Tuesday 16 March 2021
Substantial growth in both jobs and population is predicted for the Northern city of Newcastle upon Tyne over the next couple of decades, which makes the city one to watch for buy-to-let property investors.
Employment in Newcastle is forecast to grow by 14,000 jobs by 2030 (Savills Spotlight 2019), the city’s population projected to be over 310,000 and the North East region’s population 2.75 million.
A recent BusinessLive article reports that a raft of growing Newcastle companies have launched recruitment drives. It says that Newcastle science and business park Helix is growing after the tech and research companies have started recruiting.
“Several companies based in The Catalyst Building and The Core are creating new jobs, with roles ranging from consultants, data scientists and software engineers to apprenticeships and researchers.
“Firms looking for new staff include AkzoNobel, which has created two data science roles aimed at undergraduates, innovation consultancy Urban Foresight, Newcastle University’s Brain and Movement Research Team, and IOTech, which is on the hunt for talent to shape the future of the Internet of Things (IoT).
“Other firms expanding including Baltic Apprenticeships, which moved into a new office at Newcastle Helix last year, which is currently recruiting for eight apprentices, and SoPost and PHMR, which are recruiting for 11 new staff members between them.”
The 24-acre Newcastle Helix is a partnership between Newcastle City Council, Legal & General and Newcastle University, which brings together industry leaders, businesses, and top researchers to create an internationally-renowned innovation cluster.
It aims to create more than 4,000 jobs, 500,000 sq ft of office and research space, and 450 new homes.
There are currently almost 50 businesses on site, working in partnership with the public sector, innovators, and world leading researchers.
As the jobs are being created at The Core and The Catalyst, it is reported that CellulaREvolution has moved from the International Centre for Life to the Bioshere building.
CellulaREvolution, which spun-out of Newcastle University in 2019, is reported to be revolutionising the way cells are grown in labs and is, in particular, developing a new approach to clean meat production technology that could transform the growing industry.
Coun Ged Bell, Cabinet Member for Employment and Culture at Newcastle City Council said: “This is a great example of how businesses and local people are benefiting from the transformation of Newcastle Helix.
“As an innovation district that brings together industry leaders, businesses, and top researchers it is not only playing an instrumental role in our road to economic recovery it is helping people to live smarter, healthier, and longer lives.
“We are building an economy around our research and tech strengths, and in challenging times it is so positive to see more new jobs and opportunities for local people.”
This is all fantastic news for Newcastle. Helix is just one example of the regeneration taking place in Newcastle. Helix is the £350m overhaul of the old Newcastle Breweries site and is the biggest regeneration the city has seen in decades. It is an exemplar of sustainable urban development which combines prestigious commercial and residential space with first class research and education facilities in the heart of a flourishing city.
It is such investment and regeneration in Newcastle that makes it such a great place to invest.
