A jobs boom is in the pipeline at Burton with plans for nearly 120,000 sq ft of industrial space paving the way for one of the largest warehouse developments in the Midlands.

Developer St Modwen has submitted plans for three units providing 54,000 sq ft, 40,000 sq ft and 25,000 sq ft of warehouse space, suitable for storage, distribution and general industrial uses, to East Staffordshire Borough Council.

The plans follow the successful letting of the 87,000 sq ft first phase unit at Burton Gateway, let to global logistics experts Hellman Worldwide Logistics on a 10-year lease.

Ian Romano, development director at St. Modwen, said: "There is a lack of new employment space across the Midlands, and we are building speculatively at a number of our key developments to satisfy the growing need for high quality and well connected space.

"With outline planning consent for up to one million sq ft of commercial business space, it is our intention to speculatively build this next phase to accommodate demand from both national and local occupiers."

Bosses said that Burton Gateway exemplified St Modwen's focus on the development of industrial and logistics sites in areas of high demand throughout the UK. During 2017, the group expects to develop one million sq ft of industrial and logistics space across its UK portfolio, of which 50 per cent is already sold, let or pre-let.

Jon Ryan-Gill and Ranjit Gill, from joint agents Knight Frank and Savills, said: "The A38 is a popular corridor for occupiers as it provides easy access to the wider motorway network and a good catchment of labour. The units are designed so that they can be taken individually from 25,000 sq ft or combined to give up to 119,000 sq ft and therefore can cater for local, regional and national requirements."

Subject to planning permission, work is expected to start in January 2018, with units available from August 2018.

Formerly a 280-acre wasteland, St Modwen carried out extensive highway works to support the regeneration of the area and, in turn, develop a key location for commercial and residential development, having worked with the local authority and stakeholders.

Strategically located adjacent to the A38 at the entrance to Burton, Burton Gateway offers links to the M42 and A50. Nearby employers include Pirelli, Unilever, Boots, Rolls-Royce, Tesco and Toyota.

More about St Modwen

The regeneration specialist operates across the full spectrum of the property industry from a network of regional offices, a residential business and through joint ventures with public sector and industry leading partners.

It has a £1.7 billion national portfolio of more than 100 projects. This includes the regeneration of New Covent Garden Market, London; the transformation of Longbridge, Birmingham and the ongoing regeneration of more than 2,500 acres of former industrial land in South Wales which includes the delivery of the new £450 million Bay Campus for Swansea University.

A spokesman said: "The company is focused wholly upon regeneration with an outstanding 30-year track record of adding value by managing schemes through the planning process, remediating brownfield land and active asset management and development.

"With extensive experience in dealing with complex and challenging sites, St Modwen has a land bank of more than 6,000 acres and is focused on the long-term development of commercial property and residential land."