Member Article

Derwentside landscape company paves way to success with £500k investment

Sustain Landscapes, a Derwentside-based landscape company, has got the green light to build its new headquarters thanks to an investment from UK Steel Enterprise.

The firm, which is currently based in Consett, boasts local authorities, premiership football clubs and major construction companies amongst its clients.

The company expects to be in its new premises on a two-acre site on the town’s Delves Lane Industrial Estate by mid-summer.

UK Steel Enterprise, the Tata Steel business-support subsidiary, provided an investment package of £135k, made up of a £75k secured loan and a grant of £60k from its Access to Finance Scheme backed by the government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Now, Sustain Landscapes expects its turnover to hit the £3m mark within the next two years and add at least 25 jobs to its current team of 15.

Set up by Joe Zazzetta, a Scot with more than 30 years of experience in landscaping who settled in the North East 10 years ago, the company now has three divisions covering landscape construction, grounds maintenance and sports sectors.

The provision and maintenance of artificial turf pitches is a big growth area and customers include Sunderland FC and Newcastle United FC.

Joe Zazzetta said:“We have been held back from expanding simply because we didn’t have enough space,

“We were delighted when UK Steel Enterprise came on board and the grant element is a particularly welcome part of the package. I was finding it impossible to get finance for a new build project rather than moving into an existing building but we need very specific facilities and room for future expansion too.”

The new premises will provide offices, a warehouse, space for recycling green waste, wash bays, a yard and storage for equipment.

Joe continued: “The company started out in a portacabin and this is a big project for us but being in the new building will give us huge potential for growth,

“We have been bursting at the seams for some time and, in fact, the company joke is that fitting all the equipment on to our site is like a game of Jenga.”

Sarah Thorpe of investor UK Steel Enterprise, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, said: “Sustain Landscapes is a well -established company with considerable expertise, a sound financial base and strong management team. Its potential to grow and create jobs in Derwentside was being held back and we were happy to provide the investment that has meant this project could go ahead.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .