New commercial units in Southam will 'give economic boost' to the town and create up to 100 new jobs

A CGI of what the units in Southam would look like.

Southam will receive a boost to its economy and up to 100 new jobs could be created if plans for new industrial units in the town are approved.

The proposed 42,000 sq ft industrial scheme at the Kineton Road Industrial Estate, will be delivered by Warwickshire Property and Development Group (WPDG), Warwickshire County Council’s (WCC) delivery company.

The scheme will provide nine units of between 2,000 - 15,000sq ft, ideal for small to medium sized enterprises who are starting up or looking for expansion space.

The units will be built on a site at the Holywell Business Park on land which has been unused for many years.

Cllr Peter Butlin, the council’s deputy Leader and portfolio holder for finance and property, said: “I’m delighted to see WPDG take on its first development project which will bring a welcome boost to the local economy.

“We have an ambitious programme to work with partners and external developers who share the same vision as us, taking a holistic approach to building successful, sustainable and high-quality developments.

“This is why we launched the new company, to fuse the financial support and business acumen of WCC and WPDG board members and staff, so we can invest in innovative and environmentally-sustainable developments.  

“This will form a major part of WCC post COVID-19 economic recovery and WPDG will be our partner of choice in making our county an even more attractive place to live and do business.”

WPDGroup was launched by WCC in the summer of 2021 to deliver new affordable and market priced homes and a range of commercial, mixed use and renewable energy opportunities across the county.

Stuart Buckley, managing director of WPDG said: “This is an exciting milestone for WPDG as it is the first scheme to be signed off and meets with the vision and objectives of the group to be providing new economic activity in Warwickshire for residents.

"This scheme will meet a gap in the market for space for SMEs who are the lifeblood to the economy.

The planning application for the site will be submitted soon and, if approved, work would start in the autumn.

For more information on WPDG visit www.wpdg.co.uk