A planning application has been submitted for the development of the Sproughton Enterprise Park near Ipswich.
The site, which is owned by the Borough Council, is set to create thousands of jobs and opportunities for businesses close to the A14. It is one of the most strategic employment sites in Suffolk and benefits from Enterprise Zone status.
The outline application has been made formally to Babergh District Council and, if approved, would see the 130-acre former sugar beet factory transformed.
The Council is already talking to one potential tenant about developing a large part of the site and a separate planning application is expected in the coming weeks.
The Borough Council’s Leader, Councillor David Ellesmere, said a 10-year programme for the site had been established but that he expected things to happen faster than that. “Given the interest we have had in the site and its superb access I would be surprised if it isn’t completed long before then.”
The New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has helped to establish the site as an Enterprise Zone, which offers many advantages to companies considering locating here.
Julian Munson, Head of Enterprise Zones and Innovation, said: “This represents a real step forward for Sproughton Enterprise Park, one of 10 sites across Suffolk and Norfolk that make up our Space to Innovate Enterprise Zone. Sproughton offers enormous potential for ambitious businesses to grow and innovate in an accessible location. Add in the Enterprise Zone benefits of access to superfast broadband, simplified planning and a business rate discount of up to £275,000 over five years and I’d expect interest to be very high.”
The masterplan for the site, which the Borough Council purchased in 2014, has been developed by the Borough’s consultants, David Lock Associates.
