Best areas to open commercial garage in North East
7 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 commercial transport garage in North East?
In North East, the best area to open a commercial transport garage is Darlington, with a Gera Business Location Score of 82.2/100: premises at £32/m²/yr and local median pay £29,692. Hartlepool ranks lowest of 7 North East authorities at 69.3/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top North East area for commercial garage: Darlington.
How this is calculatedNorth East ranked for commercial garage
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington | 82.2/100 | £32 | £29,692 | £1,382 |
| 2 | Gateshead | 78/100 | £18 | £28,507 | £778 |
| 3 | Northumberland | 77.4/100 | £20 | £27,769 | £864 |
| 4 | County Durham | 75.7/100 | £22 | £29,393 | £950 |
| 5 | North Tyneside | 74.3/100 | £27 | £29,311 | £1,166 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 71/100 | £37 | £28,214 | £1,598 |
| 7 | Hartlepool | 69.3/100 | £35 | £28,204 | £1,512 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for commercial garage premises in North East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in North East is £18/m²/yr in Gateshead. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Darlington ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for commercial garage in Darlington?
- For a 100 m² unit in Darlington, business rates are roughly £1,382/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £3,200/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a commercial transport garage 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).