Work to convert a landmark building on the former Cadbury’s factory site in Keynsham into modern workspace is underway and on schedule for completion next summer.
The 100,000 sq ft of high-quality employment space in what will be branded as The Chocolate Factory is being viewed as key to further developing the West of England’s creative and tech sectors. 
Contractor Andrew Wilson Partnership, working on behalf of owners St Monica Trust, is redeveloping the distinctive red brick Block C into a modern commercial building with five floors of efficient and distinctive office space above a ground floor doctor’s surgery.
The Chocolate Factory will be part of the wider Chocolate Quarter development on the Cadbury’s Somerdale site which will include 140 assisted living apartments, a 90-bed care home, retail outlets and leisure facilities.
The retirement community and employment space are expected to create up to 1,000 jobs.
New CGI images of The Chocolate Factory, pictured here, show how it will retain or replicate as much as possible of the building’s industrial heritage, including its distinctive floor-to-ceiling window profiles which provide natural daylight and spectacular views.
The building will feature a new double height reception and each floor will have large, open-plan and flexible floorplates. There will also be secure on-site car and cycle parking facilities.
The Chocolate Factory is being marketed by regional property agency Alder King. Partner Simon Price said by seeking to maximise the industrial heritage of the building, the development would provide the same type of character space as Bristol’s successful Paintworks scheme but on a much larger scale.
“The proposed quality of the fit-out, the size of floorplates and the scheme’s proximity to the local amenities of Keynsham including the railway station will make this one of the most distinctive commercial locations outside Bristol and Bath,” he said.
Inward investment agency Invest Bristol & Bath sees the development as pivotal to the area’s growth as a tech and creative hub. 
Head of inward investment Matthew Cross said: “The Chocolate Factory will be the ideal space for businesses looking for stylish, well-located offices and would be a great fit particularly for creative, digital and hi-tech companies keen to be based within a globally-significant tech cluster.”
Taylor Wimpey is developing 700 homes as part of its £34m development of the site.
The factory buildings were built in the 1930s when what was then Fry’s relocated from Bristol. The site was closed in 2011 after Cadbury was taken over by US food giant Kraft.
