Serviced office provider, Cobalt Business Exchange (CBX), based at Newcastle’s Cobalt Business Park has seen a growing demand for office space in recent months with five new companies relocating to or expanding within CBX.

A leading North East housing developer is bucking the homeworking trend with a new headquarters and a raft of employee-friendly initiatives. While workers across the UK are increasingly asking to work from home, employees at Miller Homes North East are opting to head to their new office, at Cobalt Business Park.

Software company Sage grew revenue to £1.9bn in the year to the end of September, it has announced.

Three leading businesses have taken occupancy at Newcastle’s Cobalt Business Park, joining a growing number of well-established businesses who have moved here.

Business leaders in North Tyneside have been given a glimpse into the future of commuter travel as they boarded a special train service on what will be the new Northumberland Line.  

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to affect the future of work – permanently.

The owners of CobaltOne have completed stage one of a major refurbishment of the prominent offices.

North Tyneside Business Forum has teamed up with the Cobalt Business Park to encourage sales to local traders rather than online or big chains this Christmas.

Controversial cycle improvements and temporary measures in Whitley Bay put in place by North Tyneside Council are supporting an increase of cycling and walking around the coast.

Overseas investors have sealed deals worth almost £45m for the two buildings which will become the new HQ for North East software giant Sage.

Business leaders from across Cobalt Business Park have taken part in one of the first cycle group rides through the newly refurbished Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnel.

Leading UK commercial developer Highbridge Properties, and Moorfield, the UK real estate private equity fund manager, have secured Sage, the UK’s largest technology company, as a new tenant at Cobalt 22 and 23, at Cobalt Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. 

The Village Hotel Pub & Grill opened its doors to the public on Monday 25^th March after a 6 week refurb. The new on site facility will be welcomed by the 12,000 strong workforce currently based at the Cobalt Business Park and is a great addition to the already diverse range of amenities.

A bus company has extended a route to help commuters get to North Tyneside’s biggest business park. 

Firms including Accenture, Perfect Image, EE, Utilitywise, Santander as well as Northumbria Police and North Tyneside Council will be recruiting for a range of positions.

Adderstone Group has completed the purchase of a 21,000 sq ft property on Cobalt Park which is currently occupied by Leeds Building Society.

Moorfield has purchased Cobalt 23 on the Cobalt Business Park in Newcastle in partnership with Highbridge.The building has the largest floorplates on Cobalt Business Park and could be occupied on a single-let basis or sub-divided for multi-let occupancy.

IT giant Accenture is recruiting for roles within the technology and consulting divisions at the Newcastle Delivery Centre

North East IT giant Accenture is creating 60 new jobs at its Newcastle Delivery Centre as it seeks to expand its skilled divisions outside of London. Only last year the global tech firm expanded into a second building at Cobalt Business Park after securing a £1.85m Let’s Grow Fund grant, backed by The Journal, which saw it create new jobs and take workforce levels past the 700 mark on Tyneside.

New owners have taken over the running of a popular food establishment at a busy business park. Spud & Lettuce, at Cobalt Central’s retail parade, opened Monday 6th March under new family-run management.

Newcastle Building Society, the largest building society based in the North East, has purchased the premises it currently leases at 21 Cobalt Park in North Tyneside for an undisclosed price from Highbridge Properties.

New centre at Cobalt Business Park has the ability to attract major firms to the North East, backer says The opening of a multi-million pound data centre on Tyneside has the potential to transform the area as a world-leading digital hub, its backer says.

Irish businessman Noel Meaney, who started gobal companies euNetworks and Citadel100, has invested heavily in the opening of the Stellium data centre at the Cobalt Business Park, on North Tyneside.

Greggs Delivered is being trialled at Cobalt Business Park and trials in Newcastle city centre and Quorum Business Park will follow.

A group of adventurous Cobalt staff and their families, including riders aged from 2 to 82 departed this Friday 16th September on a ride of a lifetime from Cobalt Park in North Tyneside to Amsterdam, raising thousands to support children’s charity Barnardo’s. The trip is to celebrate 150 years of Barnardo’s – its work supporting vulnerable children and to raise funds so that it can continue to do so.

The creation of a major new access point together with the grant of a strategic planning permission constitute a significant step forward in the development of Indigo Park.

