In the last edition, I reported that lettings in our High Weald House office building on the Bexhill Enterprise Park were going well: the business centre is two-thirds full, with half of the remaining offices under offer. I also outlined how sites surrounding the building – in an area we’re now calling Bexhill Enterprise Park South – are available on a fully-serviced freehold basis for companies to develop for a wide range of uses.
Just two months on, the business park is taking its next major leap forward, with new sites for industrial premises available in an area we’re calling Bexhill Enterprise Park North. Just like the sites to the south, these are surrounded by scenic countryside and just two miles from Bexhill town centre, rail station and seafront. And we believe they’re capable of accommodating more than 300,000 sq ft of manufacturing premises.
First phase: light industrial units
While we’ve owned the sites for a while, we needed to get overhead high-voltage electricity lines which crossed them placed underground before any construction could take place.
Thanks to UK Power Networks, this has now been done. So, the first phase of Bexhill Enterprise Park North is getting underway – to build around 84,000 sq ft of light industrial units, with associated parking and landscaping, on a 7.4-acre site.
The units, which have the potential to support up to 500 jobs, are being created by our partner, Wescott Leach, who are highly reputed Sussex-based industrial developers with established schemes including the Swallow Business Park in Hailsham and Eastside South in Newhaven.
We worked closely with Westcott Leach on the preparatory stages of the Bexhill project, helping to devise early plans and secure planning permission. We also created an access road to open up this and neighbouring sites, leading from Haven Brook Avenue, the local road we completed in 2019, to make development in the wider area possible.
The Wescott Leach team has been busy carrying out site investigations and preparatory works over recent weeks and, with the power lines now out of the way, anticipates starting construction of the Bexhill units this month.
Additional industrial options
We also have three other development plots at Bexhill Enterprise Park North that would make excellent locations for manufacturing businesses and are all available on a freehold basis for companies to develop their own facilities.
The smaller of the three, at 2.4 acres, is already attracting strong interest from a Kent-based company considering relocating there. The mid-sized site covers almost 7 acres and is capable of supporting around 70,000 sq ft of industrial floor space. Our largest site spans 14.3 acres and is suitable for a sizeable industrial development around 150,000 sq ft.
Exciting milestone
So, the opening of Bexhill Enterprise Park North, with its industrial sites and forthcoming manufacturing units, marks the latest, exciting milestone in the business park’s development.Along with the offices and mixed-use plots to the south, this provides a great basis for a diverse new business community in a stunning countryside setting.
Article written by Chris Broome, property director, Sea Change Sussex
Find out more at www.seachangesussex.co.uk.
