Clowes Developments begin work at Congleton site
Clowes Developments have commenced work on site at Viking Way, Congleton.
Clowes purchased the site and soon after obtained outline planning consent from Cheshire East Council for the brand-new mixed-use development known as Viking Park in 2021. The development will comprise of 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 their 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 their brand-new ‘Viking Park’ development.
Marc Freeman, Director and Developer at Clowes Developments commented: “I am delighted to start work on this significant mixed-use development. 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 have been appointed as the lead construction contractors following a string of successful builds for Clowes over recent years. The East Midlands based contractor is highly regarded within industry for their professional set up and codes of conduct on active sites and immense pace in constructing industrial units to a high spec.
Andrew Groves – Harris Lamb, Marc Freeman – Clowes Developments
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 authorities’ 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 nicely into the landscape.
Andrew Groves, Director at Harris Lamb, joint agent for the commercial development, said: “Having worked with Clowes on the acquisition of this site, Harris Lamb is delighted to continue its involvement as letting agents on the scheme as it progresses during 2023.
“Congleton has seen very limited new build industrial development in recent years and from other schemes in the surrounding area, we have seen pent-up demand from occupiers looking for quality accommodation in South Cheshire. The opening of the £90 million Congleton Link Road has significantly improved access around the town and to the M6 Motorway so the improved accessibility is likely to draw in occupiers from the wider area. The scheme offers a broad range of units up to 102,000 sq ft available on either a leasehold or freehold basis which will create strong levels of enquiries particularly from companies looking to acquire freehold premises which have been in very short supply over the last 18 months.”
Mark Sillitoe, Director at Williams Sillitoe, added: “We are delighted to be involved in this high-profile scheme which 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, Interested parties are invited to contact agents Andrew Groves, andrew.groves@harrislamb.com or Mark Sillitoe, ms@willsill.co.uk.