Doxford International Business Park
Encyclopedia
Doxford International is a 125 acres (50.6 ha) business park located at the A19 / A690 interchange on the outskirts of Sunderland, in the North East of England
. Previously it was a greenfield site
, it was designated as an Enterprise Zone
in 1990 in response to the decline of the area's former ship building
and coal mining
industries. A partnership between Sunderland City Council
and Goodman Property (formerly Akeler Developments Ltd.) has seen the creation of 1350000 sq ft (125,419.1 m²) of high-specification offices, with the private sector partner investing around £200 million. The first buildings were completed in 1992, providing accommodation for a range of businesses that have played a key role in the regeneration of the City.
At the entrance to the development stands the award-winning sculpture Quintisection by the sculptor Robert Erskine FRBS. Standing 26 ft (7.9 m) and 14.5 ft (4.4 m), it is made in wrought stainless steel, and is based upon a huge cross-section of an ocean liner. Commissioned by Doxford International Business Park, Quintisection was awarded by the Royal British Society of Sculptors the Sir Otto Beit Award for the most outstanding public sculpture, worldwide, for the year 1993/94. Quintesection is the first landmark sculpture to mark the shipbuilding industry of the North East, a region whose communities are famous for 700 years of shipbuilding.
The availability of telecommunications and a skilled workforce has been instrumental in the success of Doxford International, which is now one of the UK's main locations for corporate HQs and contact centres serving the financial and customer service sectors. Around 8,000 people are now employed by a range of blue chip companies.
One business that located on Doxford International is mobile phone operator T-Mobile
, part of Deutsche Telekom
, which has a customer support centre that now employs around 1,000 people. The site operates as a switching centre, underpinning the company's network between Leeds and Edinburgh.
Also on Doxford International, EDS has established a secure data centre. Citifinancial - part of the USA-based CitiGroup
- was one of the businesses that has reinvested in Doxford International, with an expansion project that brought additional jobs to Sunderland. CitiGroup
no longer have a presence at Doxford, leaving the site in 2009.
Doxford International has been at the forefront of developments in business property. For example, the award-winning 38750 square feet (3,600 m²) Solar Building makes extensive use of photo-voltaic technology to minimise energy consumption
. The 25500 square feet (2,369 m²) Regus Centre offers offices and meeting rooms, including broadband access
. The most recent development at Doxford International is Signature House, which was developed in 2007 to provide a new HQ for Wilcomm Homes, and incorporates speculative office suites for small businesses.
A specialist training facility operated by City of Sunderland College
known as the North East Contact Centre Academy is located among the businesses on the site, offering employer-led training in customer service, call handling and line-management, as well as technical skills such as administering IP telephony
and voice and data cabling.
EDF Energy
has based its main contact centre at Doxford, originally trading at the site as London Electricity.
Doxford International has been developed to provide an attractive working environment for employees. As well as small retail outlets such as Greggs the bakers and a Subway
outlet, the Sunderland Health & Racquet Club operated by Esporta provides leisure facilities. Whilst highways access is an asset for the site, there is also public transport
, with buses reaching the heart of the business park.
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. Previously it was a greenfield site
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
, it was designated as an Enterprise Zone
Urban Enterprise Zone
In the United States, Urban Enterprise Zones , also known as Enterprise Zones, are intended to encourage development in blighted neighborhoods through tax and regulatory relief to entrepreneurs and investors who launch businesses in the area. UEZs are areas where companies can locate free of...
in 1990 in response to the decline of the area's former ship building
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
and coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
industries. A partnership between Sunderland City Council
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
and Goodman Property (formerly Akeler Developments Ltd.) has seen the creation of 1350000 sq ft (125,419.1 m²) of high-specification offices, with the private sector partner investing around £200 million. The first buildings were completed in 1992, providing accommodation for a range of businesses that have played a key role in the regeneration of the City.
