The developer behind the Worcester Six Business Park has revealed it is on track to complete its extensive work to safeguard the environment and preserve the rich wildlife at the site.

Stoford Developments has already finished a number of projects at the business park, which will – when completed – provide about 1.5m sq ft of employment floor space in a unique business environment.

Edward Peel, development manager at Stoford, said Worcester Six is classed as a “game changer” development, which is considered to be an exemplar for its economic and environmental performance.

“The environmental remit is central to the development work and we’re proud to be delivering not just a first-class business park, but valuable green space that is a vital plant species and wildlife habitat,” he said.

“As custodians of the site, it is incumbent on us to not just preserve it, but to improve it for future generations. We’re taking this work extremely seriously and we’re already seeing the benefits, which we know will contribute hugely to the environmental strategy in Worcestershire.”

Working with Worcestershire’s Green Infrastructure (GI) Partnership has led to the creation of a long-term GI Concept Plan, which commits Stoford to making sure 40% – approximately 16.5 hectares – of the site is earmarked for green infrastructure.

The Plan also commits the Birmingham-based developer to creating: 38 metres of new watercourse; and 100% retention of woodland, wet grassland, rough grassland and species-rich hedgerows.

It has made a start on its commitment to remove 527 metres of poor-quality hedgerow and replace it with 3000 metres of new hedgerow planting to boost wildlife species; and to plant more than 250 standard trees, three hectares of new woodland and shrub planting and 5000m² of wildflower seeding and native bulb planting.

Stoford has fully protected and committed to the long-term management of 0.8 hectares of wet grassland meadows, which, with two parcels of ancient woodland, forms a central component of the “green spine” and are vital habitats for wildlife and plant species.

Newly planted hedgerows and tree-planting in buffer zones will also re-link the two ancient woodland sites together, making them more resilient and of greater value for wildlife.

It has also saved veteran trees, which are valuable sources for fungi, lichens, bryophytes and deadwood invertebrates, and are also important nesting and roosting sites for bats and birds, while those that could not be retained within the development site have been moved elsewhere within the green spine.

It is also planning to create two wildlife structures, at least one of which will be designed specifically for swifts, which return to the same nest every year, establishing colonies that can last for centuries. The new nest site aims to establish a swift population here for future generations.

Councillor Ken Pollock, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure said: “It is great to see the progress being made in all aspects of the Worcester Six Development. I am very much looking forward to seeing the positive impact of the tireless work our teams have put in, in the most difficult of circumstances, to maintain the county’s extensive progress in the business development and growth area. The County Council is keen to see development which also conserves and enhances Worcestershire’s rich natural and historic environment. The preservation of iconic floodplain grassland, ancient woodlands and veteran trees will make this site especially valuable for both today’s businesses and for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Over the past three years, Stoford Developments has announced the arrival of IONOS, Marmon Food and Beverage Equipment, Siemens, Spire Healthcare, Kimal and Kohler Mira at Worcester Six. Once fully developed, Worcester Six will provide 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation.

A major data centre is to be built on Worcester Six, the flagship business park, after Wychavon District Council approved plans by leading property developer Stoford.

The development of plot 6 will deliver a 51,479 sq ft unit to be undertaken on behalf of 1&1 IONOS Ltd, which is the largest European-based data hosting company.

The new site is earmarked to become a highly energy-efficient, cutting-edge data centre totalling 38,501 sq ft for IONOS and its subsidiary brand Fasthosts for UK and overseas customers. The development will also include 12,978 sq ft of ancillary offices.

Edward Peel, Development Manager at Stoford, said: “The approval for the IONOS development will bring another world-class operator to Worcester Six, which recognises the strategic location, excellent infrastructure links, and talented workforce that businesses can draw upon.

“We believe this is the first data centre to come to Wychavon and it is a clear indication of the confidence that IONOS, which is the largest cloud and hosting provider in Europe, has for the area, and for the business park.

“The excellent central location of Worcester Six, plus the availability and diverse routing of services that we have installed to the site, made this a forerunner for IONOS; we are proud to be delivering this building for them.”

Achim Weiss, IONOS CEO, said: “We are thrilled to start construction of the Worcester Six data centre soon. The demand for cloud services has been growing even more in these difficult times and with our new site we will be able to provide a variety of hosting, computing, and storage solutions to customers across the UK. We are very grateful that Wychavon District Council has approved our application so quickly.”

Councillor Richard Morris, Deputy Leader and portfolio holder for economic growth at Wychavon District Council, added: “IONOS choosing Wychavon as a base for their new data centre and offices is a tremendous vote of confidence in our local economy and will create high quality jobs in a growth industry.  I look forward to having a tour of the new centre when it opens next year.”

Councillor Ken Pollock, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure at Worcestershire County Council, added: “We look forward to working with IONOS, as a potential new occupier of the Worcester Six Business Park. This news is testament to the teams who have worked tirelessly in the most difficult of circumstances to maintain the county’s extensive progress in the business development and growth area.

