Corby's largest ever '˜big sheds' could help bring 3,000 new jobs to the town

Mulberry Developments, which bought the former Stanion Plantation site from previous owners Pro-Logis last year, say the Midlands Logistics Park could create 3,000 jobs.

The 250-acre site will house warehouses of up to a million square foot - larger than any other in the area.

There is also potential for the large site on the opposite site of Geddington Road, which has a rail freight terminal and is predominantly used for car storage, to be renovated by Mulberry Developments and their partners Frogmore Properties.

The warehouses will only be built when clients have been secured for them.

When the development was first mooted in 2005, local people protested because they said traffic movements would increase to unacceptable levels but it was eventually given the go-ahead. Separate plans to change the road junctions at the A43 and Geddington Road to mitigate lorry movements will go before planners shortly.

Mulberry Development Director Mark Day said: “The first stage is to market the site for occupiers for distribution warehouses.

“We are currently preparing the ground because, like much of the land around Corby, it’s been quarried for ironstone in the past so it needs to be stabilised.

“It’s going to have a regional and national profile because it’s on such a large scale. It’s in the right place on the road network and crucially, we can link up with the site on the other side of Geddington Road which is on the rail network.

“The site has the potential to deliver 3,000 jobs over the course of time.”

It is expected the full site will be stabilised in about 10 months but parts of the site will be available before then.

Mulberry hope to attract household retail names to base their logistics operations in Corby.

Mr Day added: “We’ll be in a position to start building in the new year but we want to find the operators first and will be extensively marketing the site.”

Corby currently has several empty or part-used warehouses. But Mr Day said that they do not offer what will be available at the Midlands Logistics Park.

He said: “This will be of a different quality that is not available elsewhere.

“It can cater for very, very large buildings.

“The consent allows for a minimum of three buildings which means we can accommodate buildings of up to a million square feet. The total footprint will be 250-million sq ft.

“That’s something very few distribution places this side of the M1 can accommodate.

“We know there are operators who require that kind of space.”