THE site where the iconic Royal Enfield motorcycles were made is thriving again after being reborn as a business park – with only one unit left to let less than a year after opening.
The 24,000 sq ft former Redditch manufacturing site of the classic and much loved motorcycles was bought by local firm EDR Developments and speculatively transformed into factory and warehouse units.
Since then, EDR Developments, with leading Midlands’ law firm Wright Hassall, has completed the letting of 11 units and has turned the site into a major success story.
Production of motorcycles ceased in 1970 and Royal Enfield was dissolved in 1971, leaving the site to deteriorate.
However EDR has given the site a new lease of life which, as the Royal Enfield Business Park, is now home to a range of businesses including trade retailer Screwfix.
Darren Ellis, EDR Developments Director, said: “The history of the site was a huge reason behind our investment.
“The EDR Developments directors are all local and motorcycle enthusiasts so it didn’t feel right to us that this site was becoming an eyesore, when it was once a real source of pride for the area.
“We decided to invest in our community and the result has been incredible.”
Royal Enfield was founded in 1909 by the Enfield Motor Cycle Company which manufactured motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines.
During the First World War, the business supplied the War Department with motorbikes fitted with sidecars capable of carrying stretchers.
Royal Enfield is still much loved by enthusiasts and is famed for the Royal Enfield Bullet, the longest-lived motorcycle design in history.
