Work starts on Scotland's £50m Specialist Chemical and Manufacturing Park

Work has commenced to develop what will become one of Scotland's most advanced and integrated specialist industrial parks for chemical, technology and manufacturing companies.

Earls Gate Park, a £50m joint-arrangement development between Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley and international chemical company KemFine, will provide unique accommodation for up to 20 businesses in Grangemouth area.

The first phase of infrastructure work is starting this month with a new site access road being built. The £1.2m contract to construct the road has been awarded to Realm Construction Ltd. of Lochgelly, part of the Purvis Group of Companies and work is expected to be complete by October 2006, paving the way for the next phase of construction to begin.

The 30 acre development has been hailed as a unique offering in Scotland due to utilities which will be available to tenants such as KemFine's state of the art effluent treatment plant and combined heat and power station with motorway, rail and sea access.

Joint-arrangement partner, Kemfine, hopes to stimulate growth and improve the operational efficiency of the site. The project is expected to help safeguard the future of 650 existing jobs at the current companies operating on Kemfine's Grangemouth site with the potential to create up to 950 new jobs on the site.

Early indications are that the new industrial park will prove an exciting proposition for investment projects with two potential projects already in progress.

Stuart Ogg, acting chief executive of SE Forth Valley, said: "Grangemouth, identified as a key location in the Scottish Enterprise Strategic Investment Plan, has long been seen as the hub of Scotland's chemical industry. We hope this site encourages more investment from businesses operating in the sector."