THE HUNT is on to create new businesses and attract others to Mitcheldean's Xerox site which has been taken over by local company BMJ International.

And optimism is high there will be a bright future for the site, says BMJ's chairman Brian Bennett.

BMJ International has signed a letter of intent to acquire the site and, subject to final negotiations, a contract is expected to be signed by the end of March.

Mr Bennett told the Review: "There is a lot going for Mitcheldean. The ideal is to build and create new businesses and to attract others. We are very optimistic about the future."

He stressed a core of established businesses already operated from Mitcheldean and employed in the region of 750 people.

"Xerox is committed to the site for at least five years and they will be retaining a minimum of 430 jobs. There is already a lot of business here and we are being very active in identifying other opportunities.

"Progressive redevelopment of the site will be undertaken in order to provide a range of high quality facilities which will be attractive to medium and small-sized industrial and commercial businesses including start-ups as well as growing local businesses," he said.

Mr Bennett stressed BMJ International was a family owned business which specialised in industrial development and engineering.

The company's operations include Screwtech Engineering Ltd, a company that supplies specialist high value engineering components and machines to the plastics moulding and food industries, as well as BeeGreen Technology which has pioneered the development of a unique process that converts starches and other natural products into a high quality, biodegradable replacement for synthetic polymers and expanded polystyrene products.

The company has already played a role in bringing new manufacturing operations to the Forest such as the BIP Plastex Group, and is actively involved in developing other high quality industrial infrastructure projects for the area.