Sitting down with Andy Rothwell and Brian Thompson to chat about Traynor Business Park in Peterlee, it’s clear these are two men who, whilst working in very different ways, share a mutual commitment and desire to create a business park and community that supports growth, creativity and innovation, and nurture an entrepreneurial culture which just a few years ago seemed a pipe dream.
What they’ve achieved in a relatively short space of time is quite remarkable, completely transforming a site and buildings that were once run down into a thriving business community that is home to businesses from a range of sectors, from healthcare, education and utilities to automotive, lifestyle and recruitment.
Andy tells me: “Back in 2019 I was running a residential property company, which included student accommodation in Stoke and a residential conversion in London.
“I was then made aware of Traynor House going up for sale. It was an attractive development and it caught my eye, and as it was reasonably priced, I decided to come and have a look.
“Brian, through his own company, Dusk, was the sole tenant of the building and agreed to show me around. I loved it immediately and when I got chatting to Brian, he was so passionate about the area and the building’s potential that it made sense to purchase it together. The fact that Brian was local whereas I live in Oldham was also a benefit, as he has the local knowledge and experience that I don’t.
“So together we created North East Commercial and completed the purchase of the building and immediately started working to market it to potential tenants.”
Very quickly Traynor House attracted the attention of American company Repairify.
Brian said: “When Repairify said they were looking for a garage as well as the space they’d taken with us, we said that we could create it for them in Traynor House and they agreed. So, we removed part of the building to make it work, installing shutters too so everything was secure for them, and they’re still in there now.
“Although Repairify was our first tenant, that flexible approach was crucial to our success in attracting other tenants – from the outset we were happy to create offices that are right for them, bespoke spaces which support their long-term vision.”
Traynor House continued to thrive, attracting other tenants including North East Learning Trust, whose first-floor office conversion paved the way for the overall development of the business centre, showcasing how Andy and Brian could project manage fit outs for tenants working to their exact specification at competitive prices.
During this period of growth, Andy and Brian saw an opportunity to expand their portfolio with the acquisition of the two neighbouring buildings.
At the same time, Homes England had decided to release the freeholds to Traynor House, the two neighbouring properties, and seven other buildings across the North East. Keen to secure the full rights to the building, from the ground up, Andy negotiated a deal with Homes England which secured the freehold to all three properties.
Brian said: “The freeholds coming up for sale was perfect timing. Although the purchase put a lot of short-term pressure on us financially, we knew it was too good an opportunity to miss and had full confidence that the initial investment would pay off in the longer term.
“Our vision for Traynor Hub was to create a serviced office environment, with suites available in a range of sizes.
“They came and had a look and said they wanted the whole building. We couldn’t believe it, but of course we agreed. However, we had earmarked part of the ground floor for our gym and café, which we wanted to keep as it made sense that those community facilities were within Traynor Hub. Everflow were happy with that.
“We still had vacant offices on the top floor of Traynor House, and we knew we needed to look at Traynor North as well.
“Traynor North really wasn’t in a fit state for the NHS. The nurses didn’t feel safe leaving the building late on a night. As we now held the freehold to the site we installed a permanent fence and electric gate that is fob controlled, which made the staff feel much safer, and alongside the other internal works we undertook, in subsequent years the NHS went on to sign a 10-year lease extension.”
Today, Traynor Business Park is home to around 20 businesses who employ over 400 people.
Traynor House is nearing full occupancy, while plans to create a new business space within Traynor North, aimed specifically at new and micro companies, have recently been announced.
Core Business Centre will offer seven office suites in a range of sizes, while there will also be hot desk facilities available for those people that want their own professional space but don’t want to sign up to an office and the overheads that come with it.
Andy said: “We know how daunting it can be to commit to your first office space, particularly when you’re a sole trader or small company with just a few employees.
“Creating a dedicated space within our business park, almost like an incubation community where businesses can bounce off one another, share ideas and nurture growth, is something we’ve been thinking about for a while.
“That highlighted to us that there isn’t a great deal of professional office space that is aimed at the micro end of the scale that is available in the area. And we believe there is demand for it.
“Core Business Centre is the final piece of our jigsaw – it was part of the vision we had when we originally purchased Traynor House but it’s taken a little longer to come to fruition that we expected, though that is down to the success of the park rather than anything else.”
Andy and Brian come from different backgrounds with different skillsets, and together they have created a business park which is supporting business growth, innovation, and job creation.
Brian said: “For me, the devil is in the detail. Having an engineering background helped with the design and layout of the floor plan and the individual offices. This meant when a new tenant was enquiring about potential office space we could plan and build to their specific requirements.
“Most of what you see within the buildings stems from the vision Andy and I had. From the outset we wanted to instil a high-quality feel throughout the building, with quality bespoke finishes that gives each office its own identity.
“We work so well together because we have that shared vision, but we also have our own strengths too. Our approach isn’t always the same, however our ambition is, and that has resulted in the creation of a high-quality business park which in many ways became the catalyst for future developments across East Durham.”
Andy adds: “With regard to Traynor Business Park, we are continuing to talk with potential tenants and are confident that in the coming months we will achieve full occupancy.
“We are also looking at enhancing the park’s community feel, including holding an event for our tenants in September, with food, drinks, entertainment and a marquee. This is our way of saying thank you to everyone who has played a part in the park’s success.
“Away from Traynor, there is one development in the area that we have our eye on but at the moment it’s not at a price that would tempt us. So, we’ll keep an eye on the market and if the right opportunity comes up, at the right price, of course we will consider it.”