Developer gets ball rolling on 1.4m sq ft Barrow technology park
Holker Group has announced plans to create a 14.3-acre industrial scheme on land next to Sowerby Woods Business Park, north of the Cumbria town.
The developer, which owns 17,000 acres across South Lakeland, has lodged a planning application with Barrow-in-Furness Council for 30,000 sq ft of industrial space across six units, the first phase of the scheme.
In total, Holker Group’s proposed technology park would provide 1.4m sq ft of industrial space, with units ranging from 3,358 sq ft to 45,000 sq ft.
The land is allocated for redevelopment into industrial uses under Barrow’s local plan.
It was announced earlier this week that four new Dreadnaught submarines would be built at Barrow shipyard, part of a £2bn contract awarded to Rolls Royce and BAE Systems.
This news has fueled demand for complementary technology companies to look to the area to set up business, according to Allen Gibb, chief executive of the Holker Group.
“This is a superb opportunity to attract more quality businesses and jobs to Barrow,” he said. “The site is poor-quality agricultural land and has long been allocated as a site for industrial development. With economic prospects for the area looking positive, now is a great time to look at putting the plans for the technology park into place.”
Holker Group is looking at various options for the delivery of the site and “would be happy to talk to potential occupiers, investors and partners,” Gibb said.
Holker Group is being advised by Pentle Land and Property, Kate Bellwood Planning, Unum partnership, highways consultant Alan Davies, MPG Consulting, PDP Cumbria, and Envirotech.
