Plans have been submitted for three industrial and warehouse units to be speculatively developed at a major new employment site in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
The announcement made today by development partners Stoford and Liberty Property Trust, will see units of 102,000 sq ft, 31,500 sq ft and 27,000 sq ft built at the £38million Liberty Park, Lichfield site.
The detailed planning application will be submitted to planners this month and could see construction start in the summer. The development already has an outline planning consent for a total development of 441,00 sq ft.
Liberty’s managing director, Andrew Blevins, said: “Our investment in three speculative units is in response to demand in an undersupplied market and to our belief in Liberty Park’s excellent location adjacent to the A38 and close to the M6 Toll.”
Tony Nash, director at Stoford, said: “It is great news that we should be able to start onsite at Liberty Park soon. Units of this size are in high demand and we have purposely made the two small units easily dividable to enable further accessibility for growing businesses in the area.”
The replacement bridge over the West Coast Mainline was the first business development project backed by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal to get under way in Staffordshire and is the first to have its infrastructure work completed.
The work was carried out by Staffordshire County Council and was paid for from the LEP’s Growth Deal funding allocation from the Government, with additional financial contributions from Liberty Property Trust. It paves the way for the construction of the new industrial and warehouse units.
The highway improvements carried out by the county council were supported by funds from the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP’s Growth Deal. The funding is part of an £82 million package of major Growth Deal projects being delivered across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire by the local enterprise partnership.
Staffordshire County Council’s economy leader Mark Winnington said: “It is great news for everyone involved with Liberty Park to see plans submitted for three units so soon after the completion of the new bridge and access to the site. With construction due to begin as early as the summer, this again demonstrates our effective delivery of major projects with our partners. It is another milestone in what has been a great success story – the first Growth Deal project to be completed in our area. By completing such schemes on time and on budget, we’re sending a clear message to potential investors and the Government that we’re in a position to deliver more. Ultimately this means growth in our economy and more jobs for Staffordshire people.”
