Wantage: Navtech Radar expands at Grove Business Park

Tech company Navtech Radar has expanded into industrial space at Grove Business Park in Wantage.

The company which is based in Ardington in Wantage has agreed a five-year lease on unit A1 on the new GBP1 development comprising 6,500 sq ft, in a deal agreed in lockdown by Duncan May of VSL & Partners.

Navtech Radar is a world-leading innovator, award-winning designer and manufacturer of commercially deployed radar solutions. The company manufactures a unique range of high-performance sensors able to deliver reliable all-weather sensing in challenging real world applications. With more than 20 years’ experience in deploying radar-based solutions, Navtech’s sensors are used in mission critical applications around the world including security surveillance, road safety systems and industrial autonomous vehicles.

In 2018, the company saw rapid growth and was acquired by Halma plc. In 2020 it announced a joint product development with autonomous vehicle company Oxbotica for the development of a radar-based navigation and perception system which is to be launched this year.

Philip Avery of NavTech Radar said: “As a British designer and manufacturer of radar-based safety solutions helping to keep road networks and critical infrastructure safe around the world, we are looking forward to becoming part of the Grove Business Park community in January, when we will commence manufacturing at the site.

"Taking on this new facility will enable us to meet the increasing global demand for our high-performance solutions in markets such as highways, security and industrial automation. With excellent transport links, and close in proximity to our head office in Ardington, the high specification unit at Grove provides a flexible space for us to create a world-class production facility.”

Richard Lyall of Grove Business Park said: “We are delighted to welcome another high-tech business to Grove Business Park which further strengthens our position as a serious player amongst other Oxfordshire business parks. We continue with our ambitious development plans, investing in the Park’s future in order to retain and attract more businesses to this thriving community.”

Duncan May of VSL and Partners explained: “We are delighted to report lots of activity at the newly developed GBP1 scheme with five units occupied within a year of completion.  Take up has been driven by the high-tech sector and there is only 3,300 sq ft available in A block at unit A2. Four units remain available within C block of 2,000 sq ft per unit.”

A detailed master plan is in place for the future build of the park. Eight acres of land with detailed planning consent are available to purchase in development plots or as a design and build opportunity. The park owners are currently refurbishing the 20,000 sq ft hybrid building known as the Quadrangle offering a mixture of office and industrial space.