Up to 1,700 jobs are set to be created after work began on a multi-million-pound enterprise zone development.
Chatterley Valley West in Newcastle-under-Lyme is receiving £3.7 million funding through the Kidsgrove Town Deal and a £3.5 million investment by Staffordshire County Council, which will be paid back through business rates that are wholly retained within the area.
Through the funding, essential roads and infrastructure at the site are now being delivered to pave the way for the development of industrial units.
It will be backed by a major private sector injection – expected to be millions of pounds in total – which will be predominantly from businesses investing in the site once the work is complete.
Outline planning permission for Chatterley Valley West allows for up to 1.17 million square feet (109,000 sqm) of development.
The brownfield site just off the A500 lies within the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone. It could create up to 1,700 jobs and is being hailed as one of the biggest business developments in the north of the county in decades.
Staffordshire County Council is working with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership as well as the developer Harworth to take forward the work.
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said: “Chatterley Valley is providing us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unlock a major parcel of disused industrial land, close to strategic transport links. It will enable existing businesses to expand and for new ones to invest in Staffordshire, from across the UK and internationally.
“As a key site on the A50/A500 corridor, demand for industrial and logistics space here is expected to be strong.”
Simon Tagg, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Leader, said: “The enhancement of the enterprise zone is great news for Kidsgrove, and the borough as a whole, as it will create hundreds of new jobs and safeguard existing ones in the area.
“The positive impact this project will have, in terms of employment and the local economy, is most welcome.”
