£7.3m revelopment of war time factory to start

A £7.3m redevelopment of a former munitions factory in Hereford into a business and innovation centre is to start in January.Work is to begin at the Shell Store, a derelict building on Skylon Park, at Rotherwas, which will create more than 21,500 sq ft of employment space, with room for new and growing businesses to set up and expand alongside facilities for development and innovation, presently earmarked for the new NMiTE University.The final funding agreements have now been put into place to support the project at the site on the Hereford Enterprise Zone.The project is being funded via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Herefordshire Council and a loan from the Marches LEP’s Marches Investment Fund.The Shell Store, which is not a listed building, was built in the World War I and used again as an ordnance site during World War II.The project will see commercial space created within the existing building footprint, retaining much of the original factory including its steel roof structure. The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership is providing a £2.498m interest free loan for the work with £2m being contributed by the ERDF and Herefordshire Council is investing the balance.The centre is due to be completed in early 2020.