Andy Doulton, Lock & Leave's UK group operations manager

An Australian storage firm has bought Canterbury's Marshwood Business Park.

Lock & Leave Group Ltd has taken over the freehold for the entire site – which incorporates nearly 40,000 sq ft of self storage, offices and industrial bulk units along with a large car park, just off the A28 Sturry Road.

The existing commercial tenants will continue to operate from the business park, with the addition of Lock & Leave's new 20,000 sq ft self storage facility, offering secure, 24/7 access for domestic, student and business customers.

It is the third UK branch opened by the family firm, which already has sites in central London and in Hampton Court, Surrey.

Andy Doulton, Lock & Leave's UK group operations manager, said: "We'd been searching for a new self storage site in the south east for some time, and the Marshwood site presented itself as a real win-win opportunity.

"For Lock & Leave, there's bags of potential both in terms of market prospect and physical expansion, and for people living and working in the area our substantial investment in the self storage operation will create a much-needed and valuable new service close to Canterbury city centre."

The company has introduced round-the-clock security at the site, with individually alarmed units, monitored CCTV, keypad entry and sensored lighting throughout the site, and by autumn this year it is hoping to expand its storage capacity by 50% - another 10,000 sq ft.

Lock & Leave is also offering document management services to local businesses including archive storage, file retrieval/pick up, indexing, racking and confidential shredding. It also provides complementary services such as insurance packages, and transportation and removalist options.

There is also a new in-store shop offering customers a wide variety of packaging supplies, from a full range of boxes, bubble wrap, tape and racks, to specialist items such as acid-free tissue paper, bed and sofa covers, and foam protectors for pictures and mirrors.

For information, visit www.lockandleave.co.uk.