In June 2015 Abingdon Business Park was sold by Standard Life to Rockspring.
The site has now been re-branded, and Rockspring with their joint venture partner, XLB Property, are undertaking a major regeneration of the park, refurbishing empty properties to increase occupancy.
Before it became Abingdon Business Park in the 1980s, the MG Factory was on this site, and a few of the original factory buildings have been reclad to form the units along Colwell Drive – what was the MG mechanical repair shop in B-Block now houses UKMail, a major competitor to Royal Mail.
Maybe a cinema will get a site there…?
The MG factory together with the Pavlova Leather factory provided employment for many local people. I have not seen one job advertised locally for the business park. In all my working life I have never managed to get a job in Abingdon
Good idea Daniel – it would be perfect for a cinema, plenty of parking and people could still walk/cycle there. It would get my vote!
Well, if we are talking about ideas that are never going to happen.
Lets build a Monorail !
It would cut traffic, and be a tourist attraction 🙂
The challenge, as always, would be in convincing an operator as they are the ones who would need to decide they wanted to set up a business in abingdon.
The multiplex chains (vue, cineworld) tend to like ‘out of town’ sites often on retail parks, typically where they receive subsidised rents because they attract footfall to other retailers. This would not fall into that category as they are not retail premises. Plus previous enquiries to multiplex operators tell us they think abingdon site is too close to other multiplexes and would also cannibalise their own businesses.
That leaves the smaller chains and the independent operators. These businesses tend to operate from town centre locations, and this might be a bit too far out of town from their perspective. But you never know, will depend on the new landlords vision for the business park.
…to just clarify; I think whilst it may be ‘good for the mere residents’ if a cinema came to the business park…it would be the death of Abingdon.
The *only* place for a cinema is in the town centre…and I have every confidence that the best asset management/management consultants/project managers/town planners etc etc are working on this very issue as we speak in an effort to make this happen!
Janet – what are you looking to ‘do’? There’s lots of work advertised in Abingdon; depending on your skills….
I am sure that we all offer our condolences to the people in Belgium who have suffered in the recent terrorist attacks. David Cameron said he was shocked! Why? Isil have warned the west that they were going to carry out attacks in the West. Thanks to Schengen terrorists are free to come and go as they please. Would be terrorists have been free to travel to Syria and train and return to their countries. We have liberals in the UK who say that we should welcome all the Jihads back with open arms. We have no control over foreign criminals and terrorists from the EU who wish to travel hear. Migrants refuse to give fingerprints and register. In Calais there are thousands of illegal immigrants who refuse to register in France. The security of the EU is non existent.
Check out “The Simpsons” season 4 episode 12 about spending Mr Burns money on a Monorail. There is a great song about getting the Monorail. I am sure the problems encountered afterwards wouldn’t happen with any councils here after they have awarded the contract to Cranbourne.
Monorail? Fab. We could also have a giant Ferris wheel, a la Dudley!
i’ve worked at two companies there – both advertised too!
Janet this thread is about Abingdon business park – keep it relevant please.
Rachel – this blog tends to wander a bit at times. It is a blog, after all, and not a business meeting 😉
It only ever wanders one way with Janet though. This is a blog and not a soap box.
A nice (and important) distinction!
I agree with ppjs. I welcome Janets freedom to say what she likes; as I have also done. I also agree with Rachel…all us lurkers have fairly well known pov…it’s the balance we need. Those that remind us how great Abingdon is….and for balance, those that remind us how very bad things can be.
800,000 pounds to revamp a carpark. Good….or bad…?
In the case of the car park and the attached toilets, how bad things are. If work on this building shames the owners of the Charter into sorting out the rest of this area, it will be money well spent.
Perhaps a few flower beds would be the way to get things started, and present a welcoming site to towns people and visitors alike.
Do you mean “the owners”, which on our behalf is The Veil, or do you mean ‘who the owners allow to run it all so very badly’, which is…whoever they are now; Aberdeen Assest Mgmt?
Eitherway…whilst The Veil can come accross £800,000 to revamp….a carpark…is perhaps a ‘good thing’, if a little surprising…it does surely raise other questions….should we wish to look.
Why is The Veil *allowing* Aberdeen Asset magmt renege on their obligations of £50m investment?
Why does The Veil continue to let Scottish Windows (or AAM) run the precinct so badly – as freeholders The Veil should be bringing their leaseholder to book.
If there is, any semblance of any hope of any chance of, one day The Veil, or whoever, to actually do something regarding the whole of the Phase II Charter development…how will an £800,000 expenditure on a carpark affect those plans, dreams or aspirations…even if it is simply a waste of cash short term….let alone it halving the proposed development site?
It seems to me either; a very bad decision. An ill thought out decision. A decision with consequences that haven’t been thought through. A decision that isn’t in the public interest. A decision put forward by unelected and unaccountable council ‘officers’. A frivolous waste of money. As I have lived here for only 10 years…my experience is that it is ALL of the above.
That experience also shows….it’ll happen regardless.
But agreed…hopefully there’ll be some new flower beds to smarten things up a bit.
Hi Rachel. I have made posts on various topics such as gardening, housing and traffic so I certainly do not go ‘one way’ as you suggest.. I commented on the dreadful situation in Belgium. I find national security important as I was in Glasgow Airport shortly after a vehicle was driven into it with the sole purpose of burning every man woman and child in it. I do not agree with some people’s views for instance Ian. But he holds his views sincerely and I would defend his right to hold them and to express them. I certainly would not criticise him for his views. I belong to a discussion group and everyone holds different and opposing views which I find very interesting.
The blog does wander quite interestingly, often. We digress to discuss the diamond interchange, the shopping centre, the housing situ, many things that are interesting and relevant to people visiting a website called abingdonblog.co.uk
For readers looking for an outlet to share views on immigrants, foreign aid et al, there are many a site relevant to that
Janet, You continue to force your diatribe on the eyes of people wishing to read about Abingdon. We all have opinions on lots of things but we don’t go on and on about it here because it’s not relevant to people visiting a blog called abingdonblog.co.uk.
…I have never felt forced to read what anyone rights on here…
I agree, Daniel – but sometimes I have felt obliged to ignore what was written. We tend to write on the spur of the moment and sometimes what gets written we wouldn’t say face to face.
Not complaining, just noting!
I agree ppjs. That’s why this blog, and others, are so good.
Out of interest, is being able to say something face to face some kind of measurement that I am not aware if? Does face to face bring veracity to a situation?
Of course; it doesn’t help that alot of the ill decision here is made by the faceless, the nameless and the unaccountable – and unelected….
How do you know Rachel what other people wish to read? Is it just what you approve of? Some people in Abingdon complain that they are prevented from having a voice.
I always read what Janet has to say, particularly re world affairs as she is usually bang on the button with her astute observations. Please continue Janet.
Yep…I’m a Janet fan too.
Daniel, I assume you were being ironic?!
Janet – it is reasonable to assume that people visiting a blog about their home town, on which the creator of the blog posts interesting nuggets about said town, wish to read about that. Is it not?
You assume we all wish to hear your views on national politics on here. Have you ever considered joining a discussion forum online?
Anyway I digress, did anyone see the finale of The Night Manager tonight? It was brilliant viewing, I especially liked them it where they blew up the arms cache.