Best areas to open light-industrial business unit in North East
6 North East local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a light-industrial business unit in North East?
In North East, the best area to open a light-industrial business unit is Hartlepool, with a Gera Business Location Score of 71.4/100: premises at £39/m²/yr and local median pay £28,204. Newcastle upon Tyne ranks lowest of 6 North East authorities at 63/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top North East area for light-industrial business unit: Hartlepool.
How this is calculatedNorth East ranked for light-industrial business unit
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartlepool | 71.4/100 | £39 | £28,204 | £1,685 |
| 2 | Redcar and Cleveland | 71.4/100 | £46 | £28,356 | £1,987 |
| 3 | County Durham | 70.1/100 | £58 | £29,393 | £2,506 |
| 4 | Stockton-on-Tees | 69/100 | £58 | £29,537 | £2,506 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 66.9/100 | £52 | £29,502 | £2,246 |
| 6 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 63/100 | £68 | £31,786 | £2,938 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for light-industrial business unit premises in North East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North East is £39/m²/yr in Hartlepool. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Hartlepool ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for light-industrial business unit in Hartlepool?
- For a 100 m² unit in Hartlepool, business rates are roughly £1,685/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £3,900/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a light-industrial business unit in North East?
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Contains public sector information published by Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: VOA Business Floorspace + ONS Business Counts + ONS ASHE (work geography) + ONS population estimates (2025 (VOA 31 March 2025; ASHE 2025 provisional; Business Counts 2025; population mid-2024), published December 2025).