Arnold Clark has announced plans for a major investment in the Wednesfield area, near Wolverhampton, that will lead to the direct creation of 85 new jobs and kickstart the redevelopment of the Pantheon Park employment site.
Arnold Clark is already an important local business, with its GTG Training Centre and vehicle rental facility at Bearing Drive currently employing around 50 people.
A planning application has now been lodged jointly with owners Stoford Developments and Bridges Ventures that will see construction of a new Arnold Clark Motorstore on four acres of the site fronting Wednesfield Way. Service workshop facilities will be within the nearby training centre building.
Derek Cuthbertson, estates manager for Arnold Clark, said: “The business has had an active requirement for a site capable of accommodating a Motorstore for some five years now. This always had to be close to our existing GTG training facility to ensure that we can establish an efficient, sustainable operation. Following an exhaustive site search across the local area, the land at Pantheon Park has emerged as the only one meeting our specific requirements.”
Pantheon Park is an 18-acre site, which is ready for construction to begin following an extensive programme of remediation and demolition. The development is a joint venture between Birmingham-based Stoford Developments and Bridges Ventures, a specialist sustainable and impact investor. The extensive remediation work has been supported by a loan of over £2 million by the Black Country LEP.
Stoford development management Angus Huntley said: “Arnold Clark’s proposal to create an exciting new Motorstore at Pantheon Park is great news for the area and marks a major investment in the West Midlands by the company. The site is perfect for their requirements and is oven-ready, having been cleared and remediated.”
Pantheon Park has detailed planning permission for up to 412,000 sq ft of B1, B2 and B8 accommodation with 24/7 operations. Once fully developed the site is expected to create up to 400 jobs. It is close to the M6 Toll, M5, M42 and M54 and is situated in an established location off junction 10 of the M6 via the A454.
Stoford is a leading specialist in industrial and warehouse development. It has delivered over 10 million sq ft of pre-let development and in 2012 to 2014 had more than 1.5 million sq ft of pre-let space under construction throughout the UK.
Stoford and Bridges Ventures are represented by JLL, Bulleys, and Lathem High. Colliers are acting for Arnold Clark.