Construction companies can now benefit from a ‘UK first’ innovation which allows three-metre aluminium flagpoles to be installed onto standard shipping containers used as site offices and stores. The new container flagpoles system enables contractors to make building sites highly visible to visitors and passers-by as soon as work starts
New safety and impact protection equipment from specialist Brandsafe has been specified for a major new warehouse and distribution centre in London. The move sees the UK based company supplying a range of its high-quality safety and protection equipment to online retailer Amazon’s 180,720 sq. ft. multi-storey site in Neasden. This includes
Caddick Construction has been appointed by Network Space Developments to deliver the recently approved 138,000 sq. ft Spitfire Court industrial scheme, part of the Triumph Business Park in Speke. Work is now started on site. Network Space Developments is bringing forward the £15m speculative scheme on behalf of Infrared Capital
GLP, a leading investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, announced today that it is starting construction on 1 million SQ FT of warehouse space across seven units and four sites in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, following the grant of planning permission. It is the largest programme
HBD Barnfield has marked two major milestones for Beacon 62, an 11.5-acre strategic gateway development in Huyton, Merseyside, with the completion of an 18,000 sq ft Aldi supermarket and detailed planning consent secured for a Euro Garages service station. HBD Barnfield is a joint venture partnership between property developer HBD
Stainforth Construction Ltd have been appointed by Barmston Developments a subsidiary of Leeds based Wilton Developments to deliver the final plot on the successful Enterprise 36 industrial park in Tankersley, South Yorkshire. The contractor will start on-site later this month to deliver an 80,500 sq ft HQ building for an
Evans Property Group has fully let Phase 1 at Quad, its £1.4 million York Business Park industrial scheme, within 3 months of practical completion. The property investor and developer has concluded lettings on all three recently developed units to Network Rail and leading European micro-mobility operator, TIER Operations Ltd with
Steel-frame specialists Wareing Buildings has completed the design and build of a major commercial development for Henco International. The site at Cropper Close on Whitehills Business Park in Blackpool consists of two units totalling 20,000 sq ft, which offer high-quality storage and distribution space for potential occupiers. The first unit,
Food production could be in full swing by the end of the year at a giant new Derbyshire industrial site. That’s if a planning application submitted by SmartParc gets the go-ahead in the near future. The company has applied to create a 155-acre, hi-tech food manufacturing campus on the former
Panattoni is delivering a 2.3 million sq ft logistics centre in Swindon for a major internet retailer which will be the biggest single-asset logistics letting, and funding deal, ever negotiated in the UK. The building in Swindon occupies a 68-acre site with dual carriageway access five minutes north of the
Construction companies can now benefit from a ‘UK first’ innovation which allows three-metre aluminium flagpoles to be installed onto standard shipping containers used as site offices and stores. The new container flagpoles system enables contractors to make building sites highly visible to visitors and passers-by as soon as work starts and before main site branding is installed. The innovation has been launched by Harrison Flagpoles, which is the UK’s only independent manufacturer of glassfibre, aluminium and stainless-steel flagpoles. Featuring a proprietary ‘twist and lock’ mechanism, the company believes it is the first manufacturer in the UK to design, build and launch a shipping container flagpole system. National housebuilder Redrow was the first company to benefit from the innovation and is initially using the container flagpoles for both branding and wayfinding at a number of sites in England’s southern and eastern regions. Harrison Flagpoles sales and marketing director, Anthony Leonard, commented: “Our container flagpole system enables construction companies to become highly visible as soon as work starts on site. As far as we are aware, we have achieved a UK first by being the only company in the country to design, build and launch this type of flagpole innovation. “Once a site is up and running, our container flagpoles can also be used as wayfinders to various locations on site such as first aid stations or security. We are able to provide clients with an integrated service from supply to installation and service, whilst also providing custom designed, branded and manufactured flags for the containers.” According to the company, the aluminium container flagpoles are easily installed and a one metre swivel arm top with a white mushroom finial means flags remain seen even if there is no wind. Founded in 1987, Harrison Flagpoles operates nationally and internationally from its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The company serves the construction, housebuilder, automotive, retail, hospitality, leisure and public sectors. For more information visit www.flagpoles.co.uk
