North East developer Arlington Real Estate has been selected as the preferred joint venture partner to take forward a Northumberland business park.

The Durham based company is set to transform as 55 hectare site in Cramlington, which is owned by Homes England, into West Hartford Business Park, which will have up to one million square feet of commercial and light industrial space once complete. West Hartford Business Park has been designated as a strategic employment site by Northumberland County Council and The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), and is set to become a focal site for local businesses looking for additional capacity, as well as those looking to establish a presence in the area.

An outline planning application is expected to be submitted for the scheme in the summer of this year. Secured through a Homes England competitive tender process, Arlington Real Estate said the joint venture partnership boosts its portfolio of regeneration projects, which includes its selection as preferred bidder to develop Homes England and Network Rail’s major brownfield regeneration scheme, York Central, and its work at DurhamGate in Durham.

The company was behind the creation of Freemans Reach, the new home of HM Passport Office and National Savings & Investments in Durham city centre, and is also still working on the £120m office, leisure and housing development Milburngate.

Dean Cook, managing director of Arlington Real Estate, said: “We are exceptionally proud to become Homes England’s joint venture partner to deliver this strategically important site in the North East. The West Hartford Business Park will become a fundamental part of Northumberland’s growing economy, providing high quality space for a range of businesses that will benefit from operating out of this region. We hope to attract further inward investment as well as safeguard the fantastic businesses that are currently here and allow them to grow.”

Jon Irvine, director national development (interim), Homes England, said: “We’re pleased to appoint Arlington Real Estate as our joint venture partner for the development of the West Hartford Business Park. This site presents some exciting economic opportunities for Northumberland and with Arlington Real Estate’s track record of delivering high quality schemes that generate employment, we are confident that this site will be a valuable addition to the area’s commercial activities.”