Chippenham is set to benefit from long-term inward investment and around 1,000 jobs as expert developer and regeneration specialist, St. Modwen, gets the green light on outline plans for Chippenham Gateway and submits a planning application for the first phase of development.
Strategically located at junction 17 of the M4 and adjacent to the A350, Chippenham Gateway has been identified as a key growth site by the Local Enterprise Partnership in line with Wiltshire Council’s Core Strategy. The recent outline planning consent will enable this 79-acre scheme, to the north of Chippenham, to provide up to 1,000,000 sq ft of prime employment space for the area long term. The excellent transport links at Chippenham Gateway will make it attractive to sizeable logistics firms looking to service the wider South of England, the South West and South Wales from a centralised location.
On the back of the outline planning consent, St. Modwen has already submitted a planning application for the first two speculative commercial units, each spanning 101k sq ft. Once underway, the site’s construction phase is expected to create employment for around 185 local people as well as skills, training and apprenticeship opportunities through a potential partnership with Wiltshire College. Longer term, Chippenham Gateway will generate significant inward investment for the local area with a growth potential of around 1,000 jobs once the site is fully operational.
Mark Thorne, Senior Planning Manager for St. Modwen, said:
“The green light on our plans for Chippenham Gateway is the result of 18 months of engagement with local residents, elected representatives, Council officers and other key stakeholders, to ensure that appropriate measures have been included in our plans to address local concerns around traffic, landscaping, drainage, skills and training opportunities. The site is already attracting strong interest from potential occupiers and this is the driving force behind our application to start work on the first phase of speculative construction of one of two units on site to meet demand and attract significant inward investment and jobs to Chippenham.”
St. Modwen is seeking to commence site preparations imminently for the first phase of construction. This includes provision of a new access roundabout to the site from the B4122. Interested parties should contact St. Modwen’s agent Alder King for full details on design and build opportunities available.