New safety and impact protection equipment from specialist Brandsafe has been specified for a major new warehouse and distribution centre in London. The move sees the UK based company supplying a range of its high-quality safety and protection equipment to online retailer Amazon’s 180,720 sq. ft. multi-storey site in Neasden. This includes products designed to facilitate pedestrian and parking safety while improving vehicle traffic routing and calming for the site. The work also involves Brandsafe, which is working on the product specification side with project architects SMR Architects, providing consultancy and project design, together with a comprehensive package of aftersales service support. The Neasden site is part of on-going plans by Amazon to upgrade its international distribution infrastructure to improve its operations and boost deliveries to millions of customers. Several sites across the UK and Europe are either under new construction or being upgraded to provide state-of-the-art centres to meet the current and future operational requirements. Hundreds of items of impact protection products, including Armco safety barriers featuring integrated safety ends, corners and post caps together with pedestrian safety handrails, column protectors, bollards, speed bumps and flexible traffic delineators, are among a package of equipment being installed onsite by Brandsafe’s service team. Security caging, fencing, gate posts and panels have also been supplied. The equipment is manufactured at the company’s Milton Keynes site and sees close cooperation between product supplier and contractor teams as part of an extensive scope of work to provide added safety planning services and expertise. The project is the latest success for Brandsafe, which has produced a strong business performance in the last three years on the back of significant contract wins and a focus on new product development and introductions. Paul Roehricht, UK strategic account manager, said this is another success and boost for Brandsafe, reflecting its growing reputation as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of warehouse and distribution safety and impact protection products and integrated systems. He said: “This project shows how we continue to meet the requirements of our global customers, adding value in the process through bespoke planning and consultancy services. It also vindicates our continued investment in building our capability and expertise to be able to deliver time critical, complex and high-profile contracts.”
Caddick Construction has been appointed by Network Space Developments to deliver the recently approved 138,000 sq. ft Spitfire Court industrial scheme, part of the Triumph Business Park in Speke. Work is now started on site. Network Space Developments is bringing forward the £15m speculative scheme on behalf of Infrared Capital Partners Ltd. The development plot is currently vacant land to the south-west corner of the Park and the scheme will bring 12 Grade A industrial units to market, taking the total Park footprint to almost 1million sq. ft. The proposed units range in size from 3,000 sq. ft up to 34,000 sq. ft. Six larger warehouse units include ancillary first floor offices, designated parking spaces, generous service yards and loading door access. One sub-divided terraced unit houses a further six smaller business units. Spitfire Court will meet BREEAM Very Good standards and will be zero carbon ready, allowing for easy adoption of future renewable energy technologies. The wider Triumph Business Park site is a major storage, distribution and commercial hub, with 24-hour access, security lodge and entrance barrier. It’s strategically located less than one mile from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, with Liverpool South Parkway transport interchange 1 mile to the north for destinations across Merseyside with links to Birmingham and London Euston. Network Space Development Director, Joe Burnett added: “We are continuing to see good demand for this type of scheme at the moment and we are delighted to appoint Caddick and hit the ground running with a view to getting Spitfire Court ready for occupation by the end of 2021. I am confident that this project will have a hugely positive impact, not only for the continued regeneration success story of the former Triumph factory site, but also for the wider borough.” Caddick Construction Managing Director Ian Threadgold said: “We are delighted to be working with Network Space Developments once again and helping to bring this site back to full use. Despite slowdown concerns nationally, we are seeing a surge in industrial builds across the North West and the Liverpool City Region which can take advantage of the strong transport links and infrastructure, strengthened by a skilled regional workforce.” Triumph Business Park was originally acquired by InfraRed in 2019, for £30m from an undisclosed vendor. Architects for the scheme are AEW Architects. CBRE and B8 are appointed as agents with NSM providing asset management services across the Park.
GLP, a leading investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, announced today that it is starting construction on 1 million SQ FT of warehouse space across seven units and four sites in Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, following the grant of planning permission. It is the largest programme of speculative logistics real estate development currently underway in the UK. The development programme has been launched to satisfy the significant demand in an increasingly supply-constrained logistics real estate market in the UK. It follows GLP’s completion of 1.25 million SQ FT of speculative development at Magna Park South, Lutterworth in December 2020. Demand for larger warehouses has significantly expanded in recent years, particularly among e-commerce occupiers in need of more storage space. According to Savills, online sales in December 2020 were 51% higher year-on-year, with this growth trajectory expected to continue. As a result, warehouse take-up was 50.1 million SQ FT in 2020 – by far the strongest year on record. As part of the programme, GLP is developing the following units: Three distribution units of 126,000 SQ FT, 161,000 SQ FT and 249,000 SQ FT at G-Park Bedford Wixams A 133,000 SQ FT unit at G-Park Northampton, within the Moulton Park Estate Two units comprising 117,000 and 140,000 SQ FT at its new G-Park Milton Keynes development A 88,000 SQ FT unit, Magnitude 88, at GLP’s flagship logistics park Magna Park Milton Keynes The developments are expected to be available for occupancy in Summer 2021, while Magnitude 88 will be available at the end of Q1 2021. As part GLP’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, the sites will all benefit from a range of leading sustainability features including rainwater harvesting, energy monitoring, LED lighting technology and reduced embodied carbon in the construction process. Bruce Topley, Managing Director, GLP UK, said: “The growth of ecommerce in the UK has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic given the increased importance of home deliveries. As a result, we have seen a surge in demand for logistics real estate in the right locations. Customers are also seeking to reinforce their supply chains and increasingly require higher specification buildings and cutting-edge sustainability credentials. In response to this, we are excited to be bringing 1 million SQ FT of high-quality logistics space to the market which reaffirms our confidence in the continued strength of the UK and follows the completion of over 1.5 million SQ FT of speculative development last year. “All developments are in carefully selected locations with excellent transport links to key areas of the UK. Each unit will be developed with flexibility at the forefront of both the design and construction processes, enabling customers to tailor the space to individual requirements. We look forward to discussions with new and existing customers, working alongside them to meet their specific operational requirements and helping them grow their business.”
HBD Barnfield has marked two major milestones for Beacon 62, an 11.5-acre strategic gateway development in Huyton, Merseyside, with the completion of an 18,000 sq ft Aldi supermarket and detailed planning consent secured for a Euro Garages service station. HBD Barnfield is a joint venture partnership between property developer HBD and Barnfield Group. Barnfield Construction, the construction arm of the wider Barnfield Group, has undertaken all building works on the site, which is adjacent to both the M62 and M57 motorways. With construction works completed, the Aldi store opened to the public in September following a full internal fit out, creating 30 new jobs. This is the fifth contract with supermarket giant Aldi completed by Barnfield Group, with others in Clitheroe, St Helens, Burscough and Rhyl. Bryn Richards, Regional Property Director for Aldi Stores Ltd, commented: “The HBD Barnfield team has worked safely to remain on track and get the project to the completion stage throughout a difficult time for the industry over the last few months. We’ve received really positive comments from the local community who have visited the brand-new store.” Having now secured planning approval for phase two of the development, work will begin on a 2.5-acre plot to be occupied by a Petrol Filling Station (PFS), McDonalds and Starbucks for Blackburn-based Euro Garages. Phase 3 of the scheme comprises a 6-acre plot which has outline planning permission for business and industrial uses (or warehouse and storage subject to planning permission) and full planning permission for a car dealership. Plots are available for design and build opportunities or to buy/lease. When completed, it is expected that the Beacon 62 scheme will create up to 357 new jobs; a huge boost for the local area. Barnfield has extensive experience of leading joint venture companies, having successfully formed and operated several with both private sector and local authority partners, and is looking to grow the development arm of the business over the coming months. The Nelson-headquartered family-run business, which has been operating for more than 40 years, is currently on site delivering a range of mixed-use schemes nationwide across retail, commercial, industrial, residential and healthcare sectors. Tracy Clavell-Bate, Head of Development for Barnfield Group commented: “In a difficult climate, we’re pleased to have successfully delivered the first phase of what will be a popular, vibrant mixed-use scheme, and are looking forward to starting phase two. The final plot also offers another fantastic opportunity to be part of this thriving new business and retail destination.” Dan Lawrenson, Development Surveyor at HBD, said: “Beacon 62 is an important gateway site, which will bring significant investment into the area and create a notable number of new jobs. We have 6-acres now remaining across plots 3 and 4 and look forward to making further occupier announcements in the near future.” HBD is one of the UK’s leading property developers, working across the breadth of the country from seven regional offices. Its diverse portfolio includes big-brand retail, office space and logistics, through to residential innovation and award-winning heritage projects.Savills and Mason Owen have been appointed as joint agents for the scheme.
