Prologis, the UK’s leading developer of logistics property, has signed an agreement with Hankook Tyre UK Ltd, to provide a new build-to-suit unit at Prologis Apex Park, in Daventry. Hankook Tire & Technology is one of the world’s leading tyre manufacturers and its UK subsidiary has used the location of Daventry, including Apex Park, as its main distribution hub. The company has agreed terms to take DC9, a brand new, high spec unit comprising 357,221 sq. ft. on a 22-acre site on the park. Construction is scheduled to complete in early 2024. Since entering the highly competitive UK tyre market in 1993, Hankook has been recognised as an industry leader – in product performance, innovation, productivity and sustainability. This new development forms part of the organisation’s plans to continue to grow its UK business. Prologis Apex Park is part of a thriving employment area on the northern edge of Daventry in Northamptonshire. The site, which sits within the logistics ‘golden triangle’ at the heart of the UK’s motorway and rail network, has convenient access to the A45, M1 and M45, as well as the rail freight facilities located at nearby Prologis RFI DIRFT. Other Prologis customers at Apex Park include Toolstation, JD Wetherspoon, Hellmann Logistics, Optima Logistics and Cummins. Construction of DC9 at Apex Park for Hankook is another example of Prologis’ ability to offer customer-centric development – with the unit size and specification tailored to meet Hankook’s requirements from the outset. James Straw, Associate, Capital Deployment and Leasing at Prologis UK, said: “Hankook has been a customer of ours at Apex Park for a number of years and so it’s fantastic to be able to work with the business to provide a new state of the art logistics facility for their future growth and expansion. At Prologis we have a strong track record of delivering build to suit projects and are constantly looking at ways to improve our buildings. We are delighted to be delivering a building which will meet Hankook’s high expectations both operationally and from a sustainability perspective. Construction will soon be underway and like Hankook, we can’t wait to see DC9 come out of the ground.” Chang Yool Han, Managing Director of Hankook Tyre UK, said: “Apex Park was the obvious choice for our growth as it meant we were able to provide continuity for our existing staff, and execute our growth in the utmost sustainable and ecofriendly manner plus it serves as an excellent central location for the UK market that we supply. We have been working with our advisors Drake & Partners and Excello Law for a significant period to understand our current and future requirements to grow the business and Prologis have also worked closely with us to accommodate what we need. Moving into DC9 is a significant step on our growth journey and we are looking forward to working with Prologis further”. DC9 at Prologis Apex Park is due to start imminently, with completion expected in early 2024. Prologis were advised by ILP Partners, Cushman & Wakefield and Colliers. Hankook was advised by Drake & Partners. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

Leading commercial property developer, Stoford, has begun the second and final phase of development at a multimillion pound logistics and manufacturing scheme in the West Midlands. Stoford has commenced construction of two new Grade A warehouse buildings that will deliver almost 450,000 sq ft of logistics accommodation at Redditch Gateway, near Junction 3 of the M42, south of Birmingham. The prime logistics assets have been forward funded by specialist European independent real estate investor, Blackbrook, which will acquire the freehold interest in both new developments upon their completion in Q4 2023. The new units will comprise 160,208 sq ft and 286,328 sq ft respectively and are being built on the southern parcel of the 78-acre Redditch Gateway site. They have been designed to meet the widest of occupier demands with 50 kN/m2 floor loading capacities and 15m clear heights, as well as access to high-power supplies of 9.5MVA, more than six times the institutional standard. Stoford is targeting net zero carbon in operation for both buildings, as well as BREEAM Excellent and an EPC ‘A’ rating. Winvic Construction has been appointed as contractor to deliver the works. Stoford Joint Managing Director, Dan Gallagher said: “We are developing two highly specified logistics assets with Blackbrook, that will offer significant benefits to occupiers in terms of connectivity, power supply and future-proof ESG credentials. “Redditch Gateway is an exciting logistics manufacturing development in a key distribution area that is serving demand in a supply constrained regional marketplace.” Jon Strang, Managing Director of Blackbrook, said: “We’re delighted with Stoford’s progress on this project and to be closer to bringing two new logistic facilities to the market. Both assets boast a high power supply and are being built to the highest sustainability standards, making them high in demand and perfectly aligned with Blackbrook’s strategy to develop future-proof supply chain infrastructure.” Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It is brilliant news to see construction start on the new units at the Redditch Gateway site. Redditch Gateway is one of Worcestershire’s major commercial property developments, part of our 2040 Plan for Growth, to provide more commercial space for businesses. “This development is helping to attract businesses to the region, boosting local jobs and crucially the economy for Worcestershire.” Anita Bhalla, Interim Chair of GBSLEP, said: “This latest development demonstrates how our £1.8 million funding towards Redditch Gateway has unlocked a site which continues to deliver developments in the area. This latest scheme will generate jobs which will support the inclusive and sustainable economic growth of the local economy. This investment demonstrates how GBSLEP’s unique structure of bringing public, private and academic leaders together to make locally informed decisions creates opportunities for our businesses and communities.” Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Cllr Matt Dormer, said: “We have to look to the future and not only will these units attract highly specialised companies, creating jobs for our residents, they have zero carbon credentials which is important to this Council and the environment. This Council promised progress – and we are delivering.” Tim Davies, Senior Development Manager, Homes England, said: “Stoford have been working with us and partners to deliver this site for almost ten years. Having dealt with numerous challenges to be able to commence construction of these two units is testament to their capability and capacity.” Redditch Gateway is located on the eastern fringes of Redditch, just 18 miles from Birmingham Airport and with convenient access to the national motorway network via J2 and J3 of the M42. Phase one of the scheme saw the development of a new 534,000 sq ft warehouse building that was pre-let to Amazon and included a £6.5 million investment in infrastructure works and a signalised traffic junction. Stoford is development partner for Redditch Gateway South, working alongside landowners, The Gorcott Trust and Homes England. For more information, please contact retained marketing agents, DTRE and Savills. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

Partners and stakeholders recently gathered at The Glass Futures’ Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens to mark the imminent completion of the £54m project, managed and delivered by Network Space Developments (NSD). Contractor Bowmer + Kirkland were appointed by NSD in December 2021 and started on site in January 2022. The main contract works will successfully complete this month and the 165,000 sq. ft building handed over to Glass Futures, ready for the internal fit out works to commence in April. The building is anticipated to be operational later this year. Delivery of the project has been managed by landowner and developer NSD, on behalf of a partnership including not-for-profit Glass Futures, St Helens Borough Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and UKRI (UK Research & Innovation). The facility was pre let to St Helens Borough Council on a 15-year head lease and sub-let to Glass Futures which will occupy the building to deliver industry and government-backed research and development projects focused on decarbonising the glass and foundation industries. It will also provide a platform for its members  to access an experimental scale furnace for testing and trials of new technology on a state-of-the-art line, both collaboratively and individually. In 2022, NSD pre-sold the building to global investor Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust, part of abrdn, to secure forward funding and conclude a viable delivery strategy. Throughout the construction phase, the scheme has made a significant contribution to the local economy with £11.2m of supply contracts going to businesses within a 20-mile radius of the site, including more than £1m awarded to St Helens’ businesses. Overall, 441 operatives and sub-contractors have been employed on the scheme, including 30 apprentices, with 36 per cent of the labour coming from St Helens, Wigan and Warrington communities. Glass Futures has also appointed its first three apprentices. “Catherine Chilvers, Development Director at Network Space Developments, said: “We’re delighted that we will shortly complete this transformational scheme within the ambitious project timescales we originally set ourselves. The success of this project is testament to the incredible partnership we’ve helped establish and the hard work and commitment of everyone involved in driving this scheme forward.  As a St Helens based business, we’re hugely proud to be involved in a project of this importance and we look forward to seeing its impact, benefits and grow on opportunities being realised within the Borough. “Throughout the construction phase, we’ve worked closely with St Helens Council and contractor B&K to maximise local and regional economic benefits. It’s very pleasing to see the employment and apprenticeship opportunities that have been created and the positive school and community engagement that’s been delivered.” St Helens Borough Council Leader, Councillor David Baines, said: “ It’s incredible to think that this is a project which has only been a few years in the making, and the speed at which it’s happened is testament to a lot of hard work by a lot of people, from the initial idea and drive of people like Richard Katz, to Network Space and Bowmer and Kirkland and all those whose physical labour has built the amazing setting we see today. “Glass Futures also chose St Helens because our history, location, and potential speaks for itself. They know of our town centre regeneration plans; they know about our work to deliver social value, to create local jobs and develop the skills this industry and other modern industries need; and above all else, our ambition and theirs is equally high – for the borough and wider region, and not to forget the small matters of reaching net zero carbon and revolutionising the global glass industry. “In St Helens and the city region we’ve put our money where our mouth is and backed this project to the hilt. I’m serious when I talk about our ambition for St Helens and this project is a key part of our wider plans. Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City region, added: “Building on St Helens’ proud legacy in the glassmaking industry, Glass Futures will help retain the borough’s position as a global centre of excellence. I’m proud that we’ve been able to help make it happen with £9m of city region funding. “I have supported Glass Futures right from the very start, not just because it’s a great project but because it ticks so many boxes for us: decarbonisation of industry, clean energy, new well-paid jobs in a scheme that will make us a world leader. “If we are to hit our ambitious targets to be net zero carbon by 2040 at the latest, at least a decade ahead of national targets, then we will need transformative projects like this to help us – and the planet – get there.” Richard Katz, Chief Executive of Glass Futures concluded: “Ten years ago the founding members of Glass Futures had the idea of building a Global Centre of Excellence to make glass the low-carbon material of choice. We each subscribed to a powerful idea which has since attracted major government innovation funding and industry support leading to the completion of the build phase of the project which will become our new home. “But for us this handover is just the start. We’ll now begin an internal fit out and will install the world’s first openly accessible furnace to test commercially viable technology, which should be operational by January 2024. Capable of producing up to 30 tonnes of glass per day, we’ll be able to collaborate with our global membership, academic researchers and industry leaders to continue our ground-breaking trials into alternative energy sources, raw materials and technologies to demonstrate real decarbonisation solutions for the foundation industries.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals