GRAND designs by the new owners of Grove Technology Park to create thousands of square feet of new offices have been welcomed as “brilliant” news for Wantage and Grove.

Grove Business Park Ltd, which acquired the 32-acre site for an estimated £10m in December, is to submit a planning application to develop the park by the end of May.

Company director David Hill said: “We propose that Grove caters for a wide range of businesses, from start-up to mature substantial businesses.”

Mr Hill gave a presentation to members of Wantage and District Chamber of Commerce last week, and chairman Richard Shepherd said it added up to “very good news” for Wantage and Grove.

Mr Shepherd, managing director of Motorlux car dealers in Wantage, said the company had talked about its plans to expand the park with up to 40,000 sq ft of new buildings.

He said Mr Hill had also discussed the idea of creating more short-term lease offers for units of three to six months each, allowing new businesses trial periods.

With some 5,500 new homes set to be built in Wantage and Grove in the next 15 years, Mr Shepherd said: “With all these houses due to be built in Wantage and Grove, if we get more commercial opportunities it will bring more people to the area, more people working and more people in the market place shopping.”

Vale of White Horse District Council granted planning permission for 2,500 homes to be built on the former Grove Airfield next door to the technology park, and Grove Parish Council chairwoman June Stock welcomed the news there could be more local employment opportunities for those new residents.

She said: “The airfield development is fine. The one concern was that with all these houses there was no new employment. If there were new jobs at the technology park that would be brilliant, we would have absolutely no objection.”

Mr Hill will give a public presentation on his firm’s plans at the AGM of the Wantage and Grove Campaign Group for Sustainable Development on April 6 at Grove Church Hall.