Former Rolls Royce site at Hillington Park purchased for £2.85m

Acquisition plays part in £50m plans for Scotland's largest business and industrial estate.

The site of the former Rolls Royce engine factory at Hillington Park has been purchased, 75 years after the Park’s formal opening.

MEPC, Hillington Park’s majority owners, completed the £2.85M deal for the 28 acre site from St Modwen Developments, 75 years after Hillington Park was formally opened by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1938.

The acquisition is part of a planned investment by MEPC of up to £50m over the next ten years at Hillington Park. The plans include significant investment in infrastructure, new commercial buildings and further supporting retail and other service amenities.

Hillington Park, which is home to around 500 businesses employing in the region of 6100 people, covers 419 acres including 43 acres of development land on the edge of Renfrewshire and Glasgow regions, next to the M8 motorway. It is also home to the award winning Hillington Park Innovation Centre and the Merlin Business Centre which provide incubation and flexible office spaces for start-up and small growth businesses and regional offices for national and international companies.

Occupiers at Hillington Park come from sectors including retail, manufacturing, engineering, life sciences, technology and the public sector. Notable organisations include Balfour Beatty Engineering Services, Heathrow Airport Holdings, NHS, Red Cross and BMI Healthcare.

Rolls Royce moved onto the Park in 1939 as a ‘shadow’ aero engine manufacturing facility for the Merlin engines that powered the Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes for the war effort. After the war [in 1947] Rolls Royce took ownership of the Hillington factory manufacturing turbojet engines as well as almost all other aero engines that the company went on to develop. The company moved from Hillington Park to a purpose built facility in 2005. At its peak it employed 25,000 people turning out 400 engines a week.

Jamie Cumming, Commercial Director for MEPC in Scotland said: “Hillington Park has made, and continues to make, a major contribution to the Scottish economy and in particular, the economies of Renfrewshire and Greater Glasgow. Our research indicates that the Park’s occupiers generate over £340m of economic wealth every year. Today the Hillington Park business community represents a wide variety of sectors and business activity including renewables, light engineering, software design, logistics and the food & drinks industry.

“The purchase of the currently vacant, former Rolls Royce site is part of MEPC’s plans to further grow Hillington Park’s appeal as a location for local and national companies. This plan includes a new master plan, signage strategy and commitment to make a case for investment of up to £50M over the next 10 years in infrastructure, commercial buildings and supporting retail and other service amenities.

“We know from feedback from the current occupiers that Hillington Park’s location is unrivalled, so by making new development space available we hope to attract further ambitious businesses looking for buildings to meet their specific requirements. Through the realisation of these plans Hillington Park will become the next generation of business space in Scotland’s central belt.”

MEPC manages some of the UK's best known commercial property, with seven Business Estates [including Hillington Park and Clyde Gateway East] set in prime locations throughout the UK. Together they provide over 7 million sq ft of high quality space for more than 1,000 organisations, employing over 21,500 people. With a portfolio in excess of £700 million, we stand as a leader in our field.