A 108,600 sq ft advanced manufacturing facility is set to be built in North Staffordshire for a global automotive parts designer.
Developer Harworth Group has agreed an 18-year lease with the unnamed automotive specialist, which will occupy the new facility at Plot D3 at Chatterley Park.
Construction is set to commence shortly, with completion expected in the second half of 2027.
Jonathan Haigh, chief investment officer at Harworth, said: “Having a global leader in automotive design choose Chatterley Park as the next site in its global expansion underscores the strength of our locations and our deep understanding of occupier requirements within the advanced manufacturing sector.
“This letting marks an important milestone in the emergence of Chatterley Park as a manufacturing centre of excellence, and we continue to see strong occupier demand for units at the site.”
The facility will target a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certification and an EPC rating of A, and will incorporate rooftop solar PV panels, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting and EV charging points.
Once complete, the building will be added to Harworth’s investment portfolio, with the developer receiving rental income from the long-term lease.
Harworth is also planning a further 58,000 sq ft unit on an adjacent plot, responding to what it says is strong demand from industrial and logistics occupiers in the area.
The 106-acre Chatterley Park development adjacent to the A500 and close to Junction 16 of the M6, forms part of the wider Chatterley Valley West project, which has the potential to create up to 1,700 jobs.
The project has received £3.5 million from Staffordshire County Council, which will be recouped from future business rates generated from the site’s Enterprise Zone status, and £3.6 million from the Kidsgrove Town Deal after a successful funding bid by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.
Earlier this year, Harworth completed enabling and infrastructure works at Chatterley Park, making the site construction-ready for up to 1.1 million sq ft of industrial and logistics space.
Jonathan Gullis, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and cabinet member for planning and town centres, said: “Turning formerly derelict land into a home for advanced manufacturing is exactly the ambition we had for this site; creating highly skilled, well-paid jobs on our doorstep and generating the momentum to make Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough a place where major employers want to invest.
“Good jobs do more than strengthen the economy, they strengthen families and communities too. They give people security, help young people stay and build a life close to home, and put more money back into local shops, businesses and our wider community. That is the kind of growth we want to see across our borough.”
