£50M scheme will breathe new life into East Lancashire business park

A £50m investment in a major East Lancashire business park will create up to 500 new jobs on completion and more during its construction phase.

The 50-acre Junction 7 Business Park at Clayton-le-Moors has been acquired by the Blackburn-based Adhan Group of Companies. As well as refurbishing the existing one million square feet of premises on the large site, it plans to construct an additional half-million sq ft of modern purpose-built industrial and commercial units on vacant land there.

Headquartered in Blackburn, the Adhan Group of Companies also has more than 60 acres of prime development land for industrial use, and other existing modern industrial units throughout the region. It also handles lettings for offices, leisure sector uses, storage and retail premises on a region-wide basis.

In recent years the Adhan Group of Companies has grown to become one of the region's leading investors in commercial property, with a proven track record in large scale property management.

It already owns and operates more than five million square feet of industrial, retail, office, leisure use and storage space across the region, with further acquisitions currently in the pipeline which will more than double that figure.

The company is now in talks with senior officers at Hyndburn Borough Council while its architects finalise plans for the Junction 7 Business Park. With a million sq ft of existing premises and the capacity for a further half-million in new-build, it represents a significant addition to Adhan's property portfolio. Taken together, the cost of buying the site, refurbishing and recladding existing buildings and constructing new purpose-built units is estimated at £50m.

 

A spokesman for Adhan's commercial team said: "There is strong demand in the area for high quality industrial units, ranging from start-up businesses to SMEs and larger concerns. We are confident we can meet that demand through a thorough refurbishment of existing buildings and a significant expansion to put existing vacant land to work for the borough and its growing businesses."

Located just off junction seven of the M65, the business park is extremely well placed for access to the region's major roads network. It will offer a wide range of premises suitable for most uses and with flexible terms designed to meet the needs of businesses from start-ups to established companies.

Adhan hopes to start work on the redevelopment phase during the first half of 2016, subject to the planning process, and is currently taking inquiries from businesses seeking bespoke premises on the new-build section of the site.

Originally built as an aero-engine factory for the Bristol Aircraft Corporation, the large site has been split into industrial units for many years and is currently home to more than 60 small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

A previous scheme from a London-based company to redevelop the site with around 200 houses, a hotel, restaurant, petrol station and shops was granted planning permission, but failed to materialise.

Adhan has no plans to pursue that route but instead aims to regenerate the site for its original intended use, as a hive of industry and commerce providing new employment opportunities and economic growth. Its plans also end uncertainty for existing businesses about their future at the site.