A specialist £5.5 million food business park in Leicester is now open for business following its official launch this month.
Leicester Food Park was officially opened earlier this month following its completion by contractor Willmott Dixon in November 2014.
The project received £3.4 million in funding from the European Regional Development Fund with additional funding provided by Leicester City Council.
Operations director at Willmott Dixon in the East Midlands, Nick Heath, said: “The idea for a specialist food business park for Leicester was first raised more than a decade ago, so this project has been long-awaited by many.
“City mayor, Peter Soulsby, identified food and drink as a key target area for growth for Leicester and this new food park will encourage investment into the food and drink sector in Leicester and support this strategy for growth.
“Not only is Leicester Food Park expected to attract more than 35 businesses, whether those be established firms or start-ups looking to grow, it is also expected that around 80 jobs will also be created in the local area.
“Leicester Food Park is a significant scheme for the city and one that we are delighted to have been involved in.”
The new food park is comprised of 19,250 sq ft of high quality bespoke food grade units ranging in size from 1,000 to 5,000 sq ft to accommodate a range of business sizes.
Located at High View Close off Lewisher Road, the food park features more than 150 solar panels across the three buildings, which are predicted to provide around 17 per cent of the total energy demand for the site.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Smaller food and drink businesses have been waiting for a specialist facility like this for years so I am very pleased that we have been able to work with Willmott Dixon to deliver this high-quality scheme.
“We want to cement Leicester’s position as a place where food and drink businesses can set up and thrive – and this significant investment will also ensure that dozens of new jobs are created in this part of north-east Leicester.
“I am delighted to celebrate the end of the build.”
