Stockton-on-Tees is a market town on the northern bank of the River Tees, part of Teesside and the Tees Valley, with 84,815 people at the 2021 census. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the home of the friction match and the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which ran the world's first steam-hauled passenger train in 1825. Shipbuilding, heavy engineering, steel and chemicals sustained the town for generations before Teesside's heavy industry declined in the 20th century, and since the 1980s service industries have grown in their place.
We are Business Mortgages Broker. We arrange owner-occupier mortgages for limited companies buying or refinancing the premises they trade from in Stockton and across County Durham. We are a broker, not a lender, and this is commercial finance for business premises, not a residential mortgage.
Premises finance on Teesdale Business Park and the Stockton riverside
Teesdale Business Park, on the south bank of the river, created commercial space where many large service providers opened call centres and offices. Durham University's Queen's Campus sits within the same development, linked to the town centre by the Teesquay Millennium Footbridge, the Princess of Wales Bridge and the Infinity Bridge. The Tees Barrage, commissioned in 1995, holds the river upstream at the level of an average high tide, which opened up the waterfront.
On the north bank, the £300 million Northshore scheme is planned to bring offices, leisure, housing, a 150-bedroom hotel and a new university campus. For professional firms, technology businesses and service companies, buying an office here turns rent into equity in a building the company controls. Some directors choose to buy through their pension scheme instead; that needs a regulated pension adviser or scheme administrator, and our buying premises through a pension page explains where we fit: we introduce, we do not advise.
Engineering consultancies and care providers in Stockton, Teesside
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Stockton-on-Tees share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 1,190 | 16.4% | 13.9% |
| Construction and building trades | 965 | 13.3% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 655 | 9% | 9.4% |
| Business support services | 645 | 8.9% | 8.2% |
| Health and social care | 545 | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 515 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 345 | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Personal and other services | 320 | 4.4% | 4.1% |
| Information and communication | 295 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
- 2.7xarchitecture and engineering525 businesses
- 1.7xcivil engineering95 businesses
- 1.5xtelecoms40 businesses
- 1.5xresidential care120 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Architectural and engineering consultancies are Stockton's most distinctive trade, at 2.73 times the UK share with 525 firms. Health and social care makes up 7.5% of the borough's 7,255 businesses, against 5.6% nationally, and residential care runs at 1.51 times.
Stockton also has a solid layer of bigger firms: 310 medium and 30 large employers. Engineering firms buying offices or workshops are usually assessed on contract income and profit history, while care providers are judged on occupancy and fees.
Buying business property in Stockton town centre, Portrack and Norton
The town centre is the heart of the borough, built around a notably wide High Street. A long-term regeneration scheme announced in 2012 brought around £38 million of investment, just over £20 million of it from Stockton Borough Council, to open up links to the river and attract retailers and businesses. Stockton was also one of 12 towns in England chosen for the Portas Pilot.
East of the centre, Portrack Lane is a retail zone, particularly for home furnishings and DIY, on the A1046 towards Port Clarence. Norton, to the north on the A139, is the town's second largest centre. Independent retailers, trade counters and showrooms in these areas are typical owner-occupiers, and buildings with flats above are financed as semi-commercial property, indicatively at 6.5 to 8.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
Stockton's industrial stock: valuable units, steady growth
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse1,450properties on the rating listUp 8.2% since 2016Average rateable value £58,500factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices1,370properties on the rating listUp 16.1% since 2016Average rateable value £13,400offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail1,480properties on the rating listDown 1.3% since 2016Average rateable value £32,200shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial1,570properties on the rating listUp 9% since 2016Average rateable value £37,700pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Stockton's business parks, from Primrose Hill to Oxbridge
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Stockton-on-Tees, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Durham Tees Valley Business CentreOrde Wingate Way, Stockton-on-Tees TS19 0GA
- Primrose Hill Industrial EstateStockton-on-Tees TS19 0GA
- Oxbridge Industrial EstateStockton-on-Tees TS18 4AD
- Task Industrial EstateTask Rd, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 2ES
- St Anns Industrial EstateStockton-on-Tees TS18 2HF
- St Annes Industrial EstateStockton-on-Tees TS18 2NG
- Teesdale Business ParkThornaby, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 6DD
- Mandale Industrial EstateThornaby, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 6BX
- Arkgrove Industrial EstateStockton-on-Tees TS18 2NH
- Bon Lea Business ParkThornaby, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 6AL
- Portrack Interchange Business ParkStockton-on-Tees TS18 2SL
- Surtees Business CentreStockton-on-Tees TS18 3HP
Industrial units in Stockton carry an average rateable value of £58,500, and stock grew 8.2% to 1,450. Offices rose 16.1% to 1,370, averaging £13,400. Shops slipped 1.3% to 1,480, and the 'other' category, which takes in care homes and leisure sites, rose 9%. Larger industrial buildings mean bigger loans, so expect a valuer to look closely at access, condition and specialist fit-out.
How a commercial property loan works in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically lend 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, at indicative pricing of 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, over 5 to 25 years. Stamp Duty Land Tax at non-residential rates is 0% up to £150,000, 2% on the slice from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above that (HMRC, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy). Our guide to stamp duty on business premises has the detail.
Illustrative example. A software company buys a £480,000 office at Teesdale. A 75% loan is £360,000 and the deposit £120,000; SDLT is £13,500.
Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter. Where a deal would be regulated, for example lending to a sole trader or individual, or a property where the borrower or a close family member will live in part of it, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm.
Stockton districts where companies buy premises
Teesdale
The business park on the south bank holds offices, call centres and Durham University's Queen's Campus. Good-quality offices on an established park like this are familiar security for lenders, which suits professional and service companies buying their own floor space close to the centre.
Northshore
The north bank of the Tees is the focus of the £300 million Northshore scheme, planned to include offices, leisure, housing and a hotel. As buildings complete, it offers companies the prospect of buying modern waterfront premises within walking distance of the High Street.
Town centre and High Street
The historic market town core, with its wide High Street and the restored Trinity Green, has been the focus of regeneration aimed at bringing in retailers and businesses. Shops, cafes and offices here are typical first purchases for owner-managed companies.
Portrack
Portrack Lane, the A1046 dual carriageway east of the centre, is a retail zone for home furnishings and DIY. Showrooms, trade counters and larger retail units here suit businesses that need space, parking and fast access to the A19 and A66.
Norton
Norton, linked to the town centre by the A139 that was once the route of the A19, is the town's second largest centre. Shops, cafes, salons and professional practices buy freeholds here to serve the northern side of Stockton and nearby Billingham.
Hartburn, Fairfield and Oxbridge
These western districts are mainly residential, with local parades serving them. Convenience stores, takeaways, clinics and small service businesses buying their own parade unit are the typical owner-occupiers, and the A66 close by gives quick access to Darlington and Middlesbrough.
