Chinese firm eyes up Derby industrial park expansion
Plans to build two large industrial sheds for an unnamed international e-commerce firm have been submitted as part of a major development in Derbyshire.
Developer Clowes says the 542,000 sq ft expansion scheme at Dove Valley Park, Foston, is being brought forward for a mystery Chinese occupier – with details and timelines due to be announced in the new year.
The scheme is a variation on previously approved plans for the site, submitted last year, which saw them gain approval for four industrial sheds from South Derbyshire District Council.
Dove Valley Business Park says discussions held following the thumbs-up for that scheme in September 2024 have led to a tenant being identified for the site – however, changes are now required in order to support their operational requirements, set to include alterations to unit sizes and access arrangements.
Planning documents submitted with the scheme describe the company as a “leading Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprise with a well-established international presence and a long-term strategy to expand its operations within the UK” – particularly in South Derbyshire and the wider East Midlands.
The proposals will see two larger buildings constructed at the park, around a metre taller but not exceeding the floor size of the originally approved plans, which Clowes says will meet modern industrial building standards.
AEW Architects have been appointed as the lead designers for the proposals.
Existing tenants on the 200-acre business park, around ten miles from Derby, include yoghurt firm Muller and logistics group GXO.
“Dove Valley Park continues to attract strong interest from a range of high-profile national and international operators. This planning submission for two units totalling over half a million sq ft demonstrates our ongoing confidence in the site and its strategic location,” said said Marc Freeman, development director at Clowes Developments.
“We look forward to progressing the application with South Derbyshire District Council.”
The application will be decided by South Derbyshire District Council in due course.
Applications and plans relating to the scheme can be found on the authority’s planning portal under reference: DMPA/2025/1570
