A new facility to help businesses and the general public opens in Long Eaton on Thursday (April 2nd 09) after several months work and a cost of almost £2m.

Derby-based BE Webbe has created a self-storage facility, the first in the town, to meet a growing demand by companies and individuals.

The company bought two adjoining premises, Ashley House, and Derwent House, on Wilsthorpe Road, both of which had been empty for several months and transformed them into one operating unit, giving them a new lease of life.

Extensive works were needed and refurbishing and fitting-out costs have been in the region of £1.2m on top of the purchase price.

The total costs make the new facility the biggest single commercial investment in the town for several years.

Work was carried out by Webbe’s sister company, Kinsey (Midlands) who handed over the keys to the facility last week.

This included a new roof and the creation of a second floor. The building will house 46,000 sq ft of economical self storage in self-contained steel units ranging from 20 sq ft to 450 sq ft.

So far 140 units are available in the first phase, and another 200 will be provided in the second phase which will be completed next year.

Richard Blount, a director of BE Webbe, said that the company had identified a need for a self-storage facility in Long Eaton and had supplied the local community, both commercial and private, with economical, secure and flexible storage systems.

He said that even before the opening there had been considerable interest in the facility and the company had already received orders for units totalling 3,000 sq ft.

The buildings, close to Derwent Street industrial estate, are within close access of the A52 and junction 25 of the M1, and so are well-placed for companies from a wide area.

“We specialise in supplying businesses with overspill storage space and room for archive material,” said Richard. “This facility will offer solutions to those businesses which require extra storage capacity in a convenient location, with some units having handy 24/7 access.”

The units can also be used by the public to store items ranging from furniture to garage and garden equipment, and general goods.

BE Webbe, one of the first companies in Derby to introduce self storage already has a facility on the Racecourse Industrial Park in Alfreton Road, and another at The Maltings on the Wetmore Road industrial estate off Wharf Road in Burton.