Out with the old, in with the new....this is the case at JCB where the new £40 million factory for heavy products is officially opened to the press on the 8th April, but the old factory in the town centre of Uttoexeter is now being demolished after 140 years on the site.
JCB Chairman Sir Antony Bamford used a 33 tonne JCB JS330XD tracked excavator to begin the process of tearing down the buildings on the site of the former JCB Heavy Products watched by Uttoxeter Town councillors.
The demolition work is set to be completed in June – paving the way for the important town centre site to be redeveloped and enhanced. The site in Pinfold Street was home to JCB Heavy Products until December last year when the business moved to its brand new £40 million production facility next to the A50.
The work is being undertaken by Birmingham-based Armoury Demolition and Recycling Ltd. Established in 1988, Armoury is one of the region’s leading contractors and provides a range of specialist services, including structural demolition and site reclamation for a wide range of clients. The company is currently sending letters to local residents outlining details about the start of the demolition project.
Sir Anthony Bamford said: “Today is the end of an era. My family has been manufacturing on this site for almost 140 years. I remember coming here with my father as a small boy and like many people in the town have fond memories of this factory.
“Today is the end of an historic chapter but more importantly it is the start of a new an exciting era. JCB Heavy Products has, over the years, has become a nuisance to the town as we’ve expanded on this site.
“I’m excited about the future of this area because what is planned for this site will not only remove that nuisance, it will replace it with something that’ll be hugely beneficial to the area. Uttoxeter is very close to my heart because it’s a town my family has been associated with for so long. I’m determined that - in partnership with the local council - the development that replaces this factory will be of the highest quality.
“We were also determined that this site would not be left to fall into dereliction and become an added nuisance to the area which is why I’m delighted we’re here today to start the demolition work.”
Plans for the redevelopment of the 22-acre site are also forging ahead after London-based McDowell + Benedetti Architects was chosen as the winner of a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) design contest to devise the scheme’s final design master plan.
Sir Anthony Bamford instigated the RIBA competition and took a personal involvement in the project to ensure the redevelopment is “of the highest possible standard.”
The Bamford family has links with Uttoxeter stretching back nearly 200 years. Sir Anthony’s family started out in business in the town as blacksmiths in the 1820s. An application for outline planning permission has already been submitted to East Staffordshire Borough Council. The Pinfold Street site has been linked to manufacturing from as early as 1871 when the agricultural machinery makers Bamfords opened for business.
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