Newcastle Property Investment

In the past, the UK and international economy has remained unpredictable as growth began to falter and prospects for the future started to diminish.

Newcastle has played a crucial role in re-igniting investment and job creation helping to boost the economy and retain it across the North East.

Newcastle Council and Gateshead Council have been given the financial freedom to deliver pioneering plans for the private sector-led growth through tough negotiations with the government.

Stephen Patterson, director of communications at NE1 Ltd, an international award-winning Business Improvement District company, states;

“It is reassuring to see that the regeneration continues across the whole city and not just in isolated pockets.

Newcastle is an ambitious city with a bright future, and it is hugely encouraging in the post-Brexit world in which we live to see the city continuing to attract investment and developments which will create jobs across the city in a wide range of sectors.”

Newcastle Helix, the city’s £350 million flagship project, aims to fuse together academic, the public sector, business and industry at the heart of the city. Formerly referred to as Science Central, it has become a landmark location for science, technology and business, not to mention an outstanding area for Newcastle property investment brought by modern infrastructure.

One major goal of the city is to create a global centre for urban innovation through developing the Newcastle Helix. Twenty-four acres will be redeveloped to enhance the existing community.

Over 20 distinct building plots and six residential plots are set to be revitalised creating an estimated 4,000 jobs, uniting the industry through industry leaders using their first-class research and educational facilities across prestigious residential and commercial space.

The creation of five avenues, three cross streets and three state of the art public realms deserve to be explored on foot, with the intertwining streets celebrating the contrast between the past and the future, keeping sustainable planning at the heart of the project.

Public squares alone will not complete the shaping of this revolutionary development. Residential housing will provide a supreme opportunity to capitalise on Newcastle buy to let property investment.

An urban quarter located in the beating heart of Newcastle will be an exemplar of a sustainable development aiming to attract cutting-edge organisations to build a new rejuvenated community.

For investment opportunities, Newcastle Helix offers one of the largest city-centre developments of its kind in the UK. This development is primed for investment and growth. Thirty-seven bespoke commercial, retail, leisure and residential plots are available to ensure the best possible return on investment – an ideal space for investors to build their portfolio in Newcastle property investment.

Newcastle Helix constitutes as part of a strategic Accelerated Development Zone. With a strong vision for the future in terms of development, it has been recognised as a key economic asset of North East England, boosted by the Government’s investment within the city.

A Hotbed for Knowledge and Business

A proud home to over 7,000 registered businesses, Newcastle is a hotbed for knowledge-intensive sectors and tech, opening the floodgates for securing unique opportunities to invest in Newcastle. Through a plethora of industries, from 3D virtual solutions, digital gaming and pioneering technology in science and healthcare, Newcastle is part of a wider business scene that remains prosperous in every one of its ventures. Whilst securing over £600 million to the local economy, Newcastle also contributes to £13 billion towards the UK’s GVA each year, reinforcing its thriving entrepreneurial spirit and exceptional credentials.

The UK economy is fundamentally strong, undeniably competitive and has been the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in recent years, a prime time for major international investments and many reasons to bring your business to Newcastle.

Professional services such as banking, finance and insurance dominate the city with all of the ‘Big Four’ professional service companies operating in Newcastle, employing around 1,300 staff.

‘The Big Four’ refers to the four largest accounting firms in the world. Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), all provide unbeatable employment opportunities, diverse job prospects and high calibre career developments, a perfect starting place for numerous graduates from Newcastle University and Northumbria University.

Employing over 130,000 people in over 17,500 companies, the professional service companies across the city are thought to generate around 25% of the region’s total wealth. Over 30,000 students across Newcastle are studying related fields, accumulating a strong talent pool with skills that can be applied to meet the burgeoning sector’s needs.

Tech and Digital

One of the most illustrious digital clusters outside of the country’s capital, Newcastle, has the highest growth in England, with the city’s technology and software industry worth over £2 billion.

This sector alone accounts for over 3,500 businesses, employing over 27,000 people in Newcastle and its surrounding commuter belt.

Not to mention, Newcastle is the only location with a company featured in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100. Sage Group plc are a leading global software company that liaises with rapidly expanding local start-ups through collaborating and innovating future schemes in the pipeline.

Digital and tech companies setting up base in Newcastle are set to benefit from the high calibre talent pool brought by two world-class universities, teamed with strong social networks and a faultless support system, the city’s immeasurable links with external organisations provide the opportunity to locate in high-spec creative hubs.

Overall, the city’s tech sector is worth over £2 billion and is overtaking the rest of the economy with the industry growing 2.6 times faster and job numbers rising five times as quickly. This has triggered young professionals and millennials to occupy the, leaving Newcastle property an attractive asset for investors looking to capitalise on the digital tech boom.