“Data has become one of the world’s most valuable commodities in recent years and the pandemic has not altered this. Data centre demand continues to be driven by the rapid adoption of cloud services and the emergence of business models. This development not only solidifies Worcester Six Business Park as a first-rate business location but also provides Worcestershire with a highly valued asset, bringing substantial economic benefits for the county.”

IONOS was established in 1988 and is the largest hosting company in Europe, managing more than eight million customer contracts and hosting more than 12 million domains in its regional data centres around the globe. The IONOS group operates in fifteen countries around the world and employs 3,500 people worldwide.

In the past two years, Worcester Six has welcomed Marmon Food and Beverage Equipment, Siemens, Spire Healthcare, Kimal and Kohler Mira at Worcester Six. Once fully developed, the business park will provide 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation.

Stoford also obtained consent for a speculative unit of 37,000 sq ft in February this year, which it says can be delivered within a 10-month period.

Construction could be underway at the flagship business park Worcester Six after leading property developer Stoford submitted plans for a major data centre.

If councillors at Wychavon District Council give the go ahead for the development, work to build a 30,729 sq ft data centre with 15,670 sq ft of ancillary office accommodation will begin later this year.

The development is being undertaken on behalf of 1&1 IONOS Ltd, which provides web-hosting services and cloud solutions for small to medium enterprise businesses. Stoford anticipates completion of the unit by August 2021.

The new site will be home to a highly energy efficient, state-of-the art data centre for IONOS and its subsidiary brand Fasthosts for UK and overseas customers.

In the next few years, 10,000 servers will move from existing locations in Gloucester to Worcester Six. At the same time, the new data centre will have sufficient space for expected growth as more businesses move applications into the cloud. IONOS aims to have the data centre operational by January 2022.

Edward Peel, Development Manager at Stoford, said: “We are pleased to announce the submission of the planning application for IONOS, which in the current environment recognises the strength of the business park and continues the success we have experienced to date at Worcester Six.

“IONOS Ltd will join a raft of high-quality and global businesses at the business park, all of which have recognised the strategic location, excellent transport links and first-class workforce. We’re looking forward to getting started and delivering yet another prime unit.”

Councillor Richard Morris, Deputy Leader and portfolio holder for economic growth at Wychavon District Council, added: “I really welcome this exciting proposal which in these difficult economic times once again demonstrates how attractive Wychavon, and Worcester Six, is as a place to do business.”

Councillor Ken Pollock, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure at Worcestershire County Council, added: “We look forward to working with IONOS, as a potential new occupier of the Worcester Six Business Park. This news is testament to the teams who have worked tirelessly in the most difficult of circumstances to maintain the county’s extensive progress in the business development and growth area.

“Data has become one of the world’s most valuable commodities in recent years and the pandemic has not altered this. Data centre demand continues to be driven by the rapid adoption of cloud services and the emergence of business models. This development not only solidifies Worcester Six Business Park as a first-rate business location but also provides Worcestershire with a highly valued asset, bringing substantial economic benefits for the county.”

IONOS was established in 1988 and is the largest hosting company in Europe, managing more than eight million customer contracts and hosting more than 12 million domains in its regional data centres around the globe. It operates in nine countries around the world and employs more than 2,500 staff from 40 countries.

In the past 18 months, Worcester Six has welcomed Marmon Food and Beverage Equipment, Siemens, Spire Healthcare, Kimal and Kohler Mira at Worcester Six. Once fully developed, the business park will provide 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation.

Stoford also obtained consent for a speculative unit of 37,000 sq ft in February this year, with the developer saying it can deliver it within a 10-month period.

Work is to begin on a new UK headquarters building at the flagship Worcester Six development after councillors gave leading developers Stoford the go-ahead.

Wychavon District Council approved a 19,849 sq ft office and 10,000 sq ft assembly building, which will be occupied by ZwickRoell, a world-leading supplier of static materials testing machines that is moving its UK headquarters to the business park.

A third unit – unit 10C – which is situated directly behind the ZwickRoell unit and comprises 37,800 sq ft of flexible employment space, was also approved. Stoford is in discussions with potential occupiers and because it has detailed planning consent, the developer believes it could be delivered within a six-month timeframe.

Edward Peel, Development Manager at Stoford, said it is to appoint contractors with an anticipated start on site in May, with completion in the spring of 2021.

“It’s good news that we are able to begin the next stage of development at Worcester Six for a global customer, which is testament to the quality of facilities there and to the superb connectivity,” he said.

ZwickRoell plans to expand its facilities in the UK, creating a new headquarters and customer experience centre at Worcester Six, and says it hopes to create further opportunities for jobs and expansion in the next few years.

Leading commercial developer Stoford has put forward plans for the next stage of development at its flagship Worcester Six Business Park after attracting a global supplier of materials testing machines. 