At the entrance to the development stands the award-winning sculpture Quintisection by the sculptor Robert Erskine FRBS. Standing 26 ft (7.9 m) and 14.5 ft (4.4 m), it is made in wrought stainless steel, and is based upon a huge cross-section of an ocean liner. Commissioned by Doxford International Business Park, Quintisection was awarded by the Royal British Society of Sculptors the Sir Otto Beit Award for the most outstanding public sculpture, worldwide, for the year 1993/94. Quintesection is the first landmark sculpture to mark the shipbuilding industry of the North East, a region whose communities are famous for 700 years of shipbuilding.
The availability of telecommunications and a skilled workforce has been instrumental in the success of Doxford International, which is now one of the UK's main locations for corporate HQs and contact centres serving the financial and customer service sectors. Around 8,000 people are now employed by a range of blue chip companies.
One business that located on Doxford International is mobile phone operator T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
, part of Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
, which has a customer support centre that now employs around 1,000 people. The site operates as a switching centre, underpinning the company's network between Leeds and Edinburgh.
Also on Doxford International, EDS has established a secure data centre. Citifinancial - part of the USA-based CitiGroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
- was one of the businesses that has reinvested in Doxford International, with an expansion project that brought additional jobs to Sunderland. CitiGroup
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
no longer have a presence at Doxford, leaving the site in 2009.
Doxford International has been at the forefront of developments in business property. For example, the award-winning 38750 square feet (3,600 m²) Solar Building makes extensive use of photo-voltaic technology to minimise energy consumption
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
. The 25500 square feet (2,369 m²) Regus Centre offers offices and meeting rooms, including broadband access
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
. The most recent development at Doxford International is Signature House, which was developed in 2007 to provide a new HQ for Wilcomm Homes, and incorporates speculative office suites for small businesses.
A specialist training facility operated by City of Sunderland College
City of Sunderland College
Sunderland College, is a Further Education, Higher Education College based in Sunderland, North East England. The enrolment includes around 6,300 part-time learners and approximately 4,800 full-time students...
known as the North East Contact Centre Academy is located among the businesses on the site, offering employer-led training in customer service, call handling and line-management, as well as technical skills such as administering IP telephony
Voice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
and voice and data cabling.
EDF Energy
EDF Energy
EDF Energy is an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom...
has based its main contact centre at Doxford, originally trading at the site as London Electricity.
Doxford International has been developed to provide an attractive working environment for employees. As well as small retail outlets such as Greggs the bakers and a Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
outlet, the Sunderland Health & Racquet Club operated by Esporta provides leisure facilities. Whilst highways access is an asset for the site, there is also public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
, with buses reaching the heart of the business park.
Financial services
- Barclays plc (UK, Banking)
- More Than (Royal & SunAlliance) (UK, Insurance)
- UK Asset Resolution Ltd (UK, Banking)
Contact centres
- 2Touch (Acxiom Corporation) (USA, Outsourcing Fulfilment)
- EDF Energy plc (France, Customer Service Centre)
- Royal Mail (UK, Contact Centre)
- T-Mobile (UK) Ltd. (Deutsche Telekom) (Germany, Customer Support Centre)
- Sunderland City Council (Local, Contact Centre / ICT)
Head offices
- 4Projects4Projects4Projects is a UK privately held Software as a service company based in Doxford International Business Park in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. It also has offices in the USA, Canada, and the Middle East...
(Local, Business Software) - Arriva plc (Local, Public Transport)
- Desco (Design & Consultancy) Ltd. (Local, Consulting Engineers)
- Gentoo Group (Local, Property Development)
- Wilcomm Homes (Local, House Builder)
- Nike UK HQ
Other companies
- Bowmer & Kirkland (UK, Contractor)
- Former EDS (Electronic Data Systems) now HP Enterprise Services UK Ltd (USA, Secure Data Centre)
- Manitowoc Cranes Group (USA, Mobile Cranes)
- Northern Gas Networks Ltd. (UK, Customer Service Centre)
External links
- Invest in Sunderland Sunderland City Council