DIT) and North East England Chamber of Commerce, has published a new report outlining how the region can build its competitiveness, drive higher productivity, and create more and better jobs by increasing international trade.

‘Global North East: Driving growth in North East trade and exports’ sets out the region’s ambition to increase the percentage of North East businesses that export goods and services from 6% to 9.5% by 2030.

It also sets a target to increase the percentage of gross value added (GVA) from the export of good and services from 33% to 35% by 2030.

The new report, which is funded by DIT and published in collaboration with the North East England Chamber of Commerce, has been developed to align with government’s planned Trade and Export strategy, and the upcoming Northern Powerhouse Trade and Export strategy.

Lucy Winskell, Chair of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The commitment to drive trade set out in the Strategic Economic Plan would create a stronger North East economy and deliver more and better jobs through export-led growth. We therefore want to support more businesses to seek out new opportunities in global markets.

“This report focuses on the areas of the world where we have the most opportunity and the actions we need to take to grow our economy.

“It shows that the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic and the UK’s exit from the European Union has had a severe impact on the region’s economy, so now is a good time to look to the future and make sure we support business to move forward with confidence.

“Whilst we are seeing positive signs of the economy beginning its recovery, we must take a long-term view on how we continue to strengthen the North East’s position and deliver on the targets set out in the North East Strategic Economic Plan.”

Approximately 4,500 businesses in the North East region (North East LEP and Tees Valley Combined Authority areas) currently export goods and services. In 2018, the North East exported £13 billion in goods and a further £7 billion in services. More than 168,000 jobs in the region are reliant on exporting.

The North East LEP’s report highlights businesses engaged in exporting tend to pay their employees 7% more than the national median wage. They are also 21% more productive compared to the UK average.

Richard Baker, Strategy and Policy Director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The government has set out its intention to develop a trade and export strategy later this year and it will be crucial to the long term economic fortunes of the North East that it supports businesses in the region to grow their exporting.

“Businesses in the North East LEP area that currently export goods and services typically generate over £15bn of revenue from exporting each year. We want to see that figure increase, and we want to see more of the region’s businesses actively engaged in exporting, and our region reaching out across the world. 

“We worked with more than 50 exporters, trade groups and research institutions to develop this evidence about where opportunity lies, and the set of proposals to strengthen support in the region. It provides a clear direction of travel and starting point to create a stronger export culture and more coordinated set of support services in the North East.

“By increasing levels of international trade we will be supporting government’s levelling up agenda, and in turn creating more opportunities for businesses based in our region, and those looking to invest here.”

Julie Underwood​, Executive Director of International Trade at the North East England Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Chamber is delighted to be involved in this important piece of work, which reinforces the vital role  exporting plays in our region and how we all need to work together to maximise the opportunities which are available for our businesses overseas.

“To successfully increase exports, we know that a clear strategy is needed which details which sectors and countries offer the most potential and a long term plan to implement this.

“The regional report provides an important step consolidating our collective response and input into how we can drive regional growth through international trade.”

Victoria Gemmill, DIT Northern Powerhouse Regional Team and Head of North East Region, said: “The strategy is a valuable piece of work aligning with our ambition at the Department of International Trade to drive economic growth through trade and investment opportunities and demonstrates the significance of export growth in levelling up.

“Through targeting sector and market specific opportunities as well as building export capabilities of local businesses, we can collectively enable the full advantage of trade opportunities to be utilised to deliver sustainable growth for the region.”

‘Global North East: Driving growth in North East trade and exports’ sets out five strategic priorities for the region, which include developing the export potential of the North East’s growing sector strengths in advanced manufacturing, offshore energy and subsea, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, digital, and knowledge intensive services; whilst focusing on a small number of opportunity markets.

It also sets out the ambition to create an ecosystem in the North East that brings together existing exporting support, providing a joined up and accessible approach for businesses.

‘Global North East: Driving growth in North East trade and exports’ is available to view here.

The Executive Summary is available to view here.