£11m industrial hub opens in Euxton

An £11m industrial hub has opened in Euxton and more than half the units have already been allocated.

Strawberry Meadows Business Park comprises a mix of office and light industrial space ranging from 500 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft units. It offers ready access to Strawberry Fields digital hub, which is just a short distance away.

Of the 33 units available 17 are allocated with 15 already occupied by businesses.

Grimsargh-based John Turner Construction was appointed to work with Chorley Council to deliver the development.

Coun Alistair Bradley, leader of Chorley Council said: "The new space is high-spec and really attractive to businesses wanting to expand or call Chorley home. Already we have 15 businesses from a wide range of industries in the hub, some new to Chorley and some who have expanded into larger spaces.

"This project will bring a raft of benefits to the borough including job opportunities and the additional income will allow us to invest in our much-needed services."

£2.25m of funding for the project has been awarded to the council from Lancashire Enterprise Partnership's Getting Building Fund, part of the government's £900m funding programme established to kick start shovel-ready infrastructure projects which support economic recovery.

Debbie Francis, chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: "Developments such as Strawberry Meadows are vital to the local economy. They can help to attract new businesses into areas like Chorley and can offer existing firms the facilities they need to expand. The scheme is also one of ten projects across Lancashire we've been able to support through Lancashire's £34m Getting Building Fund pot, and it's a great example of how such investment can drive growth and create jobs.

''The development complements the nearby Strawberry Fields Digital Hub, adding to Chorley’s offering as a centre for growth. Creating new state-of-the-art business and industrial hubs like Strawberry Meadows and Strawberry Fields are important to enable businesses to start-up, expand, relocate and collaborate all within Lancashire.

"Supporting business scale-up in this way is highlighted as a key driver within our recently published Lancashire Digital Strategy, which sets the ambition for Lancashire to be the fastest growing digital economy in the UK by 2035.”