Ambitious plans for a business park on the outskirts of Frome that could create 635 jobs and contribute more than £6.5m to the town’s economy have been announced.
The scheme has been drawn up by the directors of DNA search group DNA Worldwide and a group of other Frome businesses.
They plan to convert the former Tool & Gauge building on the Marston Trading Estate into a collaborative technology hub similar to those proving extremely popular with fast-growing tech and creative firms in Bristol and other cities.
It will include office space to lease and high-spec meeting rooms along with wellbeing facilities and a café.
Research carried out for the group shows that it will have space for an initial 250 people to work, generating an overall increase of 625 jobs in Frome, providing a £15.6m economic gain per year and more than £6.5m of local annual economic benefit.
Frome Business Park director David Nicholson, a successful biotechnology entrepreneur who founded DNA Worldwide Group in 2004, said: “Having run a Frome-based business for nearly 15 years we struggled to find modern office space.
“Talking to other businesses it was clear we weren’t alone. Like many other companies, we didn’t want to leave Frome as we grew so we saw the opportunity to develop something different for businesses, working together with each company to support each other’s rapid growth.”
The scheme will enable DNA Worldwide to move across Frome into high-quality workspace for its growing workforce of around 40 people.
Frome Business Park is offering tailor made spaces for businesses that get in early, allowing them to work with the designers to custom build the space they are looking for. The park will provide a handful of small offices however the focus is for those businesses looking for a six-person office upwards.
Some 3,000 sq ft of space will be split into offices and shared facilities. The park is already nearly two-thirds pre-let with interest that could fill the remaining space, according to the developers.
They also point out that as only a quarter of people living in Frome work in the town, the park offers an opportunity to generate more local jobs and keep the community of Frome thriving.
Director Hannah Modern added: “The park will transform business and community within Frome, offering a space that truly supports people in business.
“The area is already thriving in many aspects such as the Frome Independent Market, and this building aims to deliver an opportunity for additional growth within the business community.”
The planning application for a change of use – which Mendip District Council will consider next month – involves the regeneration of a dilapidated existing building. If approved the park is set to be completed early next year.
