AMBITIOUS plans for a new £18 million technology park in Worcester are going full steam ahead – with council chiefs actively marketing the site to potential companies.

Despite suffering a major blow last September when Worcester Bosch pulled out as the main tenant, Worcestershire County Council is ploughing ahead with the landmark scheme.

Your Worcester News can also reveal there is interest from at least one mystery international company about using the site to open up a UK base.

A brief has now been produced detailing the expected timetable for the park, which will sit on 50 hectares of land near Junction 6 of the M5.

It states: l A raft of small companies will be able to take up mixed units of 10,000-25,000sq ft around the southern edges of the site.l Larger occupiers will be able to ‘buy’ land on the northern part of the site to design and develop whatever fits their needs.

l An ‘enterprise zone’ will sit on the central part of the site, offering accommodation for blue-chip companies.

l Tree planting will take place across the site to give the project a sustainable, green feel.

A timetable has also been published saying highways work is set to start in June, before detailed planning applications are submitted in September for initial buildings.

A raft of units would then be ready by the summer of next year.

The land originally set to be occupied by Worcester Bosch, which sits on the northern section and could be home to 1,000 jobs, could be split up for multiple use, if need be.

Council chiefs say large manufacturing, research and development or logistics companies could fill the northern section up.

They also say all sizes of companies are welcome to talk to the authority over becoming a potential tenant for the site.

Councillor Adrian Hardman, leader of the county council, said: “There is a lot of interest from companies about becoming part of the technology park, including international interest.

“We’ve moved on from the Worcester Bosch idea, which would have meant the company having one enormous unit.

“We’ve got lots of flexibility with the site – we can still accommodate big companies but we are not relying on one big player.

“I expect a wide range of high-tech companies to be a part of it.”

The development comes with 1,600 parking spaces and when full will contain 3,000 workers.