Plans progress for cargo and logistics hub at Newcastle Airport

From marinas to innovation districts, Northern leaders pitched £500m investment visions for their regions at this Dragons Den-style event.

This panel session hosted by Place North explored how from offshore wind farms and tidal power to advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure, the North of England is positioning itself as one of the UK’s most important energy and technology powerhouses. 

The group’s order book has also swelled to £19.1bn over the last 12 months, while revenue rose 10% to more than £5bn.

Ørsted has taken delivery of the first six of 197 monopiles for its offshore wind farm at its 3.3m sq ft storage site at Steel River Quay in Teesworks. 

Barclays, Lloyds, Santander, and AIB are now part of the airport’s banking group, with the deal also including a £20m Green Loan from the government. 

Mayor Kim McGuinness has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with several of the region’s key transport and logistics hubs, including the Port of Blyth, Port of Tyne, Port of Sunderland, and Newcastle Airport.

The newly unveiled £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail programme has confirmed development work on the long‑disused Leamside Line in the North East will be taken forward alongside upgrades to core NPR routes connecting Yorkshire and the North East.

After years of delays, Rachel Reeves will finally set out the government’s vision for the long-promised rail project to boost east–west links across the North of England. 

Rachel Reeves said government changes to planning laws will tear down barriers to growth after a raft of planning reforms received Royal Assent.