Businesses urged to review access options to important development site
Businesses are being urged to have their say on options to provide access to a major Staffordshire business development which could create up to 2,500 jobs.
Two public events are taking place this month to inform people of access options to the former Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Featherstone in South Staffordshire – which is being brought back into productive use to bring more jobs to the county.
The site sits just north of the M54 between junctions 1 and 2 and between A449 and A460. It’s also close to Junction 11 of the M6.
The county council said the site was already attracting significant interest from developers.
New access to the site is necessary to manage additional traffic. A planning application for the new access option is expected to be submitted this autumn.
Staffordshire’s economic growth leader, Cllr Mark Winnington said: “The former ROF Featherstone site is one of a number we are investing in to encourage businesses to relocate to Staffordshire to create jobs and invest in the local supply chain.
“It has not been used for a number of years, but is in a prime location to offer businesses a cost–effective base that is close to local transport networks and a skilled workforce. The site has the potential to create up to 2,500 jobs.
“The existing local road network is unlikely to have the capacity to manage any increase in traffic which could cause congestion in the area. Development of the site will mean we need road improvements to manage this additional traffic.”
The council is supporting the development of the site and is prepared to part-fund the road infrastructure as an investment to create future jobs and growth.
“Throughout this process we want the local community to be involved. We have identified a number of potential options to provide access to the site and are encouraging people to attend one of two consultation events to let us know their views,” added Cllr Winnington.
The consultation events take place on January 24 at Greenfield Golf Club, Wolverhampton, and on January 31 at Featherstone Community Centre.
