Plymouth’s new £2.4million business park could be completed by the end of 2020 despite disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the city council says.
Work started on the Broadley Park development, in the north of the city, at the beginning of March 2020 and while a few weeks were lost due to the shutdown, the contractors were back on site at the beginning of May. Working outside, they were able to take into account social distancing requirements.
The 1.65-acre plot will see two new blocks built, providing a total of 2,090sq m (22,500sq ft) of quality employment space for small, medium or large businesses to lease.
Now, if all goes according to plan, the units could be ready to have businesses move in before the end of the year. It is expected that the units could sustain 65 jobs.
Sustainability is key in this development, Plymouth City Council said, and specific elements include solar photo-voltaic panels on the roof, high levels of insulation, natural ventilation, LED lighting, efficient heating systems and future-proofed for EV charging.
The units are being built on an empty council-owned plot and are included in Plymouth’s Resurgam plan, designed to help the city recover from the damaging economic affects of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The Roborough area, where Broadley Park is situated, is already home to a significant number of companies including Rittal CSM, Amazon and Burts Snacks.
Council leader Tudor Evans said: “We have proved time and again that new modern facilities attracts businesses to the city and encourage existing ones to expand. Now more than any other time, we need to show Plymouth is at the top of its game and is confident it will attract new business.
“Not only will this facility see up to 65 people employed there, the build involves around 30 or so skilled people from a local company carrying out the work.
“We build places for people to work in, for businesses to grow and for their employees to have money in their pockets, some job security and opportunity here in Plymouth.
“Our Resurgam programme is all about creating and protecting jobs. We also promised to look at ways to be as green as possible and this building certainly fits that criteria.”
Shaun Bennington, director of Devon Contractors, which is working on the units, said: “We have worked on various projects with Plymouth City Council and delighted to have been appointed as the main contractor on this project.
“Once completed the self-contained units available for rent will be much needed in this part of Plymouth and help create local employment in this area.”
Plymouth has the highest concentration of manufacturing employment of any city south of the Midlands, but there is a shortage of good quality industrial and commercial space.
Industrial space continues to perform well in 2020 and has not been as affected by the economic impact of COVD-19 as have retail, leisure and other sectors.
The new development will have a range of flexible unit sizes - from 350sq m (3,750sq ft) to 2,090sq m (22,500sq ft) - and will be available to businesses from start-ups to expanding local and national businesses.
