Two big manufacturing companies have been given the thumbs up for two industrial buildings at a new site in Suffolk.
Together, the eco-friendly construction materials companies' factory and warehouse will measure 130,000sq ft at Gateway 14 in Stowmarket.
Assan Panel is planning a £45m factory measuring nearly 87,000sq ft and the Bauder is building a 44,000 sq ft distribution centre at the site.
Mid Suffolk District Council owns the park which is a Freeport East site which means occupiers benefit from various tax and customs breaks.
A CGI of the Bauder warehouse (Image: Jaynic/Gateway 14) Assan Panel is a major affiliate of Turkish-based company Kibar Holding and manufactures sandwich panel construction materials which are exported to 85 countries.
Its new factory is set to bring100 jobs to the area.
Bauder is a leading international manufacturer which specialises in waterproofing systems and insulation to make buildings watertight and thermally efficient. It already has manufacturing operations in Ipswich.
Mid Suffolk District Council's planning committee granted reserved matters planning permission to the two buildings yesterday ((July 17).
Gateway 14 is being developed by Gateway 14 Ltd – a wholly owned subsidiary of Mid Suffolk District Council - in conjunction with development partner Jaynic.
Construction of both units is expected to start "imminently", said Jaynic.
Mid Suffolk cabinet member for housing and property councillor Richard Winch said: “The green economy is an emerging market that we are keen to encourage and forms part of our aspirations for Gateway 14.
"With planning permission granted for the Assan and Bauder buildings, we are delighted to welcome these leaders in the sustainable construction sector to Mid Suffolk.”
Steve Beel, chief executive of Freeport East, said they were "delighted" to see the projects progressing so quickly.
"It’s testament to the strong public-private partnership we have at Freeport East that all parties are looking to expedite and expand the benefit of these investments.
"Both these businesses are well aligned to the types of industry we are looking to attract across Freeport East and will strengthen our efforts to bring more investment to the region”
Gateway 14 chairman Sir Christopher Haworth described it "a major step-forward in positioning Gateway 14 as a hub for today’s clean industries".
A new £18m skills and innovation centre is also being developed on site to encourage cutting-edge young and start-up businesses to help plug a local skills gap.
Jaynic development director Ben Oughton said: “We are pleased to be making strong headway at Gateway 14 where potential occupiers see the benefits that the park provides with its freeport status as well as underlining its locational advantages sitting next to Junction 50 of the A14. This provides direct trunk road access into the UK motorway system.
A huge 1.17m sq ft distribution hub building for The Range was completed at Gateway 14 at the end of last year and is due to be occupied shortly.
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