Groundbreaking ceremony takes place at Sonar Portsmouth

A groundbreaking ceremony has officially marked the start of construction of Sonar Portsmouth.

Built in the heart of Hilsea, the 4.5-acre industrial site, will host seven units ranging from 5,479 to 35,220 sq ft, all of which will all target BREEAM Excellent and EPC A ratings. The buildings will offer market leading sustainability credentials such as CO2 efficiency, heating and cooling systems, water saving points and fittings, as well as PV panels and EV charging points, giving substantial reductions in energy consumption and associated costs to occupiers.

Sonar, funded by Fiera Real Estate and developed by Wrenbridge, is located between Limberline Road and Norway Road, adjacent to Hilsea Rail Station and moments from the M27, making it one of the best-connected sites in Portsmouth.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by representatives from Wrenbridge, Fiera Real Estate, CBRE, Vail Williams, and Magrock, the site contractor.

Construction is now underway, with units ready to occupy from late summer 2024.

The industrial and logistics buildings are designed to suit a range of storage, distribution and manufacturing uses, and benefit from up to 12m clear internal height, 50kN / sq m floor loading and level access loading doors.

Oliver Sherriff, Associate Director at CBRE Southampton, said: “The groundbreaking ceremony marks a significant milestone in developing this sought-after site. Availability of industrial space across the South Coast although increasing, remains limited, particularly for quality space. With sustainability high on the agenda, the new units at Sonar Portsmouth will offer one of the most sustainable options in the region.” Will Jarman, Associate Director at Wrenbridge and Development Manager for Sonar, commented: “We are looking forward to bringing our high-quality product to the South Coast and deliver much needed brand new space to this brilliant location. Sonar offers a great range of units to create a thriving destination for businesses to relocate to and upgrade operations.”