MAYOR Cllr Geoff Settle was on hand to mark the completion of a £270,000 refurbishment of the Wharf Industrial Estate.

He visited the newly refurbished units at the Wharf Street site, owned by Wire Regeneration Ltd, a joint venture between local developer Langtree and Warrington Borough Council.

The Mayor toured a number of the 31 units on the fully-let site.

Several major businesses call the estate home including Solus London, Schwer Fittings and Warrington Gymnastic Club, which trains Olympic standard gymnasts and occupies four units totalling almost 12,000 sq ft.

Jayne Furnival, group senior property director at Langtree, said: “This is an important development for us in Warrington providing valued employment space to both national and local employers alike.”

Warrington has one of the UK’s highest rates of company formation and high levels of demand as a consequence, explained Jayne.

She added: “Warrington attracts talent which drives demand for quality space and we are delighted to be able to provide a product that we knew would be quickly snapped up.”

Cllr Settle said: “I was very impressed with what I saw. As a member of the planning committee a year or so ago I visited the unit that now is home for Warrington Gymnastic Club.

“What a transformation. They have done a great job and created a fantastic asset.

“The mayoress said that our daughter Katie, who spent many years with the club as gymnast and coach, would be thrilled to see the new impressive facilities.

“We also got to tour Schwer Fittings Ltd. It was fascinating to see the stainless steel fabricator parts being made by this German company using an English workforce. They mainly supply the petroleum industry where quality, precision and fast delivery is paramount.

“MD Wolfgang Moellers demonstrated how parts are individually marked by a laser with a unique code to ensure a full audit trail. Approximately 30 per cent of their production is for export which is a great feather in the cap for the Warrington business.

“It was also great to see the completed flood defence work alongside the Mersey that will protect the investment."

made by locally based businesses.”