Bulldozers move in for £20m Pantheon Park development

Demolition work is taking place at the Pantheon Park site in Wednesfield Way, which will be home to a 412,000 sq ft of manufacturing, warehouse and distribution space.

The site, by Bentley Bridge retail park, has been dormant for 10 years.

Wolverhampton's economy boss, Councillor John Reynolds, said the investment will bring the land 'back to life'.

Remediation work and ground levelling is also taking place at the 18-acre site, with the first occupants due to move in in late 2016.

The demolition work is being carried out by Birmingham-based developer Stoford.

Stoford joint managing director Dan Gallagher said: "Pantheon Park is in an excellent location and it is very pleasing to see work begin on demolishing and remediating the site in preparation for construction to begin later this year.

"We are in no doubt that this site will bring enormous benefits to the area when it is fully operational. Pantheon Park represents a rare opportunity for an ambitious logistics or manufacturing company looking to move to the region or expand its existing operations locally to have a high-specification build-to-suit premises on prime industrial land."

"The site will be 'oven ready' and immediately developable from December for occupiers to take units in late 2016," he added.

The development is a joint venture between Stoford and Bridges Ventures who are in talks with a number of potential occupiers about taking over buildings at the site, which is ideal for the logistics and manufacturing sectors.

Guy Bowden, acquisitions director at Bridges Ventures, said: "By reclaiming this valuable land we can help to meet the clear shortfall in supply of high-quality warehouse space locally, creating hundreds of jobs and hopefully contributing to the regeneration of the area in the process.

He added: "We invest in development projects where there is clear potential to create lasting social and environmental impact. We believe that Pantheon Park can do that for Wednesfield, so we are grateful that the team at City of Wolverhampton Council and the Black Country LEP have been so accommodating in helping us to get this project up and running."

The remediation work is being supported by a loan of over £2m by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership.

LEP chairman Stewart Towe said: "We are delighted to have been able to kick-start this exciting development in Wolverhampton. This highlights our commitment to removing barriers to business growth and supporting investment in the Black Country. I hope that once available the site attracts an occupier who can contribute to the Black Country's reputation as the home of world class manufacturing and engineering."