Phase One of Keele Valley Business Park has reached completion.
Located on Cemetery Road, Newcastle, Keele Valley Business Park is a brand new business park from Vinewood Developments. The park is conveniently located near to the A34 and the M6 (J15), and is in close proximity to Keele University and Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre.
Phase One of Keele Valley Business Park comprises a 5,384 sq feet high-end commercial office building, a 60 space car park and associated landscaped areas. Work began on the first phase in February 2011, with work reaching completion in August 2012.
Two additional phases are now planned for the site and these will comprise Phase Two – construction of a similar 5,000+ sq ft building – and Phase Three – construction of a slightly larger, 7,000 sq ft building.
Vinewood Developments’ construction company Clarke Construction is the main contractor on the site and Ellis Hillman Partnership is the architect. The Co-Operative Bank is providing funding for Keele Valley Business Park.
The new building on Phase One of the project was constructed from a brick with a steel frame and features UPVC windows, aluminium door frames, a concrete tiled roof, a brickwork exterior and a rock panel facade. The building was built to meet all current building requirements, and this included air testing the unit and installing solar glass and double glazing to control the heat that enters and leaves the building.
Features of the new building include LGT5 lighting, suspended ceilings, a DDA compliant lift, and perimeter trunking with power points and data sockets. Meanwhile, security features include a fire alarm system, a video door entry system, a Nacoss approved intruder alarm system and secure car parking via the use of an electronic barrier. Fibre optic connections will also be made available on the site upon request.
Before work began on Keele Valley Business Park Phase One, the site was previously a car dealership which was demolished prior to construction work taking place.
Craig Clarke, Clarke Construction, said:
“Keele Valley Business Park is located quite close to the centre of Newcastle-under-Lyme; just five minutes by bus and is perfectly situated in an area where there are already a couple of business parks nearby.”
Craig Clarke added:
“We have two companies – Vinewood Developments and Clarke Construction – with the construction company set up to build projects for the development arm. In addition, we also have an investment portfolio which is constantly running in the background.
“The majority of our clients are government bodies, training groups or councils – including the NHS, Stoke City Council, JHP, Balfour Beatty and Remploy to name just a few. We are always looking at the feasibility of new sites and moving forward we may start building outside of the area.”
Martin Lee, Co-Operative Bank, said:
“We’re delighted to support a project that proves how well-run businesses with proven corporate strategies such as Clarke Construction can succeed despite the difficult conditions blighting the wider economy.
“We pride ourselves on our tried and trusted strategy of providing long-term relationship banking.”
