Investment into the Region

Energising Blyth is a £95m regeneration programme to transform Blyth, funded by the Government’s Future High Street Fund, Town Deal and Levelling Up Deep Dive funding, plus investment from Northumberland County Council and partners. The programme includes Energy Central Campus comprising of Energy Central Learning Hub and Energy Central Institute: two education, training and skills facilities focusing on STEM education, sector-led training and R&D to further support growth in the clean energy sector.

The Energising Blyth programme also includes the Blyth Culture Hub and Market Place which will transform the high street including a cinema, space for events and more.

Bedlington has seen investment to comprehensively redevelop a high profile, brownfield site located in the heart of Bedlington Town Centre. The town is being redeveloped as a retail destination, improving amenities and giving local people greater choice of retail through a new terrace of shop units and apartments above available for rental from Advance Northumberland Homes. 

Ashington has received significant funding to develop sites at Wansbeck Square and Portland Park including construction starting on a transformational cinema and restaurant development. These capital projects are a key part of the long-term vision for the town centre, which focuses on improving pedestrian movements from the new Ashington Station (Northumberland Line) through the high street into Portland Park. It also includes creating an attractive link from Woodhorn Road to Portland Park, at ‘Grand Corner’. 

This combined with Ashington College investment in their new Gen Zero building will help make Ashington a destination of choice for business, families and visitors. Ashington also welcomed a new Leisure Centre in 2016, managed by Active Northumberland, significantly improving key leisure facilities.

Over the past four years Northumberland County Council has been working closely with Historic England, Hexham Town Council and local community groups to deliver a £3.4 million programme of building restoration, heritage engagement and public realm enhancements in the town centre. Hexham High Streets Heritage Action Zone scheme (HSHAZ) focussed on three central streets: Priestpopple, Battle Hill and Cattle Market, which have been gradually transformed.

The Borderlands Partnership is working together to deliver transformative change across the south of Scotland and the North East to maximise the benefits of inclusive growth. With a core focus on delivering projects that benefit the local area and economy, the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal has already made a significant impacts within Northumberland. It has helped create one of the world’s largest play structures, Lilidorei in Alnwick and supported visitor attraction and whisky distillery Ad Gefrin in Wooler. Both attractions are raising the profile of the area in national and international visitor markets. It is also supporting the new Maltings venue in Berwick which is an ‘iconic, multi-purpose cultural and entertainment complex’ with construction starting in the Autumn.