East Anglia business and research park specialist Jaynic Properties has been appointed development promoter by Taylor Wimpey to promote its 114-acre commercial site, including 35 acres with Enterprise Zone status, at The Suffolk Business Park. The land is part of St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s strategic allocation of 168 acres for the extension of the business park.
Jaynic’s brief from Taylor Wimpey and the Council is to work up a fully detailed masterplan, apply for outline planning for the agreed range of uses before Christmas and then implement all necessary works and infrastructure as quickly as possible. This will create a fully serviced attractive landscaped environment to meet the needs of modern businesses.
The primary employment uses applied for will be for B1 offices, research and development facilities, Light Industrial, B2 General industrial and B8 warehousing accommodation. However, it is likely that the scheme will also provide sustainable supporting uses to both the existing and new occupiers, with facilities such as a hotel, pub, crèche, coffee shops and leisure being provided. In all there is the potential to provide up to 2 million sq. ft. for new employment use
Nic Rumsey, managing director of Jaynic, said: “We are delighted to be appointed after a detailed selection process. This is a key site and provides a significant proportion of the strategic employment allocation for Bury St Edmunds up to and beyond 2031. We look forward to working with Taylor Wimpey and St Edmundsbury to attract a mix of occupiers providing a range of employment opportunities that could create thousands of jobs for the town.”
Freehold serviced plots will be offered and bespoke properties from 10,000 sq ft upwards will be available to let or for sale. It is intended that, subject to planning, occupiers’ new properties will be built in parallel to the surrounding work so that occupation can be given as quickly as possible.
Enterprise Zone status means that any company taking new accommodation within it will qualify for relief of up to £55,000 pa against the rates payable for five years amounting to a saving of £275,000 over that period.
Suffolk Park, adjacent to Moreton Hall, will soon be accessible from both junctions’ 44 and 45 of the A14 trunk road, once major infrastructure improvements, including the construction of the Eastern Relief road linking the existing commercial area with junction 45 of the A14, are completed in the summer of 2017. The A14 links the port of Felixstowe with the national motorway network.
John Griffiths, Leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said: “The expansion of the Suffolk Business Park is all about creating the right conditions for growth and future prosperity and with it the creation of new jobs for the people of West Suffolk. We know that we have some very successful local businesses that need more space to develop, and we know that this site’s prime location between the Port of Felixstowe and the science and innovation centre of Cambridge, as well as its ease of access to London, make it a very attractive proposition for the scores of big businesses looking to relocate. This is another major step in turning our vision into a reality.”
Steve Rolt of Taylor Wimpey said: “We are delighted that the project is going forward and are confident that Jaynic will be successful in fulfilling their brief.”
The £15million Eastern Relief Road (ERR) funded by New Anglia LEP, St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Suffolk County Council is due to be completed by the summer of 2017. Being developed in parallel are Taylor Wimpey’s 500-home Moreton hall scheme as well as the new Sybil Andrews Academy School. With other projects the ERR is estimated to bring in 14,000 jobs and £275m to the town over the next 25 years.
In East Anglia, Jaynic has a strong track-record having developed Cambridge Research Park and Buckingway Business Park in Cambridge, the University of Essex Knowledge Gateway in Colchester and Haverhill Business Park and currently Haverhill Research Park.
Jaynic has recently appointed Bury St Edmunds based Hazells Chartered Surveyors as agents for the scheme.
