News release

‘Locking Parklands’, the new name for the former RAF locking site will be revealed at a public meeting on19 October 2006. 

At the meeting, which will report on the progress of Weston Vision, the South West of England Regional Development Agency and the national regeneration agency English Partnerships will reveal the new name and logo and provide an update on the status of the project.

The news follows the announcement earlier this week that Oxford Instruments Plasma technology, a subsidiary of Oxford Scientific Instruments PLC, will be taking 50,000 sq ft of space to house their 170 staff on Locking Parklands. The news is a major step towards the regeneration of the 82 ha brownfield site, on the outskirts of Weston–super-Mare.

Katharine West, development manager at the South West RDA said, "This week we have seen major progress for this project.  The new name, ‘Locking Parklands’, reflects the site’s historic past and mature parkland appearance at the same time as marking the beginning of a new era for the site.  We are confident that with our first employer on board, many more will follow bringing jobs and kick starting the regeneration of Weston.”

Speaking about their decision to relocate, Keith Edwards, financial director of Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology said, “Locking Parklands is an ideal location for our rapidly-expanding company as we estimate by the time we relocate we will be employing over 200 staff.  The site’s parkland environment, excellent communications, skilled workforce on the doorstep and very competitive costs makes it the perfect solution for us.”

Specialising in the design, manufacture and support of high-technology tools and systems, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology will be relocating from its existing premises in Yatton, which it has outgrown. An additional 40 jobs will be created as the company expands into new products and markets.

Locking Parklands is owned jointly by the South West of England Regional Development Agency (South West RDA) and national regeneration agency English Partnerships. It has been earmarked for the creation of an employment-led mixed-use development as part of the wider regeneration of the town.

Matthew Stead, Regeneration Manager at English Partnerships said, "We're in the process of creating a high-quality, sustainable development that will bring long-term benefits for the wider community by providing Weston with new job and housing opportunities within a wider managed framework of growth. Our exciting plans for Locking Parklands have already attracted one high-calibre employer, and we're looking forward to welcoming many more."

Strong interest has already been received from the property industry to become the private sector development partner to help deliver the regeneration of the site.

Locking Parklands
Since the former military training school, RAF Locking, was bought from the MOD in 2002, the South West RDA and English Partnerships have been working closely with North Somerset Council to ensure the former RAF Locking site fulfils its potential as an employment-led development that helps attract new businesses to the town.

The Area Development Framework, which sets out wider regeneration plans for Weston-super-Mare, proposes a high-quality employment and residential development for the site that could deliver 25 ha of employment space and up to 1800 new homes.

Oxford Scientific Instruments
Oxford Instruments specialises in the design, manufacture and support of  high-technology tools and systems for industry, research, education, space, energy, defence and healthcare. The company combines core technologies in areas such as low temperature and high magnetic field environments; X-ray, electron and optical based metrology; nuclear magnetic resonance, advanced growth, deposition and etching. Its aim is to be the leading provider of tools and systems for the emerging nanotechnology and bioscience markets.

South West of England Regional Development Agency
The South West of England Regional Development Agency was established by government in 1999 to promote the long-term economic success of the region. It does this by working with others to give people the skills they need, encourage enterprise, improve infrastructure, help communities with regeneration and promote the strengths of the region.

English Partnerships
English Partnerships is the government's national regeneration agency. Our aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England. We do this by developing our portfolio of strategic projects and acting as the government's specialist advisor on brownfield land. We also ensure that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider government objectives, especially those contained in the Sustainable Communities Plan. English Partnerships helps to create communities where people can afford to live and want to live, and supports the urban renaissance by improving the quality of our towns and cities. Information on projects and programmes can be found at www.englishpartnerships.co.uk

Supporting Quote
GVA Grimley incorporating Osmond Tricks acts as property adviser and marketing agent to the South West of England RDA and English Partnerships at Locking Parklands. Mark Brunsdon, joint regional senior partner says “We are all delighted with this inward investment which endorses Locking Parkland as a key employment destination for hi-tech businesses in South West England.”