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
GLP, a leading investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, announced today that it has completed the development of over 1.25 million SQ FT of modern logistics space at Magna Park South, Lutterworth. The new development includes three units of 746,000 SQ FT, 126,000 SQ FT and 300,000
A key milestone has today been reached with construction works beginning at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton Gateway. Since Summer 2020, SEGRO has been conducting enabling works, which include ecology, archaeology and ground investigations to prepare the site – which is strategically located next to junction 15 on the M1 motorway
LGIM Real Assets (Legal & General), on behalf of its Managed Property Fund, and development partner Wrenbridge, announce that they have secured planning permission to transform a 107,000 sq ft industrial development at Gateway Cambridge in Bar Hill. This latest planning permission is in line with the fund’s strategy to
If you have many storage containers on-site, it can be hard to ensure that all of them are safe and secured from damage, theft, and break-ins. More often than not, storage containers have pricey items that need to be protected. If you want to ensure that your storage containers are
RPMI Railpen (Railpen), the investment manager for the £30bn railways pension schemes, and Wrenbridge have achieved planning consent for a 185,000 sq ft warehouse development in Dartford, set to create approximately 500 new jobs. The 9-acre site, which was acquired by Railpen in February 2020, will comprise five Grade A
Paul Roehricht, UK strategic account manager for Brandsafe, considers the critical role aftersales care and partnership plays in delivering the highest standards of safety and protection in the warehouse and logistics environment. It should really go without saying that taking care of your customers once you have provided and installed
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.
GLP, a leading investor and developer of logistics warehouses and distribution parks, announced today that it has completed the development of over 1.25 million SQ FT of modern logistics space at Magna Park South, Lutterworth. The new development includes three units of 746,000 SQ FT, 126,000 SQ FT and 300,000 SQ FT which are all available for immediate occupancy. Unit 4 which comprises a 99,000 SQ FT has been leased prior to completion on a ten-year term and will be operational for the customer in January 2021. In line with GLP’s sustainability ambitions, the development includes a range of features such as environmental analytics, resulting in 15% less operational carbon emissions and 12% less embodied carbon. The unit is also 100% PV-ready and designed to WELLprinciples. Magna Park Lutterworth is the UK’s first and Europe’s largest dedicated logistics and distribution park. The development of this unit was part of its ongoing expansion from 9 million SQ FT of floor space to nearly 16 million SQ FT in the coming years. GLP is also developing a series of new amenities, including wellness and recreation facilities as well as the new Logistics Institute of Technology (LIT). Magna Park Lutterworth benefits from excellent transport links to the rest of the UK, with 59.3 million people, or 85% of the UK population, within a four-hour drive of the development as a result of its easy access to the M1, M6 and M69 motorways. Olivia Hinds, Development Surveyor, GLP, said: “The recent expansion of Magna Park South and leasing of the first unit solidifies its position as the leading dedicated logistics and distribution park in Europe. We are pleased to have leased Unit 4 prior to its completion date and look forward to working with the new customer as it becomes operational at the unit next year. “We now have a total of 1.17 million SQ FT of logistics space available to lease at Magna Park South, Lutterworth, spread over 3 units. We are confident that this will be in high demand as ecommerce growth in our sector continues to fuel interest for warehouse space across the UK in a supply constrained market.”
