A New Innovation Park Unveiled in Salisbury
A major new “innovation park” focused on advanced technology, defence and green energy has been unveiled for former airfield land at High Post, north of Salisbury. This development aims to transform the area into a hub for cutting-edge research and manufacturing.
Spitfire Enterprises has lodged a full planning application with Wiltshire Council to create “Spitfire Innovation Park” on 11.29 hectares of farmland next to the A345, north of the Stones Hotel and alongside the Chemring Countermeasures site. The scheme centres on a large new headquarters, research and manufacturing complex for Callen-Lenz, a Wiltshire-based aerospace and defence firm specialising in uncrewed aircraft systems (drones) for civil and military use.
The 6,968sqm building would sit in what the plans describe as “Northern Field”, within the existing High Post employment area, and is designed to house offices, research and development labs, manufacturing space and warehousing, along with staff facilities such as meeting rooms, training rooms and dining areas.
A CGI of the proposed Spitfire innovation park in Salisbury
(Image: Supplied)
Key Features of the Development
The application site is currently arable land, part of a former RAF grass airfield, bordered by Chemring to the west, the A345 and High Post Golf Club to the east, and existing employment uses including The Stones Hotel and High Post Business Park to the south.
Callen-Lenz, which has grown rapidly in recent years, says the project will allow it to consolidate its scattered sites into a single modern facility and support a planned expansion from around 250 employees to about 500 jobs over the next five years.
In its application, the developer says the park is intended as “a premier hub for emerging technologies, advanced R&D, and precision engineering”, with “significant career opportunities for apprenticeships and graduates” and high-value roles in sectors from aerospace to environmental science.
Transportation and Accessibility Improvements
A key part of the bid is a new roundabout on the A345, which would become the main gateway into the site and replace Chemring Countermeasures’ existing access from the smaller C292 road. From the roundabout, an internal road would run east-west, first serving the Callen-Lenz building and then continuing on to a new secure entrance and internal road for Chemring’s staff car park and operational areas.
Plans show a 3m-wide shared footway and cycleway running alongside the new access road, together with new northbound and southbound bus stops on the A345 near the roundabout, which the applicant says will improve public transport and active travel options for staff and visitors. Security pavilions are proposed at the entrances for both Callen-Lenz and Chemring, where staff, visitors and deliveries would be checked in.
Collaborative Partnerships
The park is being promoted as a collaborative cluster anchored by four core partners: Chemring Countermeasures, Callen-Lenz, Bauer Group and Nationwide Engineering.
A spokesperson for Spitfire Enterprises said: “This is about creating a legacy of innovation for Wiltshire. By working with partners like Chemring and Callen-Lenz, we are creating a home for the technologies of tomorrow… Spitfire Innovation Park will provide the infrastructure and renewable energy needed to ensure our region remains a leader in global R&D, innovation and precision engineering.”
A spokesperson for Chemring, whose High Post site was involved in Spitfire assembly during the Second World War, said the principles behind the park “reflect this historic focus on technological progress and capability advancement” and backed efforts to balance innovation with “environmental responsibility”.
A spokesperson for Callen-Lenz said it “fully supports the vision”, describing the scheme as a “clear commitment to strengthening the region’s advanced aerospace and engineering capability” and a chance to create “valuable opportunities for skilled employment” while reinforcing Wiltshire’s role as a centre for “responsible, future-facing engineering”.
