THE Duke of Gloucester has unveiled a plaque to officially open Standing Stone Farm, an eco-friendly office development near Matfen.

Matfen Estates, owned by Sir Hugh and Lady Blackett, has developed the 8,000 sq ft rural courtyard office development, which was visited by the Duke during a visit to Tynedale last Tuesday.

The Duke arrived by helicopter to view the site on the day that winds of up to 60mph from Storm Ophelia were battering the North-East.

Sir Hugh said: “We are extremely grateful to the duke for officially opening Standing Stone Farm.

“The development has transformed redundant farm buildings in a sensitive and environmentally-friendly way to provide state of the art offices in a rural environment.”

There are 12 self-contained units within the development situated over two floors, with only three offices remaining vacant.

As he unveiled the plaque, the duke said: “It is with great pleasure that I am here today to officially open Standing Stone Farm.

“A long time ago, I studied architecture and I have always had an interest in this area.

“These stone steadings make wonderful places to work and it is wonderful to see that Matfen Estates is creating opportunities and employing people in the rural community.”

During his visit the duke, who was accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant, the Duchess of Northumberland, had the opportunity to talk to many of those involved in the project, including its architect Garfield Nairn, from Nicholson Nairn, and project manager Keith Irving.

He also spoke to tenants of the new office development, including Gavin Dunn, managing director of R.H. Irving Industrials Ltd, a market leader in the field of security systems installation.

“We were honoured to meet the Duke of Gloucester,” said Gavin.

“We have been in business for 15 years and these facilities have been ideal for the expansion of our business.

“They offer a great environment for our staff, with plenty of free parking and all the advantages of easy access to Newcastle and to the motorway network.

“We needed state of the art connectivity which this development can provide.”

Heating and hot water are provided by a sustainable biomass system powered by locally-sourced timber from the Matfen Estate, which is dried and chipped on the estate itself.

There is also an electric car charging point, ample parking, which is monitored by CCTV, and plenty of space for bikes.

The fully-managed site incorporates showering, changing and kitchen facilities, disabled access and parking and offers 24-hour access to tenants.