A key milestone has today been reached with construction works beginning at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton Gateway. Since Summer 2020, SEGRO has been conducting enabling works, which include ecology, archaeology and ground investigations to prepare the site – which is strategically located next to junction 15 on the M1 motorway – ahead of construction. Once developed, the 450 acre site will become a multi-modal logistics hub in the UK Midlands, with five million square feet of modern, highly sustainable warehousing and logistics facilities, including a dedicated 35 acre Strategic Rail Freight Interchange that will have the capacity for up to 16 trains a day. SEGRO is investing £190 million into infrastructures works, including new rail connections and significant improvements to the strategic road network, incorporating major upgrades to Junctions 15 and 15a on the M1, a new bridge over the West Coast Mainline, and building a bypass around Roade, and safer junctions along the A508. This work will be delivered in partnership with Highways England, Network Rail and local authorities. In addition to delivering road and rail improvements for the region, the scheme will create around 7500 direct jobs, with around 120 created during the infrastructure construction phase. Working alongside the local council and community partners, SEGRO is set to deliver an employment skills programme that will provide training for members of the community, enabling them to become active members of the workforces created by the scheme. The scheme will incorporate over 80 acres of parkland and amenity grassland, with 18km of foot paths, 20km of hedgerows and the planting of 60,000 new trees. The first plots are expected to be available for buildings in late 2021, with the completion of the infrastructure works anticipated by the end of 2023. Andrew Pilsworth, SEGRO’s Managing Director, National Logistics, said: “The start of construction at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton Gateway is an exciting and positive milestone. “Now more than ever are we witnessing the vital role logistics is playing in supporting the UK economy and it’s clear that businesses are relying on well located, sustainable facilities from which they can meet their customers’ demands. “SEGRO Park Northampton Gateway is excellently located with easy access to key road networks and with the new rail links and Strategic Rail Freight Interchange, will present great opportunities for businesses to flourish.”
LGIM Real Assets (Legal & General), on behalf of its Managed Property Fund, and development partner Wrenbridge, announce that they have secured planning permission to transform a 107,000 sq ft industrial development at Gateway Cambridge in Bar Hill. This latest planning permission is in line with the fund’s strategy to evolve its asset holdings and deploy capital into key growth areas, such as the industrial sector, which have retained strong fundamentals. Despite the economic downturn, the fund has continued to drive forward this mandate and recently also announced the acquisition of a significant urban logistics scheme in Basildon for £23.2 million. Once complete, Gateway Cambridge will comprise eight Grade A units, ranging in size from 3,046 sq ft to 45,694 sq ft. Bar Hill is strategically located on the newly improved A14 with excellent connectivity to Cambridge and the M11. The area represents a popular location for industrial occupiers, with excellent amenity on the doorstep and a large workforce available. In line with Legal & General’s wider ESG commitments, Bar Hill has been designed from its inception to be a best in class, environmentally sustainable industrial development which focuses on staff wellbeing. As redevelopment gets underway, Legal & General will look to further bolster the ESG credentials of the new Gateway Cambridge scheme. Rob Codling, Senior Fund Manager, Managed Property Fund said:“Gateway Cambridge, Bar Hill was acquired by the Managed Property Fund in 2006 and is now well placed for modernisation. In line with its strategy, the fund is continuing to maximise holdings where we can be confident that location, occupier demand and sector fundamentals will sustain resilient income streams for the long term. At Bar Hill, we look forward to delivering a high-quality, sustainable development which can provide both economic value and employment opportunities to the local area.” James Feltham, Director at Wrenbridge, added:“The industrial sector continues to thrive, with demand for quality new space outstripping supply. Gateway Cambridge will deliver new units in a size range to cater for a range of occupiers and our focus is to provide a new sustainable development in an environment that will help companies attract and retain staff.” Bidwells and Savills are appointed as the leasing agents for the new development.
If you have many storage containers on-site, it can be hard to ensure that all of them are safe and secured from damage, theft, and break-ins. More often than not, storage containers have pricey items that need to be protected. If you want to ensure that your storage containers are secured, there’s no limit on how much fortification you can place to safeguard your products and business. Besides, it’s better safe than sorry. So, make sure to read below to know the different ways to protect your storage container and avoid security mishaps: One way to protect your storage container is by using a quality, heavy-duty shipping container lock. Without a lock, thieves can break open your container when no one is looking. Choose a lock that is difficult to breach, heavy-duty, and made of steel. Also, ensure that the lock is weather-resistant since you don’t want it to erode due to harsh weather conditions. It’s also a good idea to use two or more locks for your storage containers for backup protection in case one of them is breached or broken. There are different heavy-duty locks, including the following: 2. Take Advantage Of Perimeter Fencing Take note that there are many ways to secure your shipping containers. Placing them within a fenced area is deters stