Viridor Signs Agreement for First Building at Firepool

Monday, 17 January 2011 14:02

The contract to lease the first building on Firepool has been signed by Viridor, one of one of the UK’s leading recycling, renewable energy and waste management companies.

St. Modwen, Taunton Deane’s development partner for the Firepool site expects to start construction of the Viridor project during the second quarter of 2011 with completion scheduled for summer 2012. The building is designed to achieve BREEAM ExcellentStandards, an established way of measuring the environmental impact of new buildings, reflecting the Taunton Protocol’s strong sustainability credentials.

Firepool, the former livestock market site and Priory Bridge Road car park, is the first phase of Project Taunton, the hectare regeneration scheme and one of the largest town centre regeneration projects currently underway in the South West.  The site will be redeveloped on a phased basis and on completion, it will provide around 500,000 sq ft of office space, up to 4,000 new jobs and more than 400 apartments and town houses fully supported by retail and leisure facilities including cafes, bars and a hotel.

Ian Franklin, Project Director at Project Taunton, said: “The announcement that Viridor has signed to be the first tenant at Firepool is excellent news for the town and its regeneration.  It signals a confidence in Taunton and the beginning of some very significant milestones, over the coming months.  For Project Taunton and Firepool in particular the new Station Approach link road has been completed; the landscaping of the Priory Bridge Road side of the site will start in the spring, as will the removal  of silt at Firepool Lock, enabling access for boats through the town centre.  Although Firepool’s main focus will be commerce, it will also become a pleasant riverside area for everyone to enjoy.”

Pete Davies, Development Manager for St. Modwen, commented: “Securing a major national business with UK-wide operations as our first commercial occupier is fantastic news for Firepool and Taunton. We have already secured outline planning consent and are ready to progress development in 2011. We are now actively marketing the scheme to other commercial occupiers who will enjoy an unrivalled setting by the River Tone within a short riverside walk of the town centre facilities and mainline railway station.”

Gareth Griffith, Estate Manager for Viridor, added: “As one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management businesses, Viridor is proud of its heritage, having been based in Taunton for many years.

“The company continues to expand its essential recycling and waste services and is ambitious for further growth.  Moving to new head office accommodation is an important step in meeting the future needs of the business within a top-quality development.  It is part of our programme to upgrade support facilities throughout the UK, and follows recent moves into new regional offices in Kent and Taunton.”

Leader of Taunton Deane Borough Council, Cllr John Williams, said: “This really is tremendous news - the vision for Taunton becoming reality - to have achieved such a prominent national company as the first occupier of this important site is a real vote of confidence for our regeneration programme and Taunton as a location for business in the heart of the South West.

“I am sure this will be the catalyst for more to come. To allay any concerns about loss of the car park, 200 car parking spaces will be maintained at Firepool throughout the regeneration project and until permanent replacement parking is established.”

Tweet