A £40 million ‘state of the art’ aerospace manufacturing and design facility for Moog (www.moog.com), a global leader in aerospace engine and flight controls systems, is set to be developed in Gloucestershire, following a deal announced yesterday by Barberry Industrial.

The 184,000ft² centre of excellence for Moog’s Aircraft Controls segment will be built on a 10-acre site in Tewkesbury and it is believed to be one of the largest deals of the year in the manufacturing sector.

Barberry, the West Midlands-based development and investment company, controls the site at the A46, near junction nine of the M5. In an off-market deal, it has agreed a pre-let to Moog on a 35-year lease.

Moog’s Tewkesbury Aircraft Controls operation is the global centre of excellence for design of servo valves and has a large engineering division housed within its existing facility. It is the town’s largest employer and has had a presence there for over 40 years.

An application for planning consent for the new facility will be submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council this month, with construction scheduled to begin early next year. It will be designed as a carbon neutral building, built to a BREEAM Excellent standard.

The facility will incorporate engineering and administration offices and is expected to be operational in 2023. The facility could expand to a total of 207,000ft².

The highly anticipated new facility will help foster further growth in Moog’s Engine and Flight control products for military and commercial aerospace programmes. Moog sees the expansion as an integral part of its commitment to long-term manufacturing and sales in the UK.

Mike Dawson, chief executive of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “It is great to see one of the largest employers and cutting edge engineering companies in Tewkesbury making a long-term commitment to Gloucestershire.”

This deal is the latest in a growing portfolio of industrial/warehouse/manufacturing developments for Barberry, which last year completed several speculatively developed warehouses in the West Midlands and South West.