Stainforth Construction Ltd have been appointed by Barmston Developments a subsidiary of Leeds based Wilton Developments to deliver the final plot on the successful Enterprise 36 industrial park in Tankersley, South Yorkshire. The contractor will start on-site later this month to deliver an 80,500 sq ft HQ building for an undisclosed occupier. Enterprise 36 is a four-unit development located just 1 mile from J36 of the M1. Last year Barmston Developments, advised by CBRE & CPP, completed deals on Unit 4 to William Rowland and Unit 3 to label printing specialists Dura ID Solutions Ltd. Following the letting of Unit 1, just one unit remains available. The available 77,804 sq ft Unit 2 has been speculatively developed to a high specification and is ready for immediate occupation having recently achieved practical completion. The successful development of Enterprise 36 is being supported by Barnsley Council’s Enterprising Barnsley investment team and their nationally recognised BMBC Property Investment Fund. Jason Stowe Managing Director of Wilton Developments said; “Enterprise 36 has proven to be an attractive proposition for occupiers seeking high quality, well-connected accommodation with a range of design and build options. We are delighted to have now secured occupiers for three out of the four units and our agents are handling interest in the remaining unit which is ready for immediate occupation. The creation of new jobs is important more now than ever and we are pleased to be adding more roles to the regional offering.” Mike Baugh, Senior Director at CBRE Leeds, said; “Occupiers have been quick to secure deals at Enterprise 36, recognising the benefits of the scheme’s strategic M1 positioning and attracted by the delivery solutions provided by the developer. The regional logistics sector continues to flourish and we are pleased to have Unit 2 available in an increasingly diminishing supply of high quality well located units in Motorway locations.” Cllr Tim Cheetham, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “We are delighted that yet another business will be moving to Enterprise 36, assisted by our Enterprising Barnsley investment team. Enterprise 36 has been a real success story and demonstrates that by working in partnership with Barmston Developments, with the support of our Property Investment Fund, they have been able to deliver first class industrial premises in an excellent location”. CBRE are acting as joint agents on the scheme with CPP.
Evans Property Group has fully let Phase 1 at Quad, its £1.4 million York Business Park industrial scheme, within 3 months of practical completion. The property investor and developer has concluded lettings on all three recently developed units to Network Rail and leading European micro-mobility operator, TIER Operations Ltd with a fourth unit set to complete in the summer. The 4,225 sq ft Unit 1 has been let to TIER to help service its year-long agreement with York City Council to provide an e-scooter trial on the streets of York. Units 2 and 3, comprising 3,650 sq ft and 3,250 sq ft respectively, are let to Network Rail on a 5 year term and each unit contains integral office accommodation, secure parking and a fenced yard area. The Quad scheme, which was completed by contractor CBM Construction in September 2020, was developed to deliver high quality industrial/warehouse accommodation to the regional pipeline at a time when demand outweighs current supply. Located on Great North Way, the main estate road within the established York Business Park, the units are just 3 miles from York City Centre and front onto the York outer ring road and the A64. Evans has secured planning consent for an additional 5,250 sq ft Unit 4 at Quad and CBM Construction has commenced work with completion scheduled for summer 2021. Joint agents Flanagan James and Savills are marketing the unit to potential occupiers. The investment by Evans continues the firm’s long-standing interests in York Business Park which have spanned some three decades and included the delivery of units for Evans Easy Space and Evans Business Living. Richard Bean, Senior Asset Manager for Evans Property Group, said; “To have achieved full occupation of all three developed units at Quad within just 12 weeks of completion is a fantastic result. We are delighted to be able to assist TIER with accommodation to service its York e-scooter trial and to be welcoming National Rail on board to two units. The success of Phase 1 has enabled us to commence works on the next unit and our agents are currently handing interest in Unit 4.” Richard Flanagan, Director at Flanagan James, continued; “The industrial market in York is reflective of the wider national picture, where demand for all unit sizes is high and good quality units are in short supply. To have concluded deals on 3 units within 3 months at Quad demonstrates the quality of product and appeal of the strategic location and we are confident in securing a fourth occupier for the final unit which is currently under construction.”
