Supplementary memorandum by English Partnerships
(EP) (COA 42(b))
We refer to the Select Committee question regarding
vacant units in the Easington area. The situation has been investigated
further in liaison with our colleagues at One North East (ONE)
and we respond as follows.
The vacant units are within the Foxcover and
Dawdon sites, to the south of Seaham. These sites are Enterprise
Zones within the wider East Durham Enterprise Zone scheme. The
sites are relatively remote from other developments and, at the
time of the reclamation and servicing of Dawdon, the A182 South
of Seaham link road had not been opened fully.
A development proposal for plots at Dawdon was
brought forward in 1999 by a private developer with a track record
in EZ commercial schemes, who constructed speculative units to
shell standard. This development benefited from the EZ incentives.
The development team included a reputable property agent and marketing
was linked to the activities of the County Durham Development
Agency and East Durham Business Service. However, in the event,
and notwithstanding the significant investments in and around
the area, the demand for units in this area has remained slow.
This issue has previously been identified in
quarterly reviews between English Partnerships and ONE with a
view to determining the best means of increasing the market appeal
of the area including the possible introduction of CCTV. More
recently, there have been two speculative enquiries and one bespoke
enquiry for parts of Dawdon and Foxcover.
The vacant units here exemplify the problems
associated with seeking to create a momentum for development through
pioneering developments. English Partnerships, through its joint
ventures, and the RDAs seek to bring forward both demand led and
supply led (speculative) units where appropriate although this
must be carefully assessed in relation to the market overview
at the time.
Please let me know if you need any further information
in response to this question.
Yours faithfully
Rob Pearson
Head of National Programmes
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