Hundreds of jobs promised as JCB lands on Blue Planet
THE ground-breaking North Staffordshire distribution warehouse Blue Planet has finally been let – to global construction equipment manufacturer JCB.
The Rocester-based firm said it plans to create dozens of new jobs at the building in Chatterley Valley near Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Blue Planet will be the central service point for supplier-bought components used in the manufacture and assembly of JCB machines and it will serve JCB’s 11 plants in the UK as well as its 11 overseas factories.
The Blue Planet building, which will be branded with the JCB name, will be a new logistics hub for the company.
It brings to an end a period of inertia for the building and its developer Gazeley, which has in some ways come to signify the difficult market conditions the commercial property market is facing in general.
But Blue Planet was always a one off. Developed speculatively by the ‘big shed’ specialist as the UK’s most eco-friendly distribution warehouse, it became the world’s first BREEAM ‘outstanding’ rated logistics building.
The 383,000 sq ft building already exceeds the Government’s 60% Co2 reduction target, set for 2050 and provides a host of on-site renewable energy features.
Yet despite winning numerous design awards, the building has stood empty since it officially opened in 2009.
But now JCB has agreed a deal with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to move into the building.
The firm will employ around 60 people at the hub by the end of this year and it is estimated that the number of new jobs will rise to more than 300 over the next two years.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has negotiated the signing of a 20-year agreement with the digger giant following months of talk with JCB.
In addition, JCB has taken a ten-year option on 7.7 acres of land situated next to the Blue Planet that could allow the company future expansion at this location.
The key to the deal has been investment from the Government’ s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) which is contributing £2.9m to fund job creation on the site and to provide training programmes.
Cllr Gareth Snell, leader of the borough council, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that JCB are going to be long-term tenants in the Blue Planet building, a superb example of technological and environmental advances in warehouse development.”
Business secretary Vince Cable has added his support for JCB’s move into Newcastle. He said: “We need growth that is more evenly balanced across the country. That is why we are supporting firms such as JCB through the Regional Growth Fund, which will enhance their infrastructure and bring long-term employment to the area.
“Our recent construction industrial strategy underlines the importance of the sector to the economy and is a further boost to the industry as a whole. It will attract further investment and create jobs at an important manufacturing hub in Staffordshire.”
JCB is expected to carry out preparatory work from July and to move into the building by the end of summer.
The firm’s chief executive officer Alan Blake said, “Staffordshire is where JCB’s business started nearly 68 years ago and I’m delighted that our latest expansion is creating jobs in the county which has been our home for so long.
“Staffordshire is a fantastic place to do business and this site offers some huge advantages for JCB, particularly with transport links to the A500 and M6.”
