Monday 12 Aug 2013
Work starts on £8m Hexham Goods Yard retail development
- Region & Route:
Network Rail has been granted planning permission for a major redevelopment of the goods yard at Hexham station and will start on site during August to create a modern £8m retail facility. This investment will also deliver station improvements for passengers.
The scheme will transform the 3.2 acre site, creating nearly 40,000 sq ft of retail space including a 20,000 sq ft Homebase and garden centre, as well as units for Majestic Wines and Pets at Home. Outline consent has also been granted for four additional office or warehouse units.
Rail passengers will benefit from this development with new pedestrian and step-free access to the northern platform (platform 1), vehicle access to the north of the station along with a new 24-space car park which will be leased to Northern Rail.
Stuart Kirkwood, head of development, at Network Rail said: “This is a significant investment for Hexham and we are very pleased to have joined forces with local developers to make better use of railway land to benefit the local community. This scheme is our first direct development, making it a significant one for Network Rail. This new approach enables us to stay in the development cycle for longer and retain ownership of the property. By developing the site in this way we will earn financial returns which can be fed back to support our railway investment. Schemes such as Hexham will help to reduce public subsidy of the railway, by using commercial proceeds to upgrade stations at no cost to the taxpayer.”
Completion is scheduled for early 2014.
All profits generated from Network Rail’s commercial activity are reinvested in the railway.
Notes to editors
Network Rail:
- Is one of the largest land and property owners in the country and will generate over £1bn in the next five years from commercial activities for re-investment in our rail estate. This would be enough to transform Birmingham New Street or King’s Cross stations, or put in place 5,000km of new railway.
- Has over 590,000 sq ft retail space at 17 of the largest stations across the country – that’s more retail space than Bluewater – showcasing many leading high-street brands.
- Is also the country's largest provider of commercial property to small and medium sized businesses with over 7,000 properties nationwide.
- In addition, works in partnership on existing development projects, including multi-million pound commercial schemes above our stations at London Bridge (Shard) and Cannon Street and our first multi-site joint venture: Solum Regeneration.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office -London North Eastern & East Midlands route
01904 383180
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk