A council has said it is in talks with the owner of a derelict factory, which was engulfed by a fire earlier this week, to find solutions for the huge site.
A blaze ripped through the 22-acre disused Delphi engineering site, in Newton Road, Sudbury, on Tuesday and a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson and bailed.
James Cartlidge, then MP for South Suffolk, called for urgent talks to find a way forward for the former factory which has stood empty since Delphi Diesel Systems closed it in 2020, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
It was bought by Future Properties Industrial Ltd that same year.
A document obtained by SuffolkNews from HM Land Registry lists the registered owners of Delphi Diesel Systems Ltd, in Newton Road, Sudbury as Future Properties Holding Ltd.
The value of the site stated was £17,250,000 on October 4, 2022.
Future Properties Holding Ltd is listed as active on Companies House.
Following the fire, Mr Cartlidge said: “Whoever is elected MP for South Suffolk should make it a priority to sit down urgently with Babergh’s Economic Development Department, and look at all the options to take this site forward in a way that benefits the town, rather than consign it to continued risk and decay - as difficult as this can be with a non-responsive proprietor.”
A Babergh District Council spokesperson: “We share the community’s concern about Tuesday’s fire at the former Delphi site, which reinforces the need for its future to be resolved as soon as possible.
“This site offers significant employment opportunities for Sudbury, and our officers have had recent discussions with the owner to explore potential solutions.
“We also recognise the problems with vandalism and criminal behaviour, and our community safety team has been liaising with local police, the owner and nearby businesses as a result.”
