After the collapse of traditional industry in the region, the Ouseburn Valley is once again home to unique industries – albeit creative industries with production on a smaller scale than those which originally made Tyneside great. Similarities remain however, in that some of the creatives based in the Ouseburn today are working with the same materials as their predecessors back in the days when the Valley was a centre for glass-making and pottery.
The Valley is also home to furniture & jewellery designers, music studios, sculptors and artists in the traditional sense as well as those working with sound, light and new digital media.
Add this to the other longstanding businesses that operate in different sectors and there is a wide variety of goods and services available in the Ouseburn. The vehicle-related businesses, recycling companies, business services, retail sector and a few manufacturing firms still provide jobs for local people.
The Ouseburn Business Survey by ERS provides details of which businesses are located in the Valley, and their answers to a range of questions. The document is available to download at the bottom of this page.
Key strengths of the Ouseburn Valley as a business location:
- There is availability of space for smaller business units in contrast with the city centre
- Rents in the Ouseburn are around 12.5% cheaper that in the city centre
- The Valley is close to both the city centre and the Quayside and has good road access and public transport to the city centre and the central motorway.
- The area has a unique character and ambience which gives the Valley the edge over city centre sites as well as “out of town” developments.
- Strong networks within the various industries based in the Valley
New developments
Over the last 5 years, there has been a large increase in the number of artists studios in the area, along with an unsatisfied demand for office space - particularly for sale. At one stage there were worries that all the proposed developments would produce an over-supply of office space. A study, carried out by Lamb and Edge in the days before the credit crunch, produced an independent analysis of this. This study is available to download at the bottom of this page.
As a result, in 2008 there were 3 office developments on site or recently completed - The Media Exchange, providing 9 new-build units for long lease on Stepney Bank; Clocktower Court at Hoults Yard, with workspaces and offices for rent; and Maling Court on Union St (behind the Biscuit Factory), which is a development by Adderstones Group.
Further office space is proposed at various locations in Ouseburn (see the Regeneration section of this website) and there are plans for more artists studios, notably at the Biscuit Tin on Warwick Street.