Wilton International, a 2,000-acre industrial site in Teesside, UK, is home to a well-established cluster of energy-intensive businesses, each benefiting from a unique combination of infrastructure, utilities and services. And with 562 acres of development land currently available, the site is drawing significant interest from prospective new occupants with similar requirements. “At present, we have development plots available in sizes from 2.5 up to 66 acres”, says Matthew Scrimshaw, Commercial Director at Sembcorp Energy UK, the company that manages the site and owns much of the land.

Vulnerable supply chains That’s because the pandemic subjected the UK’s critical supply chains to stress tests that, in many cases, revealed weaknesses. Demand for medical and personal protective equipment (PPE) exceeded supply, exposing the country’s reliance on imports. In the words of the GTMA manufacturers’ trade body: “Amongst the many things we have learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic there is a wider recognition that cheapest purchase price has generated a vulnerability of supply chains with geographic disruption and reduced capacity to uplift production in the UK.

Streamlining the planning and permissions process Arranging the necessary permissions for a new industrial project can be time-consuming – a factor that RCBC does everything possible to minimise. When it comes to planning, the council has two major strings to its bow. One is the support it offers through the planning process itself, as Adrian Miller, who heads up planning at the council, explains. “We provide a free planning pre-application service.

Industry is transforming. The UK’s Industrial Strategy1 highlights major growth opportunities in areas including sustainable transport, carbon reduction, big data, and healthcare solutions for an ageing population. And as new technologies are commercialised, high-growth businesses are seeking suitable locations and sites for their manufacturing operations. High-technology industrial companies have diverse location requirements, but a number of themes recur. Typical needs include development-ready sites with large power supplies, excellent transport and data connectivity, and access to a highly skilled labour force.

Flexible property solutions Wilton International can accommodate diverse property needs including land, business compounds, offices, warehousing and workshops. 'Ready-to-go' development land All plots are fully serviceable with ‘plug & play' energy, utilities and industrial infrastructure - reducing investment project costs and lead times. A large, diverse land portfolio With a land portfolio of 562 acres and individual plot sizes from 2.5 acres up to 66 acres, the site can accommodate a wide range of industrial uses.

Scott Taylor of Sembcorp Energy UK and Mark Kenrick of NEPIC (North East of England Process Industry Cluster) explain Wilton International’s powerful site offer to businesses with large power requirements. ‘Plug and play, ready to go…’ ';" class="embed-container" style="background-image: url('https://res.cloudinary.com/wilton/image/upload/v1582717051/respowerutils.jpg');background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:cover;"

Power – a headache for investing businesses For high energy use businesses, finding a site with a suitable grid connection can be difficult, time consuming and expensive, according to commercial property specialist Martyn Lytollis, of Lambert Smith Hampton. “Industrial companies are struggling to find sites with large power supplies,” Martyn says. “It can take over a year for a supply to be installed and the capital outlay is significant”.

With four on-site power plants as well as national grid backup and over 500 acres of development-ready land, investing companies can build their facility and then just plug and play. Watch this short animated video for an overview of Wilton International’s unique site offer to energy intensive businesses. Energy. Space. Plug & Play. ';" class="embed-container" style="background-image: url('https://res.cloudinary.com/wilton/image/upload/v1580054957/wILTON-VID-THUMB.png');background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:cover;"

Perhaps the first thing a visitor to Wilton International notices is the sheer scale of the site. At 2,000 acres (809 hectares) it’s vast, and home to an array of large-scale industrial operations including green energy generation, chemicals manufacturing, biofuels production and plastics recycling. Wilton International began as an integrated manufacturing site owned and operated by the chemicals giant ICI. Following that company’s business divestment programme in the 1990s and 2000s, the site’s energy and manufacturing assets were acquired by various international corporations.