Highbridge Properties, developers of Cobalt in North Tyneside, the UK’s largest office park, are working in partnership with North Tyneside Council’s Inward Investment arm Invest North Tyneside over the development of Indigo Park. The scheme is an 82 acre strategic employment site capable of accommodating in excess of 1.3 million sq ft of new manufacturing and distribution space and generating well in excess of 1,500 jobs.

North Tyneside Council have secured £4.32 million of funding for infrastructure improvements to enhance the site’s accessibility.

The careers fair has been hailed a huge success after thousands of jobseekers turned out.

Up to 1,600 people registered for the Cobalt Jobs Fair – more than double the registrations in 2015

The event at Cobalt Park on Thursday 8 September where over 1,000 employment opportunities were on offer, organised by North Tyneside Council in partnership with Cobalt More Team and the main sponsor was Utilitywise.

Employers from a wide range of industries were on hand to speak to those looking for work about the various roles, from entry-level to senior positions, as well as apprenticeships and training opportunities.

The pharma firm which was acquired last year has moved its North East office operations to the business park.

Leeds Building Society becomes the latest big name tenant to take up space at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside, signing a deal to take 20,168 sq ft, the whole of Cobalt 7B.

Early predictions were that Cobalt would employ 5,000 people - but it's now the largest business park of its kind in the UK.

Eighteen years ago the front page of The Journal carried news of a massive jobs boon for the North East as work began on the Cobalt Business Park – but early predictions over its success were way off the mark.

Developers Highbridge said three new deals are about due to conclude, leaving just two buildings at the Cobalt Business Park.

The growing tech firm, which this week announced a new MD, has grown its capacity yet again at Cobalt, having trebled in size in five years.

Utilitywise plc, the Newcastle-based independent utility cost management consultancy, has announced it will continue to grow its headcount, hinting at more recruitment plans for H2.

Energy Consultant headcount at 31 January 2016 was 625, up from 449 at 31 January 2015 and 610 at 31 July 2015. Whilst growth has been slightly slower than originally anticipated, the firm is expected to make up for this in H2, continuing its reputation as one of the North East’s most consistent employers.

Workers at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside are being offered a cut above from a new Quiznos Sub sandwich restaurant claiming to be the home of the toasted sub sandwich.

The franchise which is the first of its kind in the North has opened its doors on the Cobalt Central retail parade. The shop is set to become a focal meeting point for the workforce and local residents alike.

Highbridge Properties has appointed Bray Fox Smith, alongside its existing agent BNP, to market Cobalt 23 at Cobalt Park, Newcastle upon Tyne.

CHARITY events for Children in Need kicked off in style at the UK’s largest office park, in North Tyneside, on Friday 13th November.

Workers at Cobalt Park held pyjama parties, cakes sales and a sponsored tug of war in aid of the charity. Cobalt as a whole hopes in total to raise over £10,000 to help ensure that every child in the UK has a childhood which is safe, happy and secure.

The Maggie's Fire Walk is back in 2015 at the Cobalt Business Park with over 60 participants signed up to hot-foot it to the charity’s fundraising event to raise money for people affected by cancer.

Local bus operator Stagecoach North East has announced the extension of its route 22 bus service in Newcastle, which will provide new links from Wallsend to Silverlink shopping park and Cobalt business park in North Tyneside.

The Cobalt Careers Fair took place on Thursday, October 22 from 3:00pm – 7:00pm at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside, seeing over 700 candidates attend, travelling from all over the region to see what was on offer from the parks companies.

Cobalt Park employers and North Tyneside Council, Education to Employment Team invited the regions job seekers to come along and discover more, with entry level roles to senior positions available in vacancies from a host of companies at the park.

Highbridge Properties has sold a 30,500 sq ft office building on Cobalt Business Park in the North East to Castel Commercial Property Fund for £4.9m. The deal – representing an initial yield of 8.6% has seen the fund acquire building 13a within the UK’s largest business park.

Hundreds of staff at Cobalt Park have signed up to share their journey to work in the first week of the park launching a brand new carshare website.

