Once a bustling shopping street, Beveridge Way in Newton Aycliffe now stands as a mere echo of its past glory, with around half of its shops shuttered. Of the 45 shop spaces, 23 lie vacant—four times the national average. The town, founded in 1947 as Aycliffe New Town, is regularly referred to as a 'ghost town.'
YouTuber NorthernFella noted during a video tour: 'Most of these units are closed. It's quite sad to see actually. The pawnbrokers is open—I don't know what that tells you.' He added: 'Every place has got a vape and I've seen some nail bars as well. Of course there's a Greggs—where would we be without Greggs?'
While dining options are sparse, residents can take solace in being just six miles away from Darlington's Yarm Road Fish and Chip shop, crowned the UK's best fish and chip takeaway in 2025. However, independent shops are a rare sight in Newton Aycliffe, mirroring the situation in many smaller UK towns.
The entire high street is owned by property magnate Benzion Freshwater, whose firm Daejan Holdings has properties on both sides of the Atlantic. The £3.2m investment in Aycliffe is a fraction of its portfolio. Daejan Holdings, once dubbed London's largest private commercial landlord by the Guardian, remains enigmatic and refuses to comment on the condition of its properties.
North Durham MP Luke Akehurst is advocating for legislation to grant councils additional powers over properties left vacant for extended periods, citing 'absentee landlords with no stake in the community.' Local shopper Diane Young noted the decline began after Woolworths closed in 2009, saying: 'We used to have a weekly market—the town centre was heaving on Tuesdays. You couldn't move for people. It's massively gone downhill.'
The decline has also sparked crime concerns. Security minister Dan Jarvis warned that short-term retail leases are being exploited for money laundering and serious organised crime. The National Crime Agency launched Operation Machinize 2, which has seized over £10m in cash and assets. Reform leader Nigel Farage highlighted the 'absolute racket' of cash-only establishments with minimal custom that somehow afford luxury cars.
