Revealed: The progress made so far to create a new business park
Richard Torgbor, Andy Wright, Cllr Tom Cunningham, Cllr Graham Butland, Dominic Collins, Ray Ford and Cllr Kevin Bowers at the new Horizon 120 Business and Innovation Park being built off the A131 at Great Notley. - Credit: Braintree District Council
Work to create a new 65-acre business park has taken another significant leap forward.
Roads are open and the infrastructure complete at the new Horizon 120 Business and Innovation Park being built off the A131 at Great Notley.
An aerial view of the new Horizon 120 Business and Innovation Park being built off the A131 at Great Notley. - Credit: Braintree District Council
The new roads will give contractors access to the commercial plots.
Building work on the first two commercial units is already underway and work on the third is due to start in the autumn.
Balfour Beatty has finished building the two access roads from the A131 and a central spine road and connected the business park to power, data, water, sewage and gas systems.
Landscaping and the creation of a pond and wildlife habitat have also been finished.
Shrubs, tussock grassland, wildflower meadows and 321 trees have been planted with dark-sky friendly street lighting installed to reduce light pollution.
The roads and paths are also tree-lined.
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Cllr Tom Cunningham at Braintree District Council said: “We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone which will now allow the construction work on the commercial units to move forward.
"We are creating something special at Horizon 120 - a modern, green and future-proofed business park – which will benefit our economy and put Braintree on the map.
"Our investment is attracting new businesses, bringing quality jobs and creating opportunities which will pay dividends for many years to come.”
Braintree District Council bought the Horizon 120 site in December 2018, with the hope of boosting business and potentially creating up to 2,000 jobs.
They commissioned the work in March 2020, and after carrying out extensive archaeological and ecological surveys, work began on re-contouring the ground, installing the drainage and building the roads a month later.
The Marshgate Group is the developer for the commercial buildings.
The business park, 65 acres in size, will offer office, distribution and manufacturing spaces. A central hub area will be home to a new enterprise centre with conference facilities, café and plaza area.
