A key milestone has been marked at the new Phoenix Enterprise Park on the South Lowestoft Industrial Estate.
The site was destroyed by a fire in 2010 and the project team is now transforming part of the former Wessex Foods site into 16 small units which will be used for business, general industrial, or storage and distribution with external car parking and landscaping.
Phoenix Enterprise Park is an exciting joint development by between Suffolk County Council and New Anglia LEP, supported by Waveney District Council, to develop business units within the well-established South Lowestoft Industrial Estate. The first phase will provide a range of small and medium units (up to 320 square metres) and is a key project, bringing jobs and regeneration to the town.
The Hadenham Road site is included in New Anglia LEP’s Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone and is owned by the county council. All businesses moving onto the Enterprise Zone site prior to 1st April 2018 will potentially benefit from a business rate discount of up to £275k over a 5 year period (maximum of £55k per year).
The £6.5 million project for Suffolk County Council has reached a major milestone, with the super-structure of each unit now complete. The project team celebrated this point in the development by holding a special topping out ceremony at the site.
The traditional topping out event was attended by representatives from project Councillor Jane Storey, Councillor Stephen Ardley, and Julian Munson, design professionals, Concertus, and the Morgan Sindall construction team.
Saul Humphrey, Morgan Sindall managing director for the East, said: “It’s a great pleasure to be celebrating the good progress our team is making in bringing this site back to life. We’re pleased to be playing a role in transforming this land which was destroyed by fire into a location with a positive economic and social impact and offer a useful service to the local business community.”
Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Leader, Cllr Jane Storey said: I would like to praise the work undertaken by everyone involved in this project that has helped us get to this significant point. I would particularly like to thank the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership for their continued support and financial contribution through Growth Deal funding to help us lock the potential for future business development in this location. I look forward to seeing the completed business units on site in the spring and welcoming the first new tenants as they begin their exciting future and help us to kickstart the south Lowestoft Enterprise Zone.
Andrew Rowe, Managing Director at Concertus Design & Property Consultants said: “I am delighted to be celebrating this milestone at Phoenix Enterprise Park, the team’s collaborative working goes hand in hand with the project’s success. A big thank you to everyone for their hard work so far.”
Julian Munson, Head of Innovation and Enterprise Zones at New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The redevelopment of this site is testament to the confidence that exists in Lowestoft right now. Our Enterprise Zone sites continue to be a catalyst for economic growth and job creation and we’re confident Phoenix Enterprise Park will only add to that. When completed the Park will offer high quality facilities and a real opportunity for new and expanding businesses.”
Morgan Sindall was appointed to the scheme via the £500 million Suffolk County Council construction framework, which is a vehicle for the procurement of public sector building works and governs the procurement of a full spectrum of new build and refurbishment schemes in education, health and community across Suffolk.
