Kier has been appointed by Durham County Council to deliver the third phase of a major expansion at one of the UK’s premier science, engineering, and technology parks.
The £61m North East Technology Park (NETPark) will deliver up to 232,000 square feet of flexible laboratory, office, production and storage space over an initial 7 hectares of land, rising to 16 hectares.
Kier will design and build bespoke premises at the technology park as well as walking and cycling routes with central breakout areas and rest points.
Sustainable methods will be used in the construction and include the installation of energy-efficient temporary electrics, the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and the re-using and recycling of materials on site.
The creation of this additional space supports the council’s strategy to make NETPark a global hub for science, technology, and engineering.
As a supporter of the County Durham Pound initiative, Kier aims to deliver significant social value back into the local economy through training opportunities, work experience, employment initiatives and local spend.
Daniel Doherty, regional director at Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: “This is an exciting project for Kier which represents the ongoing importance of the North East as an area of growth for us, as well as our commitment to delivering outstanding projects in the science sector. We are looking forward to delivering a project befitting of Durham County Council’s vision and which will leave a lasting impact on the local community for years to come.”
Leader of the council, Cllr Amanda Hopgood, said: “It is really exciting to have started work on the third phase of NETPark and to have appointed Kier to deliver the project. We are delighted to be making a significant investment in the expansion and grateful to the North East Local Enterprise Partnership for its support, which is in recognition of the fantastic employment opportunities that NETPark presents our region.
The prospect of the further 1,250 skilled jobs worth £625m, and the potential for NETPark to ultimately host 3,000-4,000 jobs, is proof that we are delivering on our ambition to create more and better jobs for our residents, as set out in our Inclusive Economic Strategy.”
Kier has a longstanding presence in the north east and is currently on site at The Story at Mount Oswald – a new history centre and registration service for County Durham. The Durham County Council project is seeing Kier refurbish a nineteenth century Grade II Listed manor house, as well as construct a new building which will, when complete, house the County Durham Archive.
