County Durham is the heart of North East England, geographically and economically.We have big plans to build on our world-class assets and provide an exciting and innovative future for our people and economy. With our incredible natural landscapes, outstanding attractions, and enviable quality of living, we offer something for everyone.

 

With an economy worth £9 billion, home to 14,500 businesses creating 147,000 jobs and over 500,000 residents, the numbers stack up for ambitious businesses and entrepreneurs for their ideas to prosper.

 

Not only that, but we can also boast a 1.5 million talent pool within a 1-hour drive, home to one of the World’s best Universities in Durham, and with four others close by offering qualifications businesses need. We are well connected, with two international airports, three ports, mainline rail connections to the entire network, and excellent road infrastructure, avoiding the choking congestion other places suffer from.

 

Our visitor economy is worth over £1bn and is growing. It’s easy to see why, with world-class culture ranging from international sport, events like Lumiere and Kynren, award-winning attractions like Beamish Open Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site with Durham Cathedral and Castle, and a UNESCO Global Geopark.

 

We are innovation leaders, too. We’re expanding North East England’s only science park, the North East Technology Park – NETPark: a 10.5-hectare site and part of the North East Investment Zone. We are also developing the Durham Innovation District, a 60-hectare site in the heart of Durham City served by the East Coast Mainline and minutes from the A1(M).

 

We have more room to build, with 300 hectares of land allocated for employment growth. Sites include 10.12 hectares at Merchant Park and 48 hectares at Forrest Park in Newton Aycliffe. Jade Business Park in Seaham has 14 hectares remaining, and Integra 61, on the outskirts of Durham City, on the A1(M), has 28 hectares.

 

Find out more and build your future in County Durham.