Steel-frame specialists Wareing Buildings has completed the design and build of a major commercial development for Henco International. The site at Cropper Close on Whitehills Business Park in Blackpool consists of two units totalling 20,000 sq ft, which offer high-quality storage and distribution space for potential occupiers. The first unit, comprising 8,000 sq ft with an additional 2,000 sq ft of mezzanine, ‘grade A’ air-conditioned office space, has been let to gift and toy designers/distributors Floss & Rock who will take occupancy of the unit later this year. The remaining unit spans 12,000 sq ft, also offering the option of additional mezzanine offices, and has the potential to be split into two separate units covering approximately 5,000 sq ft and 7,000 sq ft. Both units at 7.5m to eaves benefit from excellent loading facilities with a large yard, including 25m turning circle and loading doors. Wareing Buildings’ role in the development included site preparation and clearance, implementing concrete foundations and strip footings, the fabrication and erection of the steel frame structure and construction of external cavity brick walls. Wareing Buildings also added a concrete floor slab with power float finish, roof and wall cladding and composite sheeting and aluminium-framed glazing. It is the latest in a series of projects that Wareing Buildings, based in Preston, has completed on behalf of commercial development and investment company Henco, which has been operating on the Fylde coast for more than 35 years. Henco owns several developments on Whitehills Business Park, a number of which were built by Wareing Buildings. The contractor was appointed to deliver six units at Apollo Court in 2013 totalling 12,000 sq ft, a four-unit development on Brooklands Way spanning 5,500 sq ft, which completed in 2017 as well as nine units at Juniper Court in 2018 totalling 13,000 sq ft. Whitehills Business Park provides easy access to the M55 which joins the M6 motorway, allowing ease of commuting throughout the North West and beyond. Commuting options are also available to the surrounding towns of Blackpool, St Annes and Lytham. Simon Tickle, estimator at Wareing Buildings, said: “Henco holds an extensive amount of space at Whitehills Business Park because it identified that the area offered fantastic commercial opportunities for businesses wanting to make Blackpool and the Fylde their home. “Since the first spade was put into the ground on the Apollo Court development in 2013, we have worked in partnership to develop spaces that will serve to drive forward the commercial sector in the region and make the area a thriving business hub. “This latest project once again offers something new to occupants, and we look forward to seeing which other exciting businesses take advantage of these high-quality facilities.” Chris Hibbert, Managing Director at Henco International said: “Whitehills Business Park offers a great opportunity for businesses operating on the Fylde Coast with new, high-quality buildings and a central location with easy access, just a stone’s throw from the regions motorway network.” “The Park continues to grow in occupier numbers, with approximately 750,000 sq ft of commercial premises now built, accommodating a diverse range of businesses. With over 2,000 new homes scheduled for development within a 2-mile radius and funding for the long-awaited M55 link road directly connecting Whitehills at Junction 4 to Lytham St Annes now secured, Whitehills provides a fantastic business location for the area.”
Food production could be in full swing by the end of the year at a giant new Derbyshire industrial site. That’s if a planning application submitted by SmartParc gets the go-ahead in the near future. The company has applied to create a 155-acre, hi-tech food manufacturing campus on the former Celanese site at Spondon. It will provide state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, start-up incubation units and a potential location for a food manufacturing technology centre of excellence. The idea is to combine purpose-built food production units and a central distribution facility bringing food producers together on one campus. In the process, it is expected to create up to 5,000 direct jobs. The company’s ambition is to provide a sustainable blueprint for the industry. This will harness the latest developments such as vertical farming and smart technology to improve production and energy efficiency, reducing costs and increasing competitive advantage for the site’s tenants. Vertical farming is a new development and is where crops are grown indoors in stacked layers, mitigating the vagaries of the weather and eliminating the need for pesticides. Jackie Wild, SmartParc chief executive, said: “We are delighted to take another step forward in our plans to put Derby at the heart of the UK’s future in sustainable, efficient food manufacturing. “We are liaising closely with local residents and stakeholders to ensure their views are incorporated in our plans to regenerate the site and exploring SME business and university partnerships to bring our collaborative next-generation sustainable food ecosystem to life. We are proud to be partnering with D2N2 and the city council to re-energise the local region.” Plans for the £300 million SmartParc project were first unveiled last August. Money towards the project has come from the Government’s Getting Building Fund via D2N2 and there is £12 million to help launch the scheme. It is hoped that bringing food producers together will reduce food waste, lower carbon output and increase UK food security. The campus would include a shared energy plant, designed to reduce energy consumption by 30%, and would harness the latest technology to improve production and efficiency, lowering costs by 20%. Councillor Chris Poulter, leader of Derby City Council said: “We are hugely excited to see the SmartParc scheme progressing so quickly and positively. The project fits perfectly with Derby’s future ambitions. “Its focus on innovation and lowering carbon outputs ticks key boxes in our economic recovery strategy. If planning is approved, it would greatly assist our efforts to diversify the city economy. And, of course, the project would create thousands of new jobs and rejuvenate a previously blighted but strategically important site.”
Panattoni is delivering a 2.3 million sq ft logistics centre in Swindon for a major internet retailer which will be the biggest single-asset logistics letting, and funding deal, ever negotiated in the UK. The building in Swindon occupies a 68-acre site with dual carriageway access five minutes north of the M4 J15. With a footprint of 625,000 sq ft, the building includes three internal, multi-level structural floors totalling 1,642,000 sq ft, 66,000 sq ft of offices on the ground floor and a further 70,000 sq ft of amenity areas. Planning was awarded in August 2020 and the first of 3,500 steel piles were driven a month later. Practical Completion of the BREEAM Excellent rated facility is due Q4 2021. A spokesman from Panattoni said: “The tenant requires the facility to be operational in Q4 2021, to achieve this demands a highly accelerated programme and complex phasing to facilitate fit-out of the MHE. When we acquired the site it already benefited from an outline consent, by bringing forward a separate Reserve Matters application we were able to implement works to construct the development plateau and 45 acres of structural landscaping, wetland and ecological habitat concurrent with the detailed planning application, thereby saving several weeks on over-all duration.” This deal follows on from Panattoni completing the biggest deal in continental Europe for the same client, at Gliwice in Poland. The Gliwice building is also 2.3 million sq ft, spread over four storeys, and boasts one of the most advance fit outs in Europe. Panattoni is this internet retailer’s largest delivery provider in Europe, and currently have globally around 60 – 70 transactions with this party. The need for buildings on the scale of these giants is only going to grow, driven by the demands of online retail. Panattoni are uniquely placed to meet the need for such buildings across Europe and in the UK, with development opportunities in strategic locations across the country, most, like Swindon, with the necessary planning in place to respond quickly to occupier demand. The spokesman added: “The selection of these locations is key to attracting major international businesses, including the biggest retail brands. We acquire sites that offer easy access to the trunk road network and are easy to reach for locally recruited employees. This gives occupiers the strategic reach required for an RDC or NDC while making it easy to recruit the right people. “While all our sites are available for bespoke warehouses, on many of them, we continue to roll out our spec build programme and we remain, by some measure, the biggest spec developer in the UK. “Our proactive approach to land acquisition, combined with our ability to leverage global capital markets, puts us in a uniquely strong position to continue delivering the very large warehouses the modern economy needs,” he said.