Two leaders in their respective fields Cobalt Business Park in North Tyneside the largest office park in the UK and Liftshare.com the most successful carshare provider have partnered up to provide a car-sharing scheme to encourage staff to opt for a sustainable mode of transport with a state-of-the-art Liftshare website and online personal travel planning tool, myPTP.

The IT services giant has trebled staff numbers at its Newcastle Delivery Centre over the five years since its launch.

IT giant Accenture has expanded into a second building at its Cobalt Park base in North Tyneside.

Cobalt Business Park will hold a host of events to support and promote European Mobility Week 16th – 22nd September.

Each year from 16-22 September, European Mobility Week is the most widespread event to raise awareness of sustainable transport. In 2015 1,502 cities are participating across Europe.

Cobalt Business Park IT consultancy Perfect Image directors share 10% of profits with staff

The Cobalt Business Park IT consultancy, grew sales by 47% in 2014/15 and secured a raft of new high profile clients.

Hundreds of school children turned market traders for the day selling the fruits of their business ideas to the public at a top Tyneside business park.

The young entrepreneurs ran 40 stalls selling everything from glass paintings to photographs of local landmarks as part of the Skills to Shine Summer School.

A park looks set to hold more events after bosses secured a premises licence.

Cobalt Business Park has been granted permission to continue planning a range of events and activities for employees and visitors.

DNV GL a global player within the marine, oil and gas and energy industries is the seventh business to extend its operation at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside. This latest transaction builds on an already successful 2014 for Highbridge Business Park Ltd the developers of Cobalt whom have already let more space than any other business park in the UK in the last 12 months. 

The firm, which has taken on around 350 people in the last year, will base its Power Generation Services Division in Cobalt 9b

International energy giant Siemens has started its move into the UK’s largest busines park after the firm signed a five-year lease to rent significant office space.

Cobalt, located in North Tyneside, is an amazing success story for the North East. It’s the largest office park in the UK and in 2014 let more space than any other office park in the country. Adrian Hill, a director of Highbridge Properties plc, talks to Barney Frith, head of property at Square One Law, about his career.

Cobalt is a huge success story for Highbridge Properties and, on completion, will comprise 2.5m sqft of offices. 

Cobalt’s brand new Healthy Fast Food café Spud & Lettuce open their doors this Wednesday 11th February to provide healthy breakfast and lunch options to the masses at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside. To celebrate the opening North Tyneside Elected Mayor, Norma Redfearn officially opened the new café today (Tuesday 10th February) at a special friends and family event.

Highbridge Business Park Ltd earlier this year announced this the final let to complete the letting of their 26,000 sq ft Cobalt Central retail development, under a month later Spud & Lettuce are opening their doors for lunch.

Highbridge Business Park Ltd, developers of Cobalt Park in North Tyneside, let more space in 2014 than any other business park in the UK.

Cobalt, the largest office park in the UK, will provide 2.5 million sq ft of office space when complete. 

Letting activity at Cobalt in 2014 has underlined the popularity of Cobalt Park with employers by letting 185,000sq ft in the year.

If you work in IT, then the North East is definitely the place to be. Well, North Tyneside to be precise, because standing proudly on the Cobalt Business Park is the home of IT experts Perfect Image. We’re an IT services company delivering tailored solutions and services to organisations across the UK, helping them to improve their businesses through the effective use of IT,
from our new offices in Equinox House.

We relocated to the Cobalt Business Park in July 2014 after winning several new contracts and recruiting a number of highly-skilled business professionals into the team. The world-class facilities offered by the park matched our vision of providing customers with the very best, top-quality service, from right here in the North East.

Highbridge Business Park Ltd have let the final unit to complete the letting of their 26,000 sq ft Cobalt Central retail development at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside.

Highbridge are delighted to announce an all new Healthy Fast Food café Spud & Lettuce open on the park Jan 2015 as the name suggested they will be providing baked potatoes and power salads to the masses at Cobalt.

Technically an office park, Cobalt is more like a new town befitting the 21st Century. Adrian Hill, driving its development, explains to Brian Nicholls how it has achieved in 16 years what has taken older new towns many decades to get to.

It’s the UK’s largest office park - but surely, too, a new age new town. Cobalt on North Tyneside, unlike some early post-war new towns that have taken decades to develop, has become within 15 years somewhere you can find a job with a major company, a home nearby, and a life of self-sufficiency with little compulsion to shop elsewhere.

