Kraft hangs ‘for sale’ sign on Cadbury Somerdale
BNP Paribas Real Estate has been instructed by Kraft to undertake a freehold sale of the 220 acre site with its buildings dating from the 1920s and 1930s, of which 64 acres is described as ‘developable’.
Following the decision to close Somerdale - where production finally stopped in January 2011 - the agent said Cadbury (now Kraft Foods) and its project team had worked with Bath and Northeast Somerset Council to identify redevelopment optionsfor the site.
Around 600 residential units – with 20,000m2 of employment space – could be provided, said BNP Paribas, while the new buyer will have to either relocate or retain the Fry Club (a sports and social clubhouse for local residents) on the site.
Cadbury heiress heartbroken
Andrew Taylor, director in development and residential consulting at BNP Paribas Real Estate said: “We have been working with Cadbury and subsequently Kraft Foods for a number of years to identify development opportunities for the brownfield site.
“The site represents a unique opportunity for a mixed-use scheme that which could contribute massively to the local demand for housing and generate significant job opportunities.”
But Cadbury heiress Felicity Loudon, who opposed Kraft's £11.5bn takeover of the firm and claims to be starting a chocolate venture of her own as a result, told The Sun newspaper: "The 400 employees at Somerdale took Kraft's word at face value. Now this - it's heartbreaking."
Attractive riverside setting...
The official Somerdale sale brochure reveals that the site sale - with best offers invited on an informal tender basis by midday on May 11 - comprises the former Cadbury factory and associated grounds, that (in estate agent speak) “occupy an attractive setting on the banks of the River Avon”.
“Somerdale presents a major opportunity to provide new, high quality employment space, homes, leisure, recreation and community facilities.
“The site has exceptional potential for a new, distinctive high quality neighbourhood, utilising its water meadow setting and the river for a mix of employment, residential and recreational uses,” it adds.