It has submitted planning permission for three units, two of which will be occupied by ZwickRoell, a world-leading supplier of static materials testing machines that is planning to move its UK headquarters to the business park, which is located just off junction 6 of the M5, near Worcester. 

Plans submitted to Wychavon District Council are for a 19,849 sq ft office and 10,000 sq ft assembly building. ZwickRoell plans to relocate its office functions from its existing UK site in Leominster, Herefordshire, and intends to build the assembly unit at a future date. 

ZwickRoell says its plans to expand its facilities in the UK to create a customer experience centre at Worcester Six and in the coming years, there will be further opportunities to create jobs and expand as a business furthermore. 

Stoford has also submitted plans to the authority for unit 10C, which is situated directly behind the ZwickRoell unit and comprises 37,800 sq ft of flexible employment space. 

Edward Peel, Development Manager at Stoford, said if planning permission were obtained in February next year, contractors would be on site to start the Zwick office development in April, with an anticipated completion date of March 2021. 

“We’re pleased to have put forward plans for the next stage of development at Worcester Six, which is a world-class site in an area that has superb transport connections and a skilled work force,” he said. 

“It is encouraging to see the continued development on site, where we have seen more than 700,000 sq ft of commercial space secured in the last three years. We look forward to welcoming yet another global tenant to the business park. 

“Unit 10C is still available and subject to securing an occupier, we hope to be in a position to start on site quickly once we have achieved planning permission.” 

Nigel Hudson, Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy at Worcestershire County Council said: “It is great to see ZwickRoell a world leading supplier of materials testing machines has chosen Worcester Six Business Park as their UK expansion. Worcester Six continues to prove itself as a world class business location for foreign direct investors in the county and we hope to welcome ZwickRoell as a new occupier in the coming months.“ 

Stoford’s joint letting agents, BNP Paribas and Harris Lamb, are marketing the unit. 

Benno Sadowski, Managing Director for ZwickRoell, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our UK and Ireland operation. Our expansion as a business will mean that ZwickRoell can continue to offer the best consultation and partnerships with new and existing customers, whilst offering trust and confidence that ZwickRoell are committed to the UK market with or without Brexit decisions. As a family-run business ZwickRoell is committed to offering our customers and employees the very best state-of-the-art facilities and we believe that this new facility will offer some excellent opportunities for growth.” 

In the past 12 months, Stoford Developments has announced the arrival of Marmon Food and Beverage Equipment, Siemens, Spire Healthcare, Kimal and Kohler Mira at Worcester Six. Once fully developed, Worcester Six will provide 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation. 

A leading global manufacturer and supplier of food and beverage equipment is to establish its UK headquarters in Worcester as it expands its operations.

Marmon Food & Beverage Equipment will occupy a 28,500 sq ft unit at Worcester Six Business Park from this month (July), bringing a number of new jobs to the area.

The facility, located just off junction 6 of the M5 near Worcester, comprises offices, research and development, manufacturing and distribution, which will enable Marmon to expand its food and beverage operations in the UK.

Marmon Food & Beverage Equipment is a group of businesses that produces food preparation and holding equipment for restaurants and other commercial environments, plus beverage dispensing and cooling equipment for brand owners and foodservice retailers worldwide. Among its leading brands are Cornelius and Prince Castle. The group is part of Marmon Holdings, Inc., a global industrial organisation comprising 10 diverse business sectors and more than 100 autonomous manufacturing and service businesses. Marmon is a Berkshire Hathaway company.

Edward Peel, Development Manager at Stoford, said the letting of the unit represents welcome inward investment to Worcestershire, generating new jobs and attracting new visitors.

“Worcester Six Business Park has been selected due to its excellent communications and proximity to quality work force,” he said.

“The building, which is now nearing completion, will also host national and international guests who wish to view the customer experience area and meet with senior members of staff. We are looking forward to welcoming Marmon and its staff to the business park.”

Simon Felton, UK General Manager of Cornelius Beverage Technologies, said: “We are excited to occupy our new UK headquarters at Worcester Six as we position ourselves to meet future business requirements.”

Real estate company Liberty Property Trust forward funded the building last year from Stoford Developments, with the benefit of the lease to Marmon already in place.

Jane Harrison, director at Liberty Property Trust, said: “We are delighted to have  funded another building at Worcester Six, a scheme in which we have already developed two buildings speculatively, one of which is now let to Siemens and a second, Liberty 163, which is available and provides 163,000 sq ft of prime logistics space.”

Worcestershire County Council Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure, Councilor Dr Ken Pollock, said: “It’s fantastic news that one of the world’s leading brands in drinks cooling and dispensing is preparing to move into the Worcester Six Business Park. It’s another example of how Worcestershire continues to flourish in the business world, and our economy continues to thrive.”

In 2018, Stoford Developments announced that Siemens, Spire Healthcare, Kimal and Kohler Mira would all be taking facilities at Worcester Six. Once fully developed, Worcester Six will provide 1.5 million sq ft of accommodation.