Work has begun on a new 90,000 sq ft industrial estate at the site of a former power station.

Permission was granted for regeneration specialist St Modwen to build industrial units on Works Road in Letchworth, which are due for completion in June 2015.

The site has been vacant for eight years and the industrial scheme is one of the first to take place since the recession.

John Lewis, chief executive of the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, said: “This represents a significant investment in the town and it’s encouraging to see a national developer showing such confidence in investing in the local economy.”

Gary Morris, senior development manager at St Modwen, said: “As the regional economy returns to growth, companies are looking for new, modern industrial units from which to build their businesses. We are delighted to finally be able to bring this development forward and provide the new units that the local businesses require.

“We have already had a lot of interest from companies looking to relocate and as construction progresses, we are confident that more of the remaining units will be let ahead of the scheduled completion date of June 2015.”

A 15,000 sq ft unit is already under offer to one business.