THE FINAL phase of an £8 million investment in Hereford's Rotherwas has been given the go-head.

Commercial property developers Priority Space will begin construction of nine industrial units at Centenary Park, a 110-acre site in Skylon Park, in spring 2022.

Centenary Park, which provides employment space for small to medium-sized businesses, has been developed by Priority Space in partnership with HG Sites and Herefordshire Council.

Phase one, completed in September 2019, delivered nine industrial and warehousing units and a premium office development, called Stirling House.

Phase two will create a further nine units, covering 17,250 square feet in total which will be ready to buy or let by autumn 2022.

Adam Richardson, director of Priority Space, said: “We’re delighted to announce our plans for phase two of Centenary Park, which will complete our £8 million investment in Hereford.

“We’ve worked closely with the Hereford Enterprise Zone team on this development which has already helped to meet the demand for industrial stock and office space in the area.

“We look forward to delivering these final units for 2022 and we’re sure they’ll attract a diverse range of businesses looking for high-spec sustainable premises.”

Chair of Hereford Enterprise Zone, Andrew Manning-Cox, said the latest investment demonstrated Skylon Park’s continued attraction as a dynamic business park where companies could grow and thrive.

"We are able to offer real choice for businesses whether they’re looking to buy land and develop their own premises or buy or lease high quality workspace such as that built by Priority Space.

“The successful initial phase of this development saw new jobs created and new inward investment from overseas. We’re looking forward to working with Priority Space to bring further investment in the Enterprise Zone.”

ProSys Automation moved into Centenary Park in December 2019. The engineering company specialises in electrical and mechanical systems, services and software to boost productivity and energy-efficiency and its six-strong team work with clients all over the UK and Europe.

Director of ProSys Ben Morgan said: “We chose to move to Centenary Park because we needed room to grow and develop. The new unit gives us modern facilities, low maintenance and running costs and good, easy access. It’s been great for business and we’re actually already looking to move to a larger unit on site as we’ve outgrown this one.”

Other Centenary Park occupiers include online retailer luxury boot shop FromtheFirst who needed a storage and distribution unit for their burgeoning international business.

Stirling House, at Centenary Park, is home to US surgical equipment manufacturer LeMaitre Vascular, which set up its first UK base here 18 months ago and has since increased sales by 25 per cent; the SureCare Group, which set up its regional office and training base here last year and is creating 100 new jobs over two years; and the Hereford Times.