Development agency mulls new South Lakeland office park
A study by Knight Frank for the North West Development Agency into the development potential of South Lakeland, near Kendal, has identified four possible sites for an office park.
The Knowledge Based Employment Land Search and Assessment was carried out by Knight Frank together with Arup and Carigiet Cowen.
The suggested employment sites, all of at least four acres, are:
- Canal Head in the centre of Kendal
- Milnthorpe Road (East)
- Milnthorpe Road (West)
- and Burton Road (South) on the edge of the town
The NWDA and its partners South Lakeland District Council and Cumbria Vision, will now assess the potential sites to see if they should be included into South Lakeland District's Local Development Framework.
The authors of the report weighted potential sites in terms of market attractiveness, physical constraints and acceptability in planning terms. Visits were made to each identified area and consultation was carried out with the Local Highways Authority, the Highways Agency, the Environment Agency and relevant utilities companies in the area.
The four were seen as "the most suitable areas to attract industries associated with computer software, creative industries, technology-intensive manufacturing or research and development."
Sam Stafford, associate at Knight Frank in Manchester, said: "Previous studies have concluded that Kendal has the potential to help diversify the economic base of the wider Lake District area.
"As part of an intention to retain a skilled workforce in the area and attract inward investment, a mixed-use business space in the Kendal area has been identified as desirable in order to support the growth of knowledge-based industries in Cumbria."
