Work starts on mixed-use Congleton development
A Derbyshire developer has started work on site at a mixed-use site in Congleton.
Ednaston-based Clowes developments bought the site and soon after obtained outline planning consent from Cheshire East Council for the development known as Viking Park in 2021.
The scheme will comprise up to 175 homes, a 20,500 sq ft supermarket, as well as 36,800 sq ft of offices and 219,500 sq ft of industrial.
Clowes Developments can now move forward with plans to speculatively build the commercial part of the scheme following Cheshire East councillors’ most recent unanimous vote to grant planning consent for phase three of the Viking Park development.
Marc Freeman, director and developer at Clowes Developments, said: “This is the first large scale development to be delivered in Congleton in several years.
“We are pleased to be bringing employment opportunities to the area which will complement the growing town. Congleton’s expansion has been enabled by the new link road to the M6 motorway providing much needed connectivity. Our forward investment demonstrates Clowes’ intent to deliver the requirements of this strategically important allocation in north Congleton.”
TanRo has been appointed as the lead construction contractor following a string of successful builds for Clowes over recent years.
The industrial units will be built to meet BREEAM ‘excellent’ and an EPC rating A.
The units have been designed by architects, Whittam Cox to meet the local authority’s planning conditions that stipulate these units should blend into their rural setting. By using shades of vertical green cladding and curved roof, which is Polar Voltaic (PV) ready, the industrial units will complement its locality and blend into the landscape.
Mark Sillitoe, director at Williams Sillitoe, joint agent for the commercial development commented, said: “This high profile scheme is well positioned to benefit from the strong demand for warehousing and industrial space and limited supply that we are currently experiencing in the town of Congleton.
“Not only are we confident that we can accommodate local occupiers looking for space, but we also believe that improved infrastructure and M6 corridor access will enable us to engage with occupiers from further afield in Cheshire, Staffordshire and the wider North West and West Midlands.”
Contractors are on site with practical completion of the first industrial development scheduled for summer 2024. The units are being marketing on an all enquiries basis.
