Rolls-Royce will become the first company to occupy Oldlands Farm, one of 4 sites collectively known as Enterprise Bognor Regis, as plans for a £70 million development were approved by Arun District Council.

During a committee meeting on the 27th August 2014 the benefits of a planning application from Bericote Properties, Rolls-Royce’s development partner, were revealed.  It’s believed the Technology and Logistics facility will employ around 200 jobs.

The developers plan to start building on over 9 hectares of the Oldlands Farm site in October 2014, with work on a second building beginning in September 2015. The site, off the A29 Shripney Road, will become a technology and logistics facility for Rolls-Royce. This will free up space at the manufacturers Goodwood site, making room for a bigger production line.

Before the application was approved planning experts Quod on behalf of Bericote provided a statement which said: “The proposed employment development will result in a high quality, sustainable development which will result in significant investment in the local area and contribute to the council’s priority of supporting and delivering development on strategic employment sites and in doing so bring hundreds of new jobs to Bognor. It will also act as a catalyst for future development on the surrounding sites.”

The initial building for Rolls-Royce will consist of a 19,600 sq m gross internal area. A further 6,000 sq m are expected to be added in late 2017. The second building will comprise 8,250sqm gross internal area along with a 1,200sqm workshop. Another expansion, of 3,000sqm, is planned for late 2018.

In March 2013 Arun District Council approved development of the Oldlands Farm site. It gave planning permission for a range of uses across the site, leading to the application from Bericote Properties.