Meaford Business Park welcomes first manufacturing firm
Expert developer and regeneration specialist St. Modwen has attracted a leading metal pipe and hose manufacturer to its business park near Stone, Staffordshire. The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership part-funded infrastructure works to open up the site for development.
Arctrend Ltd has agreed a 10-year lease to take 36,000 sq ft of industrial and logistics space at Meaford Business Park. The unit is the first building on the Staffordshire-based business park, which has planning permission for a total of up to 1.2 million sq ft of office, industrial and logistics accommodation.
Euan Lindsay, Senior Development Manager at St. Modwen, said: “Securing Meaford Business Park’s first occupier is great news for both the Park and the local area. We are now working on plans for the next phase of development to bring further businesses, jobs and inward investment to North Staffordshire.”
Paul Watson, Operations/Sales Director at Arctrend Ltd, said: “The high-quality industrial and logistics space available at Meaford Business Park was exactly what we were looking for to fulfil our business’ needs. Moving into this 36,000 sq ft space from our existing base in nearby Leek, North Staffordshire will allow our business to grow further.”
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP Chairman David Frost CBE, said: “We are delighted to welcome Arctrend Ltd to Meaford Business Park, which is providing this thriving Staffordshire business with room for expansion without having to relocate out of our region. This prime site is part of our strong portfolio of strategic industrial and commercial developments that are raising our profile nationally and internationally and driving economic growth throughout our area.
“It is great to see that our ambitions to create more and better jobs benefitting local communities are bearing fruit. Showpiece projects such as Meaford Business Park illustrate the benefits of working in partnership with the private sector and local authorities and demonstrate that our region is very much open for business.”
The LEP secured £4.2million of Local Growth funding from the government for infrastructure works to open up Meaford Business Park, including a new roundabout on the A34, improvements to Meaford Road and a new access serving the business park. The work, which also received a significant funding contribution from St. Modwen, was carried out by Staffordshire County Council.
Edward Kennerley of Knight Frank and Patrick Doherty of Louis Taylor, joint agents for the site, added: “We are pleased to have secured the first high-calibre tenant for St. Modwen at Meaford Business Park and expect to see similar occupiers follow suit due to the confidence we have in the industrial and logistics market here in Staffordshire.”
Meaford Business Park is located just off the A34 dual carriageway, immediately north of Stone, Staffordshire, and benefits from direct access to junctions 14 and 15 of the M6 motorway.
Edward Kennerley of Knight Frank, Paul Watson of Arctrend and Euan Lindsay of St. Modwen are pictured (above) at Meaford .For more information visit https://stmodwenlogistics.co.uk/property/meaford-business-park/
Notes:
Local Growth Fund
Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone. That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders. Analysis has shown that every £1 of Local Growth Fund invested could generate £4.81 in benefits.
Further information
If you would like some further facts about the Fund, or the wider regeneration work going on across the country, please contact MHCLG press office by emailing NewsDesk@communities.gsi.gov.uk in the first instance to request any additional information you might need.
Some additional key facts:
- There are 38 LEPs covering the whole of England
- The government has awarded £9.1bn in three rounds of Growth Deals to local areas to drive economic growth.
- LEPs are investing in a wide range of projects informed by detailed analysis of the most pressing economic needs in each of their areas, including transport, skills, business support, broadband, innovation and flood defences.
Some Midlands Engine key facts:
- The government is committed to making the Midlands an Engine for Growth in the UK, increasing economic growth and improving the quality of life for everyone. The Midlands is home to over 10 million people and over 780,000 businesses. Its economy is worth £217.7 billion.
- So far, the government has awarded £1.9 billion in three rounds of Growth Deals across the Midlands.
- 8 Enterprise Zones have been established in the Midlands Engine since 2012, and 3 zones have been extended. By March 2016 these had attracted almost £1 billion of private investment, created 85 new businesses and 7,291 jobs.
