Work on two new units at St. Modwen’s Great Western Business Park in Worcester is steaming ahead after the developer secured a deal amounting to 15,000 sq ft of space to training company Herefordshire and Worcestershire Group Training Association Ltd (HWGTA).
The UK’s leading regeneration specialist completed the sale to HWGTA on the new units, which represent 10,333 sq ft and 4,224 sq ft respectively, for £1.5 million.
Construction is now in full swing, with the steel frames erected and roof installation in progress. The units are due for completion early next year and will create 20 new jobs, providing training for several hundred learners each year at all levels, including Higher Apprenticeships.
Jonathan Green, senior development surveyor at St. Modwen, said: “This latest deal highlights the continuing strength of the commercial landscape in Worcester and a growing need to answer the shortage of this type of development, as we face a situation where there simply isn’t the accommodation for businesses to grow.
“The fact that we applied for a variation to the existing planning permission in order to meet HWGTA’s requirements reflects St. Modwen’s flexibility and ability to tailor our developments to suit occupier’s needs. We look forward to welcoming them to the development when the units complete next year.”
With £950,000 investment from the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership through the Government’s Growth Deal and £70,000 of New Homes Bonus funding from Worcester City Council, as well as match funding from HWGTA, the new Centre replaces HWGTAs current operation in Sunnyside Road, Worcester and provides a state of the art facility for engineering skills development for the manufacturing, processing, finance, legal and service sectors across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Duane Sanger, Chief Executive at HWGTA, said: “Great Western Business Park provides the ideal location for our needs. Just a short drive to Worcester City Centre, and with key transport connections nearby, enabling our apprentices to easily access the facility – the location is perfect.
“The tailor-made buildings will enable the Association to grow its onsite training provision ensuring local companies have access to required training. The project is supported by the Worcestershire LEP and Worcester City Council, which has enabled the ambition of our board and customers to bring the project to fruition. We’re looking forward to moving in next year.”
Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership said: “It is great to see development on the new Centre of Vocational Excellence is now underway. This specialist facility will help to support the development of many engineering apprenticeships and I am confident that the facility will help to raise the skills of our local workforce, which is great news for business and the local economy.”
HWGTA joins a number of national and local businesses including Benchmarx, Euro Car Parts, Storage King, additive manufacturers Materials Solutions, Nemesis GB, automotive parts distributor Andrew Page, and providers of precision components, Altaras International.
Cllr Geoff Williams, Cabinet Member for Economic Prosperity and Growth at Worcester City Council, said: “We are proud to support this new facility, which will give many people the opportunity to gain the engineering skills which local employers value so highly. Improving Worcester’s skills base is a real priority for the City Council, because it is essential to ensuring our long term competitive edge.”
With planning now approved for 65,000 sq ft of space, the next phase of development will consist of units ranging from 6,000 to 31,000 sq ft.
Situated off the Tolladine Road, Great Western Business Park is located half a mile from Worcester City Centre and offers easy access to Worcester city centre and J6 & 7 of the M5 corridor, which provides connections to M42 motorway. A secure managed estate, the development benefits from 24 hour CCTV monitoring and designated parking.