Nearly 50 jobs will be created at a multi-million pound new car dealership development.

Sytner Group is to open a Mercedes Benz dealership on a prominent site at Kingmoor Park in Carlisle.

The scheme will be considered a double boost - both for its jobs and its status as the first major development on the city's enterprise zone.

It will see Sytner relocate its current operations from Rosehill to Kingmoor, where lucrative Government-backed incentives are available to companies setting up.

Other businesses are showing interest in following them at the enterprise zone, with a national petrol forecourt operator, pub chain and energy-related companies understood to be among them.

Sytner will take up a five-acre site - on which they will have a 40,000sq ft building - on Spellar Way, fronting both the A689 and Brunthill Road, the main link to the neighbouring Kingstown Industrial Estate from the Carlisle Northern Development Route.

The development will include a showroom, workshop, MoT area and other facilities.

Once complete, it will see the firm's city staff numbers rise from 52 to 100.

Kingmoor Park chief executive Ross Nicolson said is delighted with the development, planning permission for which has already been secured.

He said: "To undertake such a substantial high-quality development is a demonstration of of the confidence the company has in Cumbria's premier business location.


Ross Nicolson "It will also increase footfall and vehicle numbers in the area, which will mean many more people accessing the site and seeing what Kingmoor Park has to offer."

Sytner operates dealerships for a host of top motoring marques across the UK.

John Buchan, the group's project management for the new development, said: "We are looking forward to relocating our existing Mercedes Benz business to a fantastic new facility that we expect will be open early 2019."

Richard Percival, a director at commercial property consultants Carigiet Cowen, acted on behalf of Kingmoor Park Properties in the negotiations and said he was delighted that construction will start soon.

"The confidence this large financial commitment demonstrates in both Kingmoor Park and Carlisle is fantastic," he added.

"I hope this will be a catalyst for other occupiers to come forward and join the outstanding mix of businesses based at Kingmoor Park."

Enterprise zone: The facts

Kingmoor Park was awarded enterprise zone status by the Government in April 2016.

That brings incentives including up to 100 per cent business rate discount - worth a maximum £275,000 over five years - simplified local authority
Kingmoor Park planning and support to ensure superfast broadband.

Cumbria's Local Enterprise Partnership and councils will keep all business rates growth generated by the enterprise zone for 25 years to help economic development.