The well-known car breaking site of Albert Looms at Spondon has been acquired by Derby-based developer, Ivygrove Developments Ltd.
Ivygrove, who specialise in the provision of small and medium size industrial premises, is rapidly progressing towards conclusion on their latest project at Merlin Park on Osmaston Road, and the Looms site will ensure a continuous supply of Ivygrove units into the Derby market.
The new development, to be known as ‘Looms Business Park’, will provide up to 20 industrial premises ranging in size from 2,000 to 20,000 sq ft which will be available in 2026.
Nick Blount of Ivygrove said: “We are keen to continue supplying workshop and storage units into the local market and our successes at Merlin Park demonstrate that demand continues unabated for our product.
“Employment land for small and medium-sized units is difficult to find, and it seems housing is being prioritised by developers whereby sites are more readily available. We are therefore absolutely delighted to have acquired such a prime site as the former Looms yard, and we cannot wait to start building.”
The Looms site was a popular location from the early seventies for hundreds of car owners who required parts for their ageing cars which were not always available at local franchises.
John Blount, chairman of Ivygrove, looks back even further: “Looms were responsible for breaking up steam engines and timber goods carriages in the early sixties after Dr Beeching took ‘the axe’ to the railways, closing hundreds of stations in rural England and Wales.
“The change from Steam to Diesel also played a major part in the demise of the famous Princess and Jubilee class Steam Engines, together with the workhorse engines many of them built in Derby at the ‘Loco Works’ which is now the home of hundreds of businesses on Pride Park.”
Salloway Property Consultants represented Ivygrove in the acquisition of the Looms site and director Stephen Salloway said that it was a competitive process: “Unsurprisingly, such a prime site generated considerable interest and potential buyers were asked to make their best offers in an informal tender procedure.
“Ivygrove made a very competitive bid but moreover, they were able to demonstrate an impressive ‘track record’ which provided the sellers with the ‘comfort’ and ‘certainty’ they were seeking. I am grateful to Nick Hosking at Innes England, who represented the sellers, and helped to overcome some of the hurdles encountered during the contract process.”
Ivygrove are expecting to submit a detailed planning application before the end of July.
