Member Article

Amble restaurant gains rural investment to rejuvenate derelict land

Family-run Amble restaurant The Quayside Chippy is set to create new jobs after receiving funding to go ahead with a project to develop a connected derelict building that is currently unused.

Awarded 60k in funding, the business is benefitting from a from the Rural Business Growth Fund investment after gaining approval from the North East Rural Growth Network.

The building in question adjoins the enterprise’s existing premises, creating capacity for an additional 30 seats as well as an outdoor terrace. The extension will have direct views over the quayside and Warkworth castle.

The project which is due to complete by the end of 2017, will provide at least 5 new jobs over the course of the year.

Director Ian Riches believes the investment will have a positive impact on the local community and the tourist industry, as well as providing an attractive hub on the quayside.

He explained: “The support of the grant funding from the North East Rural Growth Network and the delivery team from Arch has been invaluable for the continued growth of our business. This investment will create further local employment by allowing us to accommodate a larger number of customers.

“The expansion of our business will benefit our local community and strengthen Amble’s status as a tourist destination.”

The North East Rural Growth Network is designed to support small rural businesses with capital investment projects. In 2015, the Rural Growth Network secured £6 million capital investment from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal - Local Growth Fund.

This investment will support businesses in the rural areas of Durham, Gateshead and Northumberland until 2020.

Colin Bell, North East LEP Business Growth Director, said: “The North East Rural Growth Network funds are designed to offer support in exactly this type of situation, allowing a company to grow and create more jobs.

The rural and tourism economies are strategically important for the North East LEP area and will play an important role in helping to deliver the objectives in the Strategic Economic Plan which aims to create 100,000 more and better jobs by 2014. We’re looking forward to seeing The Quayside Chippy flourish in its newly extended premises.“

Cllr Richard Wearmouth, Chair of Arch said: “It is great to see further investment from the Rural Growth Network benefitting this project.

“The jobs it will create and facilities it will provide will give a welcome boost to the tourism of the North East – supporting much welcomed growth to our rural economies”.

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