Midlands developer Chaseregen has invested the sum in existing units on The Levels estate in Brereton and now plans a complete overhaul of the site with a view to creating hundreds of new jobs.

Morag Pringle, BBP Business Park Coordinator, said: “The area has been starved of investment in recent years following the shutdown of the Kodak film processing plant two years ago and so the new scheme is a welcome boost for the site.”

British Business Parks is currently trying to revive the fortunes of the site – one of 18 it is responsible for across Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

It aims to work its magic on this site in the same way as it has on similar estates in Cannock.

Working in partnership with Cannock Chase Council and the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce and Industry, BBP has helped to engineer a transformation in the formerly rundown Hawks Green Business Park.

The estate was chosen as one of four in the district of Cannock Chase to undergo a major facelift through the Image 2001 Business Area Improvement Programme.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds has been pumped into the park to revamp rundown units, clearly define its main roads, improve the layout and landscaping and carry out additional security work.

A similar plan is now being developed for The Levels and the decision by Chaseregen to go ahead with its scheme, to be called Kimberley Business Park, is a shot in the arm for the site.

Chaseregen, owned by flamboyant developer Fred Pritchard, intends to reclad the units in its corporate colour scheme – Sargasso blue, maroon and silver – and carry out landscaping improvements to the site.

The units are designed to be leased to low and mid-tech businesses and the company hopes that by improving the appearance of the park it will help to attract new business to the area.

The company is also carrying out a much larger scheme on the Towers site in nearby Rugeley, which is designed for more hi-tech companies. It hopes that Kimberley will compliment this project and help create a portfolio of firms embracing the industrial spectrum.

The project is expected to finish next year, to coincide with the image enhancements being undertaken by BBP. Work is also expected to have started on the completion of the Rugeley Eastern Bypass, a project expected to create a whole new development corridor and boost the area’s economy.

“The Chaseregen project is a welcome boost to our own plans for improving The Levels,” said Miss Pringle.

“Clearly this is a very exciting time for both Rugeley and ourselves and we look forward to developing our various partnerships for the benefit of everyone in the town.”