D2N2 invests £12m into Derby’s SmartParc

D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership has announced it will be investing £12m from its Getting Building Fund allocation into the large-scale redevelopment of the former Celanese site in Derby to create a high-tech food manufacturing and distribution campus.

The investment is the biggest single allocation from D2N2’s £44m share of the fund.

SEGRO has been announced as the development partner for the project, they will work with SmartParc to create a new asset class dedicated to state of the art food manufacturing and distribution.

SmartParc SEGRO Spondon paves the way for the food industry to meet the challenges of sustainable production whilst addressing the need for efficient direct routes to consumers.

As development partner, SEGRO will provide a multi-million-pound investment to regenerate the brownfield site.

SmartParc will provide the onsite managed services, supporting the food community to increase production efficiency and drive reduced operational costs through collaborative working.

SmartParc’s revolutionary energy sharing infrastructure will utilise wind and solar combined with central services, to deliver the most sustainable food production community in the country.

5,000 jobs will be created directly as a result of the project, which has received grant funding from Derby City Council in addition to that provided by D2N2.

SmartParc was founded to address the challenges facing the food sector. It represents a pioneering technical breakthrough that will provide food manufacturing space ranging from start-up incubation units to large-scale manufacturing facilities ranging from 50,000-400,000 sq ft.

The site will also be home to a Food Manufacturing Technology Centre of Excellence to future-proof the food industry, offering education and career opportunities to secure both the local and global food supply chains.

SmartParc will provide a new sustainable blueprint for the food industry by re-engineering current food manufacturing and distribution processes.

A central distribution hub to consolidate goods in deliveries will streamline the distribution chain, providing a reduction in cost for occupiers whilst improving sustainability by eliminating food miles.

From design and material selection to support for eventual occupiers, SmartParc and SEGRO will help to ensure excellent environmental performance and bold efficiency gains at the ground-breaking site.

D2N2 Chair, Elizabeth Fagan CBE said:

Food and drink manufacturing is a key investment priority for our region. The LEP’s £12 million investment will support the creation of a world-leading sustainable food-manufacturing facility that will deliver pioneering innovation, create thousands of jobs and transform the local economy.

Jackie Wild, SmartParc CEO said:

We are delighted to announce SEGRO as our development partner as we work towards our goal of building the first world-leading, sustainable, high-tech food manufacturing and distribution campus at SmartParc SEGRO Spondon.

We want to thank everyone involved in realising this vision in record time. From the first walk around site in May 2020 to starting on site in September 2021- it shows what can be achieved when everyone pushes in the same direction with a shared agenda.

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