The West Midlands Development Agency has submitted an outline planning application to Birmingham City Council for a micro electronics factory of up to 200,000sq m (2.15m sq ft) on a green belt site east of the A38 near Peddimore, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.
The planning application proposes the development of two four-unit main blocks on the 55.6ha (137.6 acre) site. Most of the land covered by the application is owned by the city council.
The agency, which acts as the region’s inward investment organisation, is backed by the DTI, local authorities and the private sector. No operator for the plant has been revealed, but Philips Electronics has been strongly linked with the site.
LG Electronics, of Korea, is also known to be looking for a large site in the UK for a semiconductor complex employing up to 4,000 people.The firm currently employs 450 people in Washington, Tyne & Wear, making televisions and microwaves.
Paul Richards, chief executive of the agency, said the Sutton Coldfield plant could create between 3,500 – 4,000 direct jobs and attract around £2bn worth of capital investment to the region.
He said: “The planning application is in response to the recent spate of enquiries received from the micro-electronics industry. Traditionally, major micro-electronics industry projects are won by Scotland, Wales or the North East. The West Midlands can offer all the resources to accomodate this industry, but at present has no suitable land.”
Lack of suitable land is cited as one of the main reasons why Siemens did not consider the West Midlands, but opted instead for Wallsend in the North East. The Peddimore site is located on the other side of the A38 from a 56.65ha (140 acre) site, also in the green belt, owned by P&O Properties. Chesterton, which is advising P&O, produced a report in February which confirmed that the shortage of suitable sites was making it difficult to attract large scale projects in assisted areas.
The two sites are on a short list of 13 major sites produced by the West Midlands Regional Forum of Local Authorities capable of attracting a single large inward investor. Two sites are to be chosen, and Steve Jones, P&O regional development surveyor, said Birmingham council planners had indicated that both the Peddimore sites would be submitted by the council as the city’s preferred choices for the two sites. The forum’s decision will be announced next month.
Philips was unavailable for comment yesterday (Tuesday), but last week Roger Woods, director of corporate communications, confirmed that the firm had looked at the Peddimore sites.
The agency is calling the site Peddimore Park. Other owners besides the council are Severn Trent and a local farmer.
EGi News 05/06/96
