PLANS TO DOUBLE THE SIZE OF WORCESTER 6 BUSINESS PARK

West Midlands developer Stoford, which has already delivered £75 million of investment into the Worcester 6 site since 2015, wants to create an additional 60 acres of space on the site at Junction 6 of the M5 to meet soaring demand for suitable manufacturing, R&D, and logistics space.

Worcester 6 is one of the best performing sites in the Midlands in terms of take up and deals done, because it’s on the motorway and in a great location where people want to work, according to Charles D’Auncey of agents Harris Lamb.

While the existing site still has vacant units, current tenants include Material Solutions (the first to move in), Spire Healthcare, Cornelius Drinks, Kimal and Kohler Mira. Ionos will move into a new data centre on the site in August, when the building is completed.

Stoford says it is currently in talks with potential tenants for the empty units. In a public consultation the company said that it could potentially see one occupier take up the remaining vacant space and the proposed southern extension will provide further land for new occupiers.

Gerard Ludlow, Director at Stoford, said:

“This land that has always been earmarked for the business park and is included in the South Worcestershire Development Plan which was adopted in 2016.

“Now, thanks to our success in attracting world-class employers over the past three years, we are in the position to put forward our plans to develop the Southern Extension.

“It would herald another significant investment in the site and form an important part of our plans for this ‘game changer’ development, considered to be an exemplar for its economic and environmental performance.”

Development land in Worcester, and across the West Midlands, is in short supply, according to Ian Parker, director of property agency, John Truslove. He said: “Redditch, Bromsgrove and Worcestershire authorities must act immediately to free up more employment land or we will miss losing out on jobs for a generation.

“The shortage of available accommodation is a perennial issue, and we must be ready for the anticipated migration of business out of the major conurbations.”

Worcester 6 isn’t the only such site being developed in the city. St. Modwen has been granted permission to build more than 70,000 sq ft of logistics space at its site in South Worcester.

St Modwen Park Broomhall is a 12-acre site and will be developed in several phases, with the first phase set to begin in March this year. Two units consisting of 42,711 sq ft and 30,240 sq ft will be delivered, providing high-quality warehouse and logistics space for the area.

The developer has also submitted plans to build an additional 79,907 sq ft in three units for phase 2 which, if approved, will be delivered in 2022.