A Worcestershire industrial estate is undergoing a dramatic facelift thanks to the efforts of British Business Parks.

The Sandy Lane Industrial Estate in Stourport has under gone years of neglect and has been suffering from serious social problems such as rising crime and vandalism.

These factors, added to the decline in the economy over recent years, has led to an exodus from the estate, with 35 companies moving out during the past four years.

British Business Parks has now taken on the management of the site in an effort to boost its image and encourage firms to move back into the area.

The partnership works with major stakeholders in the site including the various local authorities, business agencies and companies themselves.

It helps to secure public and private sector funding and encourages companies to work together for their mutual benefit.

It holds regular consultations with the companies on the site to ask them the improvements they see as important. These are then priority rated so that work can be carried out on a needs basis.

Similar work has been carried out with great success on other BBP sites around the West Midlands and Staffordshire.

The Sandy Lane project will take some time to complete but the organisation is committed to the site and its dedication is already paying off.

Companies on the site have identified its poor infrastructure as one of the most serious problems. In particular, many of its roads are unadopted and so little work has ever been carried out on them.

Heathfield Road is a case in point. It is in a very poor condition but Wyre Forest District Council, Worcestershire County Council, the local business association, BBP and the companies themselves, have all agreed to make financial contributions so that the work can go ahead. Tarmac will carry out the work and has agreed to keep the cost below £11,000 as a goodwill gesture to BBP.

Ken Merry, Chairman of the Sandy Lane Business Association said: “This was one of the first problems highlighted and we are delighted that we have been able to secure the services of Tarmac to carry out the work.“ But the improvements won’t stop here. We have many new projects lined up that we would like to see developed.“ These include revamping the entrance to the estate, resurfacing other roads, improving security by installing CCTV cameras and improving landscaping.” Worcestershire County Council, another of the partners in the project, has also carried out work, investing £14,000 resurfacing Barracks Road.