Work is expected to start before Christmas on the latest expansion of a 200-acre Derbyshire distribution and business park.
The latest speculative build will add a 100,000sq ft warehouse and office building to the Markham Vale enterprise zone site with Henry Boot Developments (HBD) expecting the scheme ready for occupation by spring next.
Markham Vale, which received £14.2m of Government funding in June, is one of Britain’s biggest enterprise zone developments and is a joint venture between HBD and Derbyshire County Council. Among the existing tenants are car parts supplier Andrew Page, Holdsworth Foods, Ready Egg Products, Gould Alloys and engineering distributors Industrial Ancillaries.
“We are delighted to have received planning consent for the building, which will offer distribution or manufacturing space to a very high specification,” commented a spokesman for the developer. “We are already engaging with potential occupiers and are confident that the building will bring significant investment and employment opportunities to the region.”
Situated between Sheffield and Nottingham, Markham Vale has immediate access to the M1 motorway by a dedicated new junction. It also has two new railhead facilities. Design and build options range from 3,000sq ft premises to “big hut” schemes of more than one-million square feet.
Joan Dixon is Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for jobs, economy and transport. “This is a really exciting time for Markham Vale with development really starting to gain pace,” she said, “and this warehouse will provide yet another excellent opportunity for a business to relocate or set-up at Markham and benefit from all it has to offer.”
Another early advocate of the 200-acre regeneration project was Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). It has worked closely with HBD, the county authority and the Government to secure funding and support for Markham Vale. “These new developments will help the city region to keep up with mounting investor demand for medium-sized business units as well as from bigger investors,” said LEP chairman, James Newman.
“Our partners at Henry Boot Developments are now ready to start creating the next generation of modern business spaces for companies looking to be part of the enterprise zone at Markham Vale,” he added.
“This latest development marks another exciting step forward, which has already welcomed 18 new companies with 345 new jobs and with a further 300 set to be created by the middle of next year.”
