AMAZON will open a fourth warehouse in the North East creating thousands of jobs as early as next year, The Northern Echo understands.

The online retailer will move into a huge "Fulfilment Centre," currently being built off the A19 at the Wynyard Business Park, near Stockton, according to sources.

Amazon has remained tight-lipped, but first pictures show a distinctive white shell going up, while documents relating to the site make reference to the online retailer.

Read more: Major 'Amazon-sized' warehouse confirmed for the North-East - and 3,000 jobs planned

The retailer already has three enormous Fulfilment Centres in Durham, Darlington and most recently, Gateshead - all opening within the last 20 months.

The Northern Echo:

The distinctive 'Amazon' blue band can be seen as cladding is installed Picture: STUART BOULTON

Sources said the building had been assigned the codename 'NCL2,' which follows on from the name given to the newly-opened site in Gateshead, NCL1.

Plans, which are no longer available to view online but have been sent to The Echo, appear to confirm work is underway on a project titled "Amazon NCL2-Stockton."

Meanwhile, the client who has been taken on to design the site, Arcadis is linked with the construction of other Amazon sites including NCL1.

Read more: Inside as Amazon's NCL1 warehouse opens at Follingsby Max in Gateshead

As with the opening of Amazon in Darlington and Durham in 2020, and Amazon in Gateshead this year, the retailer has kept any such details under wraps.

In November last year, it was confirmed that plans for an 'Amazon-sized' warehouse in Wynyard had been submitted to Stockton Borough Council.

The Northern Echo:

Amazon's warehouse in Gateshead is named NCL1 after Newcastle Airport Picture: JIM SCOTT

Plans showed that the new site would offer more than 2m sq ft of space over a number of floors, around the same as the Fulfilment Centre at Symmetry Park in Darlington.

Sources added that the new site is expected to employ more than 1,000 full and part-time workers, in line with the other three Amazon sites. 

The details come just days after The Echo revealed talks "were ongoing" between the retailer and Teesside Airport over the construction of a smaller, logistics hub at the site.

Sources close to both Amazon and the airport said talks between the two parties had begun in October with a potential hub built on the new southside development.

Read more: Amazon 'in talks' over new logistics site at Teesside Airport

The Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen confirmed talks were taking place with a global household name, but refused to say whether it was Amazon.

The Northern Echo:

The site in Wynyard will be a similar size to MME1 in Darlington Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

He said: “As you would expect, we’re pulling out all the stops to bring investment and jobs to the airport site and I can confirm we are in discussions with a global household name who is looking to make a significant investment on the airport site to expand their freight operations in the region, something that will create thousands of good-quality well-paid jobs for local workers across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”

A spokesperson for Amazon refused to confirm or deny whether it was opening a new warehouse in Wynyard, saying it did not comment on rumour or speculation.

Amazon previously did not comment on claims it was in talks over a site at Teesside Airport.

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