Fast growing High Peak manufacturer calls on MP to help address lack of industrial premises and land

Managing director Steve Yorke-Robinson 56, is urgently seeking a new base for Hadfield firm Pressure Tech after winning a major new contract in the emerging hydrogen fuel cell market last year.

The company already occupies two separate 5,000 sq ft units on Graphite Way, and is currently working to acquire one of its subcontractors which Steve would also like to integrate into one streamlined site.

He said: “Most of the big units are given over to retail and warehouse storage and it’s a rarity to find anything in High Peak up to 20,000 sq ft for industrial manufacturing these days.

“There seems to be plenty of housebuilding going on, but land is not being released for commercial developments to keep all those people employed. ”

He added: “Everyone I’ve spoken to knows this is problem. I invited our MP, Robert Largan, to talk about it and he said there are a number of companies facing the same issue. The council have told me they are looking at it too.”

Since Steve established it in 2000, the company has outgrown two premises already, supplying specialist equipment to the oil and gas industries.

They are now picking up work in the hydrogen sector, and see big growth potential as governments throughout the world steer towards renewable fuels and decarbonisation.

A recent contract win from the USA means the company needs to effectively double its production capacity, and Steve hopes to land two or three accounts with similar scope.

The ideal solution for the company would be for the owner of undeveloped land at Graphite Way to release it for sale or development, but so far there has been no sign of that happening.

In the meantime, Steve has been forced to explore options across Derbyshire and away from the town where he has lived most of his life.

He said: “Part of the challenge is finding qualified engineers to work here. I’ve got 37 employees travelling in from a catchment area which includes Tameside, Huddersfield, Barnsley and Doncaster. It would mean huge upheaval if we had to move away.”

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