The Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, marked the completion of hugely successful Clyde Gateway East Business Park in the east end of Glasgow yesterday, which when fully occupied will bring a further 130 new jobs to the area.
Clyde Gateway East is one of Central Scotland’s prime industrial sites and the £8.2m construction contract to complete the final three units at the site commenced in mid-2023 and included £4m of RCGF and £0.85m of VDLF contributions. The final phase comprises 59,000sq.ft of High Value Manufacturing floor space, taking the entire Clyde Gateway East development to over 400,000 sq.ft of industrial development which has already attracted international businesses such as DHL, Openreach, Torishima, Network Rail and Eden Mill Distillers, prior to the completion of the site.
The completion of the works was boosted by the announcement that Glacier Energy, already with a facility in the business park, will move into one of the new units as part of its ambitious growth plans to double its workforce, by establishing a technician training centre.
The investment has been led by Clyde Gateway, Scotland’s most ambitious regeneration programme, which is transforming land in the east end of Glasgow and Rutherglen into desirable places for businesses and people.
Work began after a Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Enterprise and Clyde Gateway was signed, aimed at unlocking up to £60m investment, including the £2.4m of funding to develop the three new units for High Value Manufacturing.
The construction works were completed by Heron Bros.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Two years on from the closure of McVitie’s biscuit factory at Tollcross, it’s great to see completion of this business park. We invested nearly £5 million in this project to create job opportunities in the East End of Glasgow after the factory’s closure.
“Clyde Gateway is one of Scotland’s most ambitious regeneration projects. It will transform disused land into places where people can live, businesses can invest, and communities are able to thrive.”
Martin McKay, Chief Executive at Clyde Gateway said: “Clyde Gateway East Business Park has already secured a range of high calibre manufacturers and businesses and the completion of these final three units marks an opportunity to bring even more businesses to the area and complete the regeneration of a former brownfield site.
“It is a real vote of confidence that Glacier Energy is expanding their presence in the east end of Glasgow after a number of years at Clyde Gateway East.
“With the support of the Scottish Government and other funders, Clyde Gateway has spearheaded the regeneration of Dalmarnock, Bridgeton and Rutherglen and made it a great place to live, work and play. But there is still more work to be done, and we are working on several projects to bring further investment, jobs and homes into the area.”
Scott Martin, Group CEO of Glacier Energy, added: “This expansion represents significant strategic growth for Glacier Energy as we look to play a significant role within the Energy Transition in the years ahead. We have locations across the UK as well as in Kazakhstan and the high-quality space available here at Clyde Gateway East encouraged us to expand our operations in Glasgow.
“We are committed to supporting the continued regeneration of the east end of Glasgow and look forward to creating more high-quality jobs in the area over the coming years as we grow.”
Victoria Carmichael, Director of Property, Growth Infrastructure & Major Projects at Scottish Enterprise said: “High Value Manufacturing will be one of Scotland’s key industries of the future and will help deliver future prosperity for our communities. It is hugely positive to see interest in these three new units completed with one already let to Glacier, a long-term tenant, bringing jobs and economic prosperity to the area.
“We have been working with Clyde Gateway to deliver this investment at Clyde Gateway East and hope to unlock further projects alongside other key partners in the future as part of our Memorandum of Understanding. This also supports our mission to drive up levels of capital investment in facilities for Scottish businesses to grow and boost productivity in our economy.”