§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement about his Department's intentions to build the advanced factory units in Liverpool which were first announced on 28th February 1977.
Mr. Alan WilliamsMy announcement on 28th February referred to two factory developments of terrace units of 19,000 sq ft and 11,000 sq ft respectively on an inner-city site at King Edward Street, Liverpool. I am now pleased to announce that my Department is to enter into early negotiations with the appropriate local authorities for the acquisition of the whole six-acre site for a much larger factory development. We intend to build 20 units on this site, giving a total area of some 88,000 sq ft of factory space. There will be six units each of 6,950 sq ft and 14 of 3,350 sq ft each, compared with the original plan comprising seven units totalling 30,000 sq ft. The units are expected to be completed from the end of 1978, and when occupied they will provide an estimated 350 jobs. Because of their size they will be particularly suitable for smaller firms.
In deciding to enlarge this development at King Edward Street, I have been much encouraged by our success in letting units on the urban advance factory developments at Rockferry, Birkenhead and at Sandon Way, Liverpool. Although construction is only now being completed at Rockferry, eight of the 16 units, totalling 28,300 sq ft, have already been allocated to tenants, while all six units at 185W Sandon Way comprising 15,000 sq ft have been allocated before completion. When fully operational these two developments are estimated to provide about 500 jobs.