ENCIA
Group
Paul Walker, chief executive of FTSE 100 software company Sage Group Plc: Why did Sage Group Plc choose to locate its UK headquarters in Newcastle? Sage originated in Newcastle – it started as a small business on Newcastle’s Quayside. Our business has since grown into an international operation, but our headquarters, and our heart, have always been in Newcastle. And, what made you choose Newcastle Great Park? We had outgrown our premises in Gosforth and ended up with our Newcastle team split across five different buildings a couple of miles apart. We had been looking for some time for the right site which would enable us to build an office that would give us the facilities we needed for our people, and allow for growth. Newcastle Great Park offered the location, infrastructure and the ability to expand in the future. How are you enjoying your new-ish home? We are enjoying it very much. It is a fantastic working environment and a big improvement on what we had before. Once the wider development gets under way it will be even better.
ENCIA
above:
The Encia Group is a UK leader in brownfield land
newcastle great park has been home to sage group plc since 2004
regeneration solutions. The Group employs over 150 specialist staff that provide in-depth Geotechnical
below:
and Geoenvironmental expertise, Risk Assessment,
interior of a charles church home at newcastle great park
Engineering and Remediation Design, Waste and Environmental Management Services.
Construction will begin on phase one, which totals 79,000 square metres over three buildings, later this year. Work will also begin soon on a fully equipped town centre, to be the heart of Newcastle Great Park. Architect Ryder HKS’s design is based on a historical settlement pattern, with Sage Group Plc HQ “acting as a citadel at the top of the hill.
As a multi-disciplinary consulting and contracting organisation, Encia has for over 15 years, delivered highly effective solutions to the major plc national house builders, commercial property developers, regional development agencies, local authorities, banks and lending institutions. Encia's Contracting Divisions can handle the full range of remediation operations from Demolition and Decommisioning through to Land Remediation, Bioremediation and Civils infrastructure design. NorthEast 7EgglestonCourt, RiversidePark MIDDLESBROUGHTS21RU
T01642809088 Yorkshire EnciaHouse, AudbyLane, WETHERBYLS227RD
T 01937589955 NorthWest StoneCrossPlace, StoneCrossLaneNorth,Lowton WARRINGTONWA32SH
T 01942824406
www.encia.co.uk
0800 169 2238
ONESTOP BROWNFIELDR EGENERATION
Plans are still in development, but could include about 4,000 square metres of retail (including a supermarket); leisure amenities such as restaurants, bars, a hotel, health club; homes and community facilities, including a crèche, library and a new primary school. “We have had a great deal of interest in the retail offer and are finalising the agreements for the building of a new school”.
Newcastle housing market A new home at Great Park is likely to cost between £100,000 and £1,000,000. As the average prices below show, this places it firmly at the top end of the region’s property category. • Newcastle Upon Tyne • North Tyneside • Gateshead • South Tyneside • Sunderland
£157,449 £137,872 £123,776 £121,229 £115,099
*Average house prices at the end of 2005, according to the Land Registry of England and Wales.
Sustainability is at the heart of the design ethos for Newcastle Great Park. Housing designs and layout take the emphasis away from on-street parking, for example, to provide a safer environment for children to play. On completion of the town centre, residents will have no more than a 10-minute walk to shops. About half of the 484 hectare site will become publicly accessible open space and will include 26 miles of paths, pedestrian routes and cycleways. There is also a strong emphasis on public transport: a free bus service will operate for employees in the business park until 2009, all homes will be within five minute’s walk of a bus stop and regular complimentary services will operate to nearby Metro stations. 481 49