Worcestershire County Council and the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (WLEP) have awarded developer Stoford the contract for a £120 million technology park which could prove to be a “game changer” in boosting the county’s economy.
The 70 acre technology park will offer businesses around 1.5 million sq ft of commercial space, allowing for the potential to create thousands of new jobs for the local area.
Stoford has already appointed Barton Willmore as the lead planning consultants for the project, with a reserved matters planning application expected to be submitted to the local authority by November of this year.
Chief executive of WLEP, Peter Pawsey, believes the development will encourage a greater number of businesses to invest in Worcestershire.
He says; “The Worcestershire Strategic Economic Plan puts this key employment site at the top of its priorities for economic growth and job creation.
“It is the best undeveloped site between Birmingham and Bristol with first class access and connectivity to the rest of the UK.
“The development will bring Worcester and the county ‘out from behind the curtains’ and be fundamental in our drive to create a World Class Worcestershire for inward investment and growth.”
Landowner The Spletchley Estate selected Stoford for the task largely due to the company’s excellent track record in the development field. Between 2012 and 2014, the developer had more than 1.5 million sq ft of pre-let space under construction, and to date has delivered more than 10 million sq ft of pre-let development throughout the UK.
In terms of the work timetable, local off site highway improvements could begin before the end of this year, with on-site infrastructure works procured and constructed by around June of 2015. However, this is subject to planning approval being granted following a public consultation to be held at Tibberton Village Hall on the 11th of October.
Stoford will be taking an ecologically friendly approach to the redevelopment of the site, with director Gerard Ludlow pledging to preserve the ancient woodland and creating an area of wetland in the heart of the development. In order to ensure the project boosts not only local business prospects but also preserves local wildlife habitats, he will work alongside bodies such as the Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Ramblers Association and the Environment Agency along with local councils in the area.
Mr Ludlow says; “We are delighted to have been appointed as the estate’s development partner and we are confident that this strategically important project will provide the region with an enormous economic boost by attracting high quality occupiers.”
Deputy Leader of Worcestershire County Council, Councillor Simon Geraghty, added; “Creating the supply of employment land is vital to support business conditions to allow companies to grow and compete on the world’s stage.”
