New jobs hope at IBM site

Russell Steele • Published 1 Jul 2009 14:00

A MASSIVE new business park will be created at Spango Valley in a move which will bring hundreds of jobs to Inverclyde.

Major property firm Highcross is behind the ambitious plan to transform the sprawling 60-acre site into a thriving commercial centre which will be one of the largest of its kind in the country.

The area will now be known as Valley Park, with demolition, development and refurbishment set to breathe new life into the forlorn-looking site, which was once part of the massive IBM plant.

Mark Evans, associate director from Highcross, told the Tele: 'We bought up a property portfolio from IBM and Greenock is one of the sites.

'There is a masterplan for the entire site and we have a design team in place.

'There is 600,000 sq ft of space in total and space started becoming available around November last year.

'There will be 140,000 sq feet of industrial space with high bay warehousing and office space of around 200,000 sq feet.

'That involves carving parts of the existing site up and carrying out refurbishment and development.'

Mr Evans said he was not able to disclose the exact figure for the multi-million pound investment plan, but revealed talks are underway with large firms who could move into the park soon - bringing jobs with them.

He said: 'We have some interest from two or three occupiers and we are in talks with them. We are talking to national and international firms and others in Glasgow.

'There is room for tenants available right now and companies could basically start moving in from tomorrow. The rest of the site which is being carved up and refurbished should be ready from around March next year. I cannot give the overall figure for the plan, but it is substantial.'

IBM still occupies some of the space at the site and detailed plans for Valley Park will be unveiled over the next few weeks.

With demolition work already under way, the next physical change people will notice is new branding which will appear around it.

Mr Evans said: 'There will be new signs going up for the frontage with the Valley Park branding. It is an exciting time.'

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 01 Jul 09

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