Global energy giant Siemens becomes the latest big name tenant to take up space at Cobalt Park in North Tyneside

Frank Lott of North Tyneside Council, Richard Luijendijk of Siemens Service Renewables UK&I and Aidan Baker of BNP Paribas Real Estate

International energy giant Siemens is moving 200 staff members into Cobalt Park after the firm signed a five-year lease to rent significant office space.

The North East's industrial sector is growing - but is this causing problems for expanding firms?

The region’s industrial sector has seen strong growth so far this year, with more firms requiring larger premises as a result of expansion.

Richard Rafique, associate director at Bradley Hall, said manufacturers in particular have performed well and many companies in this sector have been taking up occupancy in industrial premises based in strategically well-placed locations around the region.

Activity in this sector is helping to maintain economic growth and shows little sign of abating.

Mr Rafique said: “However, there are challenges for the market to overcome. There is a shortfall of prime stock with many of the larger properties over 10,000 sq ft becoming obsolete.

“This problem will become even more acute if companies continue to trade up to bigger premises – and this trend is likely to continue as long as the economy remains robust.

“For prime units the market is seeing a change, with rents hardening and fewer incentives being offered. Meanwhile, capital values remain steady due to lack of supply.”

Knight Frank is equally upbeat, saying that take-up of large industrial units has been a feature of the market this year with over 1.2m sqft let resulting in a lack of large-scale units.

Mark Proudlock, partner of industrial agency at Knight Frank, said the most recent letting has been a 60,000 sq ft warehouse on UK Land Estates’ Tyne Tunnel Estate which has just been acquired by Vantec, an important Nissan supplier, on a short term basis.

“This demonstrates how the improved traffic flow through the dualled Tyne Tunnel has opened up North Tyneside as a location for Nissan suppliers but it also shows the lack of large-scale warehousing immediately available closer to Nissan,” said Mr Proudlock.

“So bringing back supply to the market is important and there are schemes which can alleviate the situation.”

Thousands of staff at Cobalt Park, the UK’s largest office park in North Tyneside, will be offered a host of quirky ways to embrace green travel throughout the forthcoming Cobalt Go Smarter Week (Tuesday 16th to 22nd September 2014). Go Smarter encourages people to think about choosing sustainable modes of transport across Tyne and Wear.

The 12,500 plus workforce on site will be given the opportunity try out some unique forms of transport during their lunch hour including Segway scooters, Quad bikes and Beat bikes state of the art electro assisted folding bikes.

Staff got on their bikes to help promote an initiative encouraging more to use two wheels to get to work.

The world's largest technology company expands at UK’s largest business park-

Highbridge are delighted to announce the expansion of Hewlett Packard (HP), the world's largest technology business, at Cobalt Park, the UK’s largest office park located in North Tyneside, by leasing an additional 24,596 sq ft within Cobalt 21.

Business and council leaders in North Tyneside are toasting a successful drive to bring new jobs to the borough.

A drive to bring jobs to the region has been hailed a success with main business parks in North Tyneside celebrate rapid growth.

Over the last year 1,800 new jobs have been created at Cobalt and Quorum business parks, bringing the workforce up to 17,000.

Energy management consultancy Utilitywise has posted a positive trading update ahead of unveiling its full year results.

The Tyneside firm, which manages energy and water meters for public and private sector companies, said turnover and pre-tax profit for the year ended July 31 are expected to be in line with market expectations.

Net cash balances as of July 31 stood at approximately £9.7m, comfortably ahead of predictions thanks, in part, to improved commercial terms with a number of energy suppliers.

Cobalt the UK’s largest business park is helping workers cash in on exclusive offers – which can save them hundreds of pounds in leisure and shopping throughout the region.

The More on Show event at Cobalt this Thursday 17^th July will promote Cobalt’s more discount card which gives staff access to more than 100 offers from shops, entertainment venues and restaurants. 

Heartbreak productions invite you to an evening of outdoor theatre at it’s best, for the first time ever in North Tyneside at Cobalt Central, Cobalt Park, Tuesday 5th August.

