30th July 2004
£2.7 MILLION INVESTMENT TO BRING NEW JOBS TO BARNSLEY


Priority Sites, one of the most active commercial developers in the country, is the first developer to start work on the former site of the Wharncliffe Woodmoor Colliery in Barnsley.



Construction is well underway on Wharncliffe Business Park, which will consist of eleven workshops and six high quality industrial units, ranging from 750 to 8,000 sq ft.

The £2.7 million scheme is expected to be complete by the end of the year and will be one of Priority Sites’ largest developments in terms of unit numbers in its seven-year history.

Priority Sites - the joint venture company owned by The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and national regeneration agency English Partnerships – has designed the scheme to meet the needs of existing local businesses looking to move to larger, more modern premises as well as attracting investment from outside the area.

Paul Barber, Chief Executive of Priority Sites, said: “We are delighted to be the first developer on this site and are confident that other developers will quickly be attracted to the site. We feel that this project will be just as successful as our other schemes in South Yorkshire, which have created about 400 jobs so far.”

David Kennedy, Executive Director of Development at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, said: “This scheme forms an important part of the overall regeneration strategy for the area which will bring new jobs and stimulate inward investment at a local level. We look forward to welcoming new companies to the development soon.”
This scheme is being developed in conjunction with Renaissance South Yorkshire. Tony Kildare, Managing Director, said: “The development and success of this high-profile scheme is evidence that South Yorkshire can offer investors a quality range of sites and property, backed by the highest levels of public funding available in Europe for eligible companies. “Redevelopment of former coalfields in our region is key to ensuring that the South Yorkshire region builds productively on its proud industrial heritage to deliver a 21st-century economy.”

The development is taking place on the site of the former Wharncliffe Woodmoor Colliery. Yorkshire Forward completed an extensive land reclamation project, funded by national regeneration agency English Partnerships.

Neil Mortimer, Head of the National Coalfields Programme and Community Regeneration at English Partnerships, said: “This is an excellent example of partners working together to transform a disused former coalfield site into a valuable multi-million pound business park, which will kick-start the redevelopment process in the area, attract other developers to the site and bring new jobs and money to this coalfield community.”


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www.barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk

Press Contact: Sarah Hopwood
Marketing & Communications Assistant
Barnsley Development Agency
Telephone: 01226 640 086
Facsimile: 01226 286 606
Email: shopwood@barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk

Editor’s Notes:

Established in 1997, Priority Sites is one of England’s most active developers with a new building contract starting on average every four weeks. Its success is due to the fact that it provides quality business premises – often on a speculative basis and outside high-profile industrial areas – that fit the needs of the companies that regional and local enterprise agencies want to attract, bringing with them new, long-term jobs to parts of England that need them the most. For further information visit the website www.prioritysites.co.uk

Renaissance South Yorkshire is the new regeneration company conceived by Yorkshire Forward – the Regional Development Agency for Yorkshire and the Humber – and the local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, in a groundbreaking partnership to transform the economic prospects of South Yorkshire by delivering significant and strategic development projects and investment in the region. For further information visit the website www.surprising-sy.com

English Partnerships is the Government’s national regeneration agency delivering high quality, sustainable growth in England. We do this by developing our portfolio of strategic sites and acting as the Government’s advisor on brownfield land. We also ensure that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider Government objectives, especially those contained in the Sustainable Communities Plan. English Partnerships helps create communities where people can afford to live and want to live. More information on projects and programmes can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk


The £386.5 million National Coalfields Programme is assisting coalfield communities throughout England to recover from the decline of the coal industry by creating new employment, homes, leisure facilities and open space. It works closely with Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), the Coalfields Communities Campaign, local authorities and many other groups to help rebuild fragile economies. It now covers 100 sites across some 4,000 hectares.

Barnsley Development Agency (BDA) is home to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council’s Inward Investment and Development Team, which offers potential inward investors a comprehensive friendly and professional service, free of charge. It is the one stop shop for business support in the Barnsley area. BDA work in partnership with key players in the economic development and regeneration of the area including Business Link South Yorkshire, Barnsley Voluntary Sector Forum, Barnsley Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Barnsley College and Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre. Visit the website at www.barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk




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