Three business units with room for up to 50 jobs will replace the former Bloxham Centre on Somers Road in Rugby. Work is due to start in early 2027.

The former Bloxham Centre on Somers Road in Rugby will be knocked down and replaced with three business units. The developer says they could support up to 50 jobs.

Rugby Borough Council has granted planning permission for the scheme, according to Warwickshire County Council’s announcement on 4 November. The developer is Warwickshire Property & Development Group (WPDG), a company owned by the county council.

What will be built

The announcement gives these details:

  • three commercial units, 21,350 sq ft in total
  • units from 5,350 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft
  • 29 parking spaces, including six with electric vehicle chargers
  • landscaping kept and improved along the site boundaries
  • units aimed at an EPC A energy rating and BREEAM “Very Good”

The units are meant for small and medium-sized firms that want to grow without leaving the area. They will be sold freehold rather than let, marketed by the agents Avison Young.

Work is expected to start in early 2027, with completion targeted for the end of that year.

Who is behind it

This is WPDG’s first commercial scheme in Rugby and its third in Warwickshire. The company reinvests its profits in further development.

Its first scheme, Sucham Park in Southam, has nine industrial units. The county council says every unit was let within 12 months of completion and the site now supports around 100 jobs. WPDG sold it earlier this year. A second scheme, Greville Business Park between Warwick and Leamington Spa, is under construction.

“The Bloxham Centre site is in an established industrial location,” said Chloe Britton, WPDG’s senior development manager. Cllr James Crocker, the county council’s deputy leader, called the permission “an important milestone”.

What it means for you

  • If you run a small business looking for premises, the units will be sold freehold. Avison Young is handling the sale.
  • If you live near Somers Road, expect demolition and building work through 2027. Rugby’s planning register does not let us link to a single application, but you can search it by address. Our planning news page explains how.
  • The 50 jobs figure is the developer’s estimate of what the units could support. It depends on who buys them.