Medical Science and Sustainability

Only six regions have been specifically designated as UK Science Cities and judging by Newcastle’s internationally renowned reputation for medical sciences and sustainability, this is a more than deserved title. Located in the city’s core, Newcastle Helix presents itself as a 24-acre mixed-use site and a monumental location for exploring science, business, leisure and living. If you are choosing to invest in Newcastle, considering a location next to numerous landmarks could increase the lucrativeness of your property creating maximum gains in properties for sale in Newcastle.

Setting the benchmark for cutting-edge facilities across the UK is the International Centre for Life, an award-winning visitor attraction and educational facility belonging to Newcastle University specialising in research, biotechnology and fertility and regenerative medicine therapies, also a great day out for the whole family to enjoy.

Secondly, Newcastle University Institute for Ageing is the largest facility of its kind in Europe, with a clear objective to bring together a combination of public, research and business insights to help produce strategic solutions for the emerging market created by demographic change. Newcastle University has been awarded £20 million by the government in order to establish the National Centre for Ageing Innovation.

Pharmaceutically, the North East is a major contender in leading this industry with an established pharmaceutical cluster. With an annual income of £ 1 billion, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospital NHS Foundation Trust sits at the top of numerous tables, undertaking a plethora of clinical trials, and recruiting just shy of 12,500 patients.

Offshore and Marine

Newcastle investment in infrastructure is accelerating, a thriving deep-sea port operating every day of the year secures its internationally renowned reputation as a major centre for offshore industries as one of six Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering in England. Working together with enhanced support for inward investment through the UK trade and investment, the Centre for Offshore Renewable Engineering have agreed to secure a further £500 million in private sector investment into the marine and offshore sector strengthening Newcastle investment, with the potential to create 8,000 jobs across the North East.

Similar notable accolades are the world’s most advanced steel tube facility, Newcastle University’s £7 million engineering research facility aims to reinforce this city as the UK’s flagship for technology innovation and research within offshore sectors. Newcastle University has the 3rd largest Maritime Technology course in the UK and stands as only two universities in the whole of the UK to offer an Offshore Engineering degree.

Universities

Holding a global reputation for academic excellence, the strong credentials from Newcastle’s universities provide an excellent source of next-generation businesspeople to strengthen the city across the forthcoming years.

Newcastle University has a student population of over 17,000 undergraduates and 6,000 postgraduates and has been ranked one of the best in the world according to QS World 2016 world rankings which saw it in the top 1% of universities worldwide. Therefore, it is no surprise it has one of the highest graduate retention rates in the UK at around 30% compared to its northern counterparts sitting fewer than 16%, strengthening the potential for Newcastle buy to let.

Both Newcastle University and Northumbria University attract over 9,000 international students each year adding to the ongoing demand for Newcastle property investment as students are seeking high-quality housing with opulent furnishings, creating a student hotspot with optimum opportunities to invest in Newcastle.

Savills, a global real estate company, performed major research highlighting the movement in the country’s property market. They rank Newcastle as one of the leading regions for student property investment as return on investment figures stand promising and are predicted to remain consistent in the forthcoming years.

Infrastructure

Historically, during the Industrial Revolution of 1750-1850, the heavy industry thrived across Newcastle serving as a suitable base for building ships and steam trains that powered the era. The momentous industrial expansion lead to a significant boost in population as it rose from 87,784 in 1851 to 266,671 in 1911. As a result, affluent suburbs began to appear on the outskirts of the city centre, due to advancements in railways and tramways and the population has experienced a major spike ever since, strengthening the opportunity for Newcastle property investment. It is no surprise that Newcastle has ranked amongst the top cities in the UK for infrastructure performance.

Air

Newcastle International Airport connects to over 85 destinations worldwide and handles just under five million passengers per year, and is the 10th largest and fastest-growing regional airport in the UK. Situated only six miles northwest of Newcastle city centre, this is under half the distance from Heathrow or Gatwick Airport from London.

History

The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years having experienced control by the Romans and the Angles amongst others. Newcastle’s name has been used since the Norman conquest of England as it was originally referred to as Pons Aelius.

Referring to its Roman settlement, the name ‘Aelius’ was the family name of Roman Emperor Hadrian who was held responsible for the Roman wall that still stands today in present Newcastle as turrets and walls protrude along the West Road.

The Castle in Newcastle is a medieval fortification built on the fortress that gave the city of Newcastle its name. The sole purpose of the castle dates back to the Roman era when it was used for defence to guard the bridge over the River Tyne as part of Hadrian’s Wall.

In the present day, the most prominent remaining structures on the site are the Castle Keep which stands today as a Grade I listed building, the castle’s main stone tower, and its fortified gatehouse.

In 1998, the iconic Angel of the North sculpture was completed. Designed by Antony Gormley to create ‘a sense of embrace’ the steel angel reaches 20 metres tall and spans 54 metres across. According to Gormley, the significance of the angel was to signify that beneath the site of construction coal miners worked for over 200 years and secondly as a symbolic emblem to mark the transition from an industrial age to an information age. In 2016 the imposing figure was decreed an official ‘English Icon’ status by the government.