There’s no better way to spend a summers evening than enjoying an outdoor performance of Pride and Prejudice sat comfortably in your camping chair with your friends and colleagues in the natural surroundings at Cobalt.

Rapid growth at a North East IT consultancy has triggered expansion into a new office, driving forward the firm’s ambition to double in size within three years.

Hewlett Packard (HP) announced that they have lease an additional 24,596 sq ft within Cobalt 21, the gateway building at the UK’s largest office park.

HP advised by CBRE has decided to expand its presence at the business park, where it already occupies two buildings at the Cobalt Business Park, by securing space on the second and third floors of Cobalt 21b.

Energy consultancy Utilitywise is heading to Cobalt Business Park in the region's largest office leasing deal for five years

National charity Barnardo’s has expanded its operations in North Tyneside with the move of its offices to Cobalt Business Park.

The children’s charity have secured ground floor space in Cobalt 13a - one of the Park’s three storey office buildings, designed around a large central entrance and dramatic glazed façade.

Hewlett Packard are looking to grow their North Tyneside workforce thanks to a global strategy to consolidate the firm’s regional delivery centres.

Staff numbers at the IT multinational’s Cobalt Business Park base are set to increase, HP director Lindsay Phillips told Bdaily.

As part of its continued commitment to providing MORE to the working day for the workforce at Cobalt Business Park, developers Highbridge have teamed up with Accenture to launch the new More Cobalt app for iPhone. Celebrating its eighth birthday this year, the Cobalt discount card leads the way with the implementation of its new mobile app.

Management consultancy firm Accenture has announced 90 new technical jobs in Newcastle as part of its UK-wide expansion plans.

The news means hundreds of jobs are being created in the North East as part of a drive by the regions technology firms to grow the sector.

Cobalt Park are delighted to announce the signing of a new landscaping contract with One Landscapes who will continue to provide award winning landscapes at the UK’s largest office Park.

Since the initialisation of the park developers have ensured that landscapes are designed and maintained in a way that is highly sympathetic to the abundant biodiversity on the park, to include wetlands and encourage the wildlife in the area to thrive. The park includes 60 acres of biodiversity with another 40 acres on the adjoining Country Park, 100 acres of biodiversity in total. These areas contain a wide range of habitat including woodland, scrub and hedgerow, grassland and tall herb, wetland and exposed dolomite which are vital for the rich amphibian and invertebrate population along with bats and birds.

The UK’s largest office park and Tyne & Wear Sport have teamed up to help workers get healthier.

As part of Tyne & Wear Sport’s Active Workplace programme staff based at Cobalt Business Park in North Tyneside can now get involved in a range of diverse activities. The scheme, which is being delivered in partnership with the onsite Cobalt More team, will help over 12,000 employees find a sport they love playing.

Three new lettings have been announced by Highbridge at Cobalt Business Park. Secure outsourcing group G4S has taken an additional 10,000 sq ft within Cobalt 8 where they already occupy 30,000 sq ft. 

Meanwhile management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company Accenture have also taken an additional 10,000 sq ft within Cobalt 15a where they already occupy 20,000 sq ft. In additional IBM have acquired 5,000 sq ft within Cobalt Central.

Developers have collaborated with North Tyneside council to create a new industrial site with the capacity to generate more than 1,000 jobs

Developers behind the UK’s largest office park have collaborated with North Tyneside council to create a new industrial site with the capacity to generate more than 1,000 jobs.

 The Cobalt Business Exchange (CBX) a 120,000 sq ft independent serviced office at the Cobalt Business Park in North Tyneside and the CBX Central offices continue to expend their list of tenants in 2014, with new occupiers HP and IBM.

Tenants at CBX have been so impressed by the service and facilities which include a Starbucks coffee shop, restaurant, conference centre and free parking that to date the CBX is 96% occupied, boasting an 88% retention rate, with and average agreement length of circa 27 months.

At a time where the news is being dominated by cuts to bus services due to council funding shortages there’s a good news story on a growing bus service in North Tyneside.

This week, the Cobalt Clipper steps up in quality with the introduction of a fleet of 17 brand new double decker buses. Each of the new buses have the latest Euro 5 engines, free onboard Wi-Fi, power sockets for phones & tablets and next stop announcements/displays.