A £40 million state-of-the-art aerospace manufacturing and design facility for a global leader in aerospace engine and flight controls systems is set to be developed in Gloucestershire in a deal announced today by Barberry Industrial.

The 184,000 sq ft centre of excellence for Moog’s Aircraft Controls Segment will be built on a 10-acre site at Ashchurch, Tewkesbury. It is believed to be one of the biggest 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 Segment 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 operated from there for over 40 years.

An application for planning consent for the new facility will be submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council this month (June), with construction scheduled to begin in Q1 2021. It will be designed to be 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 207,000 sq ft.

Jon Robinson, development director and shareholder of Barberry Industrial, said: “We are clearly thrilled to be selected as development partner by Moog to deliver the company’s new facility on our prominent site in Gloucestershire.”

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.

Moog is an American-based designer and manufacturer of motion and fluid controls and control systems for applications in aerospace, defence, industrial and medical devices. The company operates under four segments: aircraft controls, space and defence controls, industrial controls, and components