Furthermore, Newcastle Central Station was the first covered train station in the world. Opened in 1850 by Queen Victoria it stands today as one of only six Grade 1 listed railway stations in the UK.

Re-newcastle Programme

‘Re-newcastle’ is the council’s industrious programme delivering the biggest transformation of the city’s infrastructure in over a generation by advancing national and international transport links. The last big investment on roads was over 30 years ago, therefore the issues in the network need to be rectified as it struggles to cope with the volume of traffic.

Newcastle City Council have secured around £60 million to invest in highways infrastructure, helping to enhance the current transport system so it meets the high standard set by the vibrant 21st century.

Both within the city centre and across the city, through progressing investment, Newcastle City Council are committed to providing better and safer facilities to serve the movement around the city. An initial focus will be to eliminate traffic in the city centre to make it a safer place for residents, as pedestrian access takes priority. By improving central junctions, the traffic flow is set to reduce, and congestion will dramatically decline as Newcastle strives to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city.

Creating a safer place to live could have a direct impact on young families choosing to reside in the area and the number of businesspeople commuting from further afield, as a result this pushes up investment opportunities for investors looking to invest in Newcastle.

Residential Property in the Private Rented Sector of Newcastle Property Investment

To develop and deliver a Joint Investment Plan in partnership with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), using HCA resources and Newcastle’s £25 million Future Homes Fund, the plan to build 15,000 homes within Newcastle’s urban area, will improve the function of the housing market in Newcastle and provide a hotbed for Newcastle buy to let.

In line with the population rising by 12%, the number of households in Newcastle is projected to rise from 122,424 in 2015 to 137,471 by 2030. Figures from Gateshead & Newcastle upon Tyne House Market Assessment 2017 suggested that more than 1,000 new homes per year are needed in Newcastle over the forthcoming 15 years. Initially, this seemed like a challenge, but one Newcastle must face with open arms if it is to meet its growing population by 2030.

Due to increasing demands, property prices in Newcastle have soared rapidly. Over the past 20 years there has been a price growth of 119.75% and in the last five years by 24.54%.

This distinctive increase has led to a notable surge in demand over the past five years, teamed with the projections of future needs, the relatively low entry points present prosperous opportunities for investors looking to secure residential developments through Newcastle buy to let schemes between now and 2030.

Across the North East, homeownership levels have declined over recent years and household income has been concluded as one of the fundamental determinants in the ability of households to access homeownership or the private rented sector.

Figures from the Resolution Foundation highlight that 54.9% of people in the North East owned their own home in Q4 of 2005. By 2017, that figure had plummeted to 48.3%. Over the same period, private renting had nearly doubled, experiencing a rise from 5.9% to a staggering 11%.

Ultimately, this has produced an incessant demand for the types of housing required within Newcastle property, strengthening the opportunities and prospects for investors to capitalise on the flourishing Newcastle buy to let scene.

Rental Yields and House Prices

The North East boasts a multitude of hidden gems within the property market, particularly within Newcastle buy to let. Fuelled by affordable housing and a heavy demand for rental properties, prospective landlords are now, more than ever, considering Newcastle property investment when looking to embark on a new property venture.

Although capital appreciation across Newcastle buy to let has started to decelerate, this has kept housing affordable following steady increases throughout the previous five years, creating an unmissable opportunity to build up their portfolio and diversify rental income from Newcastle property investment.

Property prices act as a catalyst for Newcastle investment that is tempting people away from the bright lights of the capital to seek lower prices. Property prices in Newcastle are around 32% below the national average, witnessing a 24.54% increase over the last five years due to ongoing regeneration, housebuilding and the expansion of university facilities, proving an exciting time for discerning property investors to consider Newcastle buy to let.

Newcastle offers 68 postcodes with a diverse range of different investment opportunities. Therefore, it is important to perform due diligence before committing to any Newcastle property investment. Researching the market, understanding the area and considering what type of investment you can expect is important, whilst considering the maximum returns and growth the investment is predicate to generate.

Research from Totally Money states that university cities have some of the highest rental yields on offer, with Newcastle property taking the position as one of the top performers. Due to a strong influx of students arriving each year, landlords have a plethora of students to choose from, which ultimately reduces the likelihood of void periods. NE6 ranks highly for Newcastle buy-to-let with a gross average yield of 8%. Situated only a couple of miles away from Newcastle University, it secures itself as a viable buy-to-let hotspot to invest in Newcastle for student accommodation.

With healthy student numbers each year, investors are drawn to capitalising on properties for sale in Newcastle for assured rental yields and the potential for full occupancy. Students are often seeking higher quality living, meaning that rent figures can be significantly higher during term time.