Chelmsford’s local authority believes the town has overcome the ravages of the economic slowdown and is attracting both developers and occupiers. It argues that there are still opportunities for further development. The council cites Churchmanor’s Chelmsford Business Park, located to the north east of the town, with its 25 acres of low density, high class commercial accommodation within an overall 40 acre site and which still has plots available for new build development. There are a variety of leases and even freehold sales on the park. For example, Visteon Engineering Services moved into a speculatively built 2,787 sq.metres (30,000 sq.ft.) building on an occupational lease. Local Housing Association, CHP, also moved to the park recently, to join existing high profile occupiers including International Financial Data Solutions, Clifford Thames and ebm Papst. At Springfield Business Park, also to the north east of the town, the concentration is on industrial and distribution space with occupiers including City Link, Parcelforce Worldwide and Aldi.
Further new build opportunities exist, providing potential occupiers with the ability to specify a building to their exact requirements. Local agent, Robert Dewar Commercial, has recently secured a new lease on a 4,924 sq.metres (53,000 sq.ft.) former Boots warehouse on the nearby Dukes Park Industrial Estate from Kent Foods, an Ireland based food ingredients supplier. As far as the council is concerned, the presence of BAE Systems’ Integrated Systems Technologies Centre, a significant global technology player, together with many of the other former GEC Marconi businesses, makes Chelmsford one of the foremost advanced manufacturing and electronic engineering centres in the UK.
Recognizing this key strength, the town will soon commence development of a new innovation centre with the specific objective of encouraging and facilitating global innovation in advanced technologies both by the major players and smaller, niche operators. Paul Bullock of Lambert Smith Hampton commented: “It is a patchy market with a shortage of Grade A offices but a proliferation of second hand space. But there are development opportunities which have been held back by the difficulty of raising finance.” He anticipates a better second half year in 2011, adding that “Essex has withstood the
recession well.”
Further new build opportunities exist, providing potential occupiers with the ability to specify a building to their exact requirements. Local agent, Robert Dewar Commercial, has recently secured a new lease on a 4,924 sq.metres (53,000 sq.ft.) former Boots warehouse on the nearby Dukes Park Industrial Estate from Kent Foods, an Ireland based food ingredients supplier. As far as the council is concerned, the presence of BAE Systems’ Integrated Systems Technologies Centre, a significant global technology player, together with many of the other former GEC Marconi businesses, makes Chelmsford one of the foremost advanced manufacturing and electronic engineering centres in the UK.
Recognizing this key strength, the town will soon commence development of a new innovation centre with the specific objective of encouraging and facilitating global innovation in advanced technologies both by the major players and smaller, niche operators. Paul Bullock of Lambert Smith Hampton commented: “It is a patchy market with a shortage of Grade A offices but a proliferation of second hand space. But there are development opportunities which have been held back by the difficulty of raising finance.” He anticipates a better second half year in 2011, adding that “Essex has withstood the
recession well.”
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