Plans have been submitted for a major new industrial and logistics development in Northampton that could transform the former Coca-Cola bottling site at Brackmills into up to 1.26 million sq ft of modern employment space.
Royal London Asset Management Property is bringing forward the 54-acre Brackmills Logistics Park in partnership with commercial property developer Graftongate, which is acting as development manager. The brownfield site was acquired from Coca-Cola in September 2025 and represents Royal London Asset Management Property’s largest logistics development to date, with a reported gross development value of around £340 million.
The outline proposals would allow for up to 118,500 sq m of industrial and logistics floorspace, suitable for storage and distribution, general industrial and other employment uses. Existing buildings would be demolished to make way for large-scale modern accommodation, alongside offices, service yards, parking and supporting infrastructure.
Located within the established Brackmills Industrial Estate, the site benefits from connections to the A45, A428 and the wider motorway network, placing it within the UK’s strategically important logistics Golden Triangle.
Economic forecasts submitted with the proposals indicate the scale of the potential impact. The development could support more than 1,200 net additional full-time equivalent jobs in West Northamptonshire once operational, while the construction phase itself is expected to generate substantial employment and supply chain activity.
The planning submission estimates that construction could generate around £132.7 million for the local economy, with the completed development contributing approximately £51.6 million annually.
Brownfield regeneration with ESG at its core
Environmental performance is an important part of the Brackmills proposals. Rather than developing an undeveloped greenfield location, the project would regenerate a former industrial site that has been vacant since Coca-Cola closed its bottling facility in 2023.
The emerging sustainability strategy includes energy-efficient building design, the potential integration of rooftop solar PV, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and sustainable drainage systems. Improvements for pedestrians and cyclists are also proposed, together with cycle parking and new landscaping.
Biodiversity forms another component of the ESG strategy. The development is targeting at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, with ecological improvements delivered through a combination of new on-site landscaping and habitat creation locally.
The project team brings together a substantial group of UK property, design and engineering specialists. Graftongate is development manager, while UMC Architects is among the consultants involved in the scheme. The wider team also includes Buro Four, Burrows Graham, Halligan Associates, Pegasus Group, BCA Design, Apex Transport Planning, Middlemarch, Fuller Long, Savills Earth and Trinity Property Consultants. APEX Real Estate Advisors and BNP Paribas Real Estate are involved on the property agency side.
The redevelopment also reflects the changing technical requirements of the logistics sector. Modern distribution facilities increasingly need to accommodate automation, sophisticated building services, greater power requirements and more demanding environmental standards alongside traditional warehousing operations.
For Northampton, the investment would reinforce Brackmills’ position as one of the region’s established industrial and distribution locations while bringing a large vacant brownfield property back into productive use.
Subject to planning, construction could begin in 2027. With significant floorspace, strong motorway connectivity and an emphasis on more sustainable logistics buildings, Brackmills Logistics Park has the potential to become one of the most important new industrial developments in the East Midlands pipeline.
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