ONE of the country’s biggest heating suppliers is set to expand its base in Worcester after councillors gave the go ahead to a major new development.
Members of Worcester City Council’s planning committee backed Worcester, Bosch Group’s plans to create a new warehouse, with offices near Junction 6 of the M5 at a meeting on Thursday (January 23).
The 6.7 acre site at Apex Park in Wainright Road will provide additional space for warehousing and distribution as well as 170 car parking spaces.
A spokesman for Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd was unable to confirm how many employees will be based at the new site in Warndon or if any new jobs will be created.
But he said it would allow the heating group to bring its distribution units together in one location, while it will continue to operate its headquarters at Cotswold Way.
Coun Roger Berry was among a number of councillors to raise concerns about a potential increase in traffic as he said it would cause “chaos” in the area.
“I am bit concerned that we are making a special exception,” he said. “We all want to see Bosch developing in Worcester, but I am concerned that there are major highway concerns adjacent to this site.
“You only have to go down there at night to see how difficult it is. If you make an exception for one then those problems will be exacerbated.”
However, Coun Geoff Williams said Bosch was an “extremely important” firm for the economy of the city, while Coun Andy Roberts added: “There are problems with parking and they will create problems, but when you balance it out with what it is bringing to the city surely we are not going to waiver our support for this.”
Speaking after the meeting, Shaun Mansbridge, customer services director at Bosch Thermotechnology, said: “The move to new premises will further strengthen the brand’s presence in the area, whilst retaining jobs in the local community and promoting sustainable business development and manufacturing within Worcestershire as a whole.
Some of our existing facilities will be reutilised by the company in the future to further enhance our customer training facilities, which attract thousands of industry professionals every year into the city, who in turn support and promote local hospitality services.”
