A £40 million state-of-the-art aerospace manufacturing and design facility for a global leader in aerospace engine and flight controls systems is set to be developed in Gloucestershire in a deal announced by Barberry Industrial.
The 184,000 sq ft centre of excellence for Moog’s Aircraft Controls Segment will be built on a 10-acre site at Ashchurch, Tewkesbury. It is believed to be one of the biggest deals of the year in the manufacturing sector.
Barberry, the West Midlands-based development and investment company, controls the site at the A46, near junction nine of the M5. In an off-market deal, it has agreed a pre-let to Moog on a 35-year lease.
Moog’s Tewkesbury Aircraft Controls Segment operation is the global centre of excellence for design of servo valves and has a large engineering division housed within its existing facility. It is the town’s largest employer and has operated from there for over 40 years.
An application for planning consent for the new facility will be submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council this month (June), with construction scheduled to begin in Q1 2021. It will be designed to be a carbon neutral building, built to a BREEAM Excellent standard.
The facility will incorporate engineering and administration offices and is expected to be operational in 2023. The facility could expand to a total of 207,000 sq ft.
Jon Robinson, development director and shareholder of Barberry Industrial, said: “We are clearly thrilled to be selected as development partner by Moog to deliver the company’s new facility on our prominent site in Gloucestershire.
“This deal represents an excellent piece of business by Barberry, completed in a competitive situation, and is one of the largest deals this year in the UK warehouse and manufacturing sector. The new development will provide Moog with a high quality state-of-the-art facility with easy access to the M5, the M50, the M42 and the motorway network beyond. It will bring substantial investment to the region, safeguard the employment of a highly-skilled workforce while creating many new jobs.”
The highly anticipated new facility will help foster further growth in Moog’s Engine and Flight control products for military and commercial aerospace programmes. Moog sees the expansion as an integral part of its commitment to long-term manufacturing and sales in the UK.
Mike Dawson, chief executive of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “It is great to see one of the largest employers and cutting edge engineering companies in Tewkesbury making a long-term commitment to Gloucestershire. Moog’s commitment demonstrates the accessibility, infrastructure and demographic of Tewkesbury and we hope it will attract other big names to do the same. As part of the Garden Town Initiative we have issued an expression of interest to the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to support with further investment for other infrastructure and highway upgrades, also demonstrating our commitment to the future success of this location.”
Jon Robinson added: “Barberry is committed to executing its industrial/logistics business plan in key strategic locations within the UK, and the development in Tewkesbury fits into our strategy perfectly, taking our pipeline of sites to circa 3.3 million sq ft.”
It is the latest in a growing portfolio of industrial/warehouse/manufacturing developments for Barberry, which last year completed several speculatively developed warehouses in the West Midlands and South West. Barberry has recently completed construction of five mid-box industrial units, totaling 174,500 sq ft, forming phase 1 of More+ Central Park, Bristol. Barberry has also been selected as development partner to deliver a £140 million business park – with 1.75 million sq ft of accommodation – at Aycliffe Business Park in County Durham.
