Chichester’s industrial sites are continuing to perform well and attract new business – with Chichester District Council keen to attract cleaner and greener companies within the sector to the district.
The demand for industrial and logistics space has continued to increase in recent months, partly due to the ongoing rise of online retail, with a focus on sites in close proximity to major trunk roads, airports and ports.
The Terminus Road industrial estate, largely owned by Chichester District Council, recently welcomed Babynov, a French organic baby food producer, while investment and development company Glenmore have lodged plans to build 17 industrial units on the north side of Terminus Road, on a site previously owned by West Sussex County Council.
Other key industrial areas include Glenmore Business Park and the Quarry Lane industrial estate, while Chichester Marina has units which host companies offering services from imports and sales of vessels to services and marine fabrication engineering.
And, as businesses respond to the climate emergency with renewed vigour following the COP26 Conference in Glasgow last month, Chichester District Council is progressing with the redevelopment of one key site – St James Industrial Estate on Westhampnett Road – to attract more environmentally-minded companies to the district. The £6.6million project will see the existing 40 units demolished and replaced with new, sustainable premises, with a BREEAM standard of ‘very good’ throughout. Thirty new units will be created, with a total of 4,448 sq m of lettable floor space – an increase on the current 3,753 sq m.
Chichester’s location, near the A27 which connects the district with the M3, Worthing, Brighton and ports in Portsmouth and Southampton (via the M27), as well as three international airports – Southampton, London Gatwick and London Heathrow all within 90 minutes of the district’s industrial hub, along with a highly-skilled workforce, are two attractive factors for industrial and logistics companies.
Cllr Tony Dignum, Cabinet Member for Growth, Place and Regeneration at Chichester District Council, said: “Chichester’s rich and varied commercial sector is delivering growth for the local area as well as further afield.
“At the council we’re working hard to ensure this sector continues to grow – in a cleaner and greener way than ever before with our plans to transform St James Industrial Estate into a more environmentally-friendly, economically-sound, attractive place for businesses to work.
“The district is an attractive location – our transport links are ideal for those needing to get goods out fast and efficiently and we have a number of services based across the commercial units – there’s no sector that wouldn’t be suitable in our commercial hub.”
For more information on Invest Chichester, visit www.investchichester.co.uk