Colliery site “transformed” into £20 million retail hub

A historic colliery site in Tyne and Wear has been redeveloped into a £20 million retail park, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.

Houghton Colliery in Houghton-le-Spring, which operated for over 150 years before closing in 1981, has been brought back to life by North East regeneration specialists Hellens Group and delivered by Robertson Construction North East, “transforming” a “challenging brownfield site to a vibrant hub”.

The 65,000sq ft retail park includes a 45,000sq ft Tesco store, which opened this month, with a 20,000sq ft B&M unit set to launch early next year. The development also features a petrol station and 300-bay car park.

The park is expected to support more than 100 jobs once fully operational.

Gavin Cordwell-Smith, chief executive of Hellens Group, said: “We are delighted to see the completion of this transformative journey from a challenging brownfield site to a vibrant hub for the community.

“As a Sunderland-based company, we are committed to bringing forward local regeneration projects that benefit the area.

“The invaluable support from Robertson Construction and Sunderland City Council has been key to making this vision a reality.”

Neil Kennedy, regional managing director of Robertson Construction North East, added: “Regeneration like this has the ability to transform a community and it’s fantastic to have worked with Hellens Group to be able to create this retail park for Houghton-le-Spring, especially as the site had lain empty for so long.

“This project has already brought local benefits during its construction phase and will continue to drive long-term economic and social growth for the area.” 

During construction, £7 million was spent with local businesses and 13 jobs were created, including roles for two individuals who had been long-term unemployed. 

Honouring the site’s heritage, a 16ft commemorative statue, incorporating a steel helmet, pit token and head torch was unveiled by local artists Ray and Sam Lonsdale earlier this month, celebrating its colliery past.

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