Bridgwater is set to welcome new job opportunities as plans for additional industrial units near the M5 motorway have been approved, with construction expected to begin in the coming months.
The Peninsula 23 Business Park, strategically located between the River Parrett and the A38 Bristol Road, just off the Dunball roundabout connecting Bridgwater to junction 23 of the M5, is slated for expansion. This site already hosts businesses such as Monmouth Scientific, a laboratory equipment manufacturer, and Willow Somerset, creators of willow furniture and luxury picnic hampers.
In January 2025, Roselea Properties Ltd. submitted plans to add two new buildings immediately south of the existing units at the business park. After the completion of a £10.7 million upgrade to the Dunball roundabout led by Somerset Council, the recent approval means construction can now move forward.
The larger building will house five business units, while the smaller will contain three, designed for flexible use as office spaces or light industrial premises. Together, they will provide 45 parking spaces and incorporate pedestrian and cyclist access via the shared-use pavement along Bristol Road.
Carney Sweeney Associates, representing Roselea Properties, highlighted the multiple benefits of the development, including job creation within the units and in related supply chains. The proposal also emphasizes on-site landscaping to support biodiversity net gain, aligning with sustainable development goals.
This expansion supports a stable and sustainable local economy by investing in employment infrastructure on a key commercial site identified in the Sedgemoor Local Plan. The business park’s proximity to the motorway makes it attractive for investors, especially given Bridgwater’s ongoing housing growth.
Additionally, the site forms part of the ‘purple route’ in Bridgwater’s local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP), which will ultimately provide uninterrupted active travel access from the town center to the new gigafactory in the Gravity Enterprise Zone near Puriton and Woolavington.
Although the exact number of jobs to be created has not been disclosed due to the absence of confirmed tenants, the project has received positive assessments from planning officers. The council’s highways team confirmed the development’s suitability in terms of safety, traffic impact, and parking provision.
Planning officer G. Northern praised the proposal as a well-considered, policy-compliant scheme that supports employment growth, biodiversity, sustainability, and transport objectives, with building design sympathetic to the industrial surroundings.