13th June 2013
New investment at Caxton Business Park
Alder King has negotiated the first pre-sale on part of a 2.4 acre cleared industrial site at Caxton Business Park in Warmley, Bristol to WBC Automotive, an employee-owned specialist vehicle repair business.
Acting on behalf of WBC Automotive, the developer Axten Properties has obtained planning consent to develop part of the site to create 20,000 sq ft (1,858 sq m) of modern workshop and office space for WBC, which will facilitate further expansion and create new jobs.
Following the success of the first phase, Axten is now applying for consent to develop five further units ranging from 3,000 – 12,000 sq ft (278.7 – 1,114.8 sq m) on the remainder of the site. One of the proposed buildings is already under offer. This will be one of the first speculative industrial developments in the city for five years, going some way to meeting pent-up demand for quality production/ distribution space.
Andrew Ridler, partner at Alder King in Bristol, says: “This site has lain un-used for a number of years. There is a lack of good quality modern industrial accommodation in Bristol so the opportunity to re-develop this site and create purpose-built facilities in a well-established location is an exciting opportunity for WBC.”
WBC Automotive, currently based in Fishponds, is an approved repair specialist for prestige marques including Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, VWG and Lotus and is the first company in the UK to meet standards for the new all-aluminium Land Rover. The company employs 45 people who are all shareholders in the business and hopes to create 10 new jobs over the next 12 months.
David Turner of WBC Automotive says the new facility is vital to the company’s expansion plans. “The more modern and efficient space, combined with the latest energy-saving technology, will enable us to save over 300% of our present operating costs, savings which we can use to invest further in people, equipment and services,” he says.
The new premises will include a dedicated servicing workshop and bodyshop, aluminium repair bays and a LCV commercial booth.
The site, formerly home to Lawson Marden Packaging, was acquired by Axten Properties and cleared for redevelopment three years ago. Alder King is acting on behalf of Axten Properties Ltd.