GMI starts work on £80m business park

GMI Construction has been appointed main contractor for an £80m industrial development in the Sunderland area.Hillthorn Business Park is being developed by Legal & General in Washington.GMI Construction is set to have the first seven buildings completed by November. Three more are also then planned. The work is part of a two-phased plan to deliver 620,000 sq ft of industrial and manufacturing space close to the Nissan car plant. The development is being funded, procured, and delivered by Legal & General’s Industrial Property Investment Fund.Hillthorn is designed to complement the nearby International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) and Turbine Business Park.Hillthorn Business Park is an allocated employment site, which means that it has been earmarked for development for some time. Legal & General’s Industrial Property Investment Fund’s proposals will accelerate the transformation of the Washington site, part of which has already been designated Enterprise Zone status, identified by the Government and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2012 as key locations for new economic development.The site’s status as an Enterprise Zone brought with it funding from central government, the North East LEP and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in infrastructure and enabling works.