Rok plans 330,000 sq ft Somerset business park

A new 330,000 sq ft business park is being planned for Clevedon, North Somerset, by West Country-based Rok Development. The development arm of listed Rok Plc has applied for outline planning permission for the £30m scheme on a 20-acre site at Kenn Road, close to junction 20 of the M5. In June North Somerset Council agreed to a Government planning inspector’s recommendation that the Kenn Road site be allocated for employment use. The site has now been incorporated into the council’s proposed modifications to its Replacement Local Plan which is scheduled to be adopted in March. Rok says it has already received expressions of interest from more than 20 companies interested in relocating to the park. Simon Tothill, director of Rok Development’s Bristol office, said: “We’ve received invaluable feedback during the pre-planning consultation period and are looking to provide a range of measures to address issues raised.” Nigel Hutchings, Regional Affairs Director of Business West, said: “The Kenn Road scheme is a significant strategic development for North Somerset and has our strong support. “By meeting business growth needs in Clevedon and the Yeo Valley it will retain companies in the area and help to ensure a more sustainable pattern of development as many people currently commute out of Clevedon for work”. In the last few years Rok Development’s Bristol office delivered a nine-storey 100,000 sq ft office development at 3 Temple Quay in Bristol;  Eden Office Park, a business park at Ham Green, near Bristol, and schemes in Gloucester, Yeovil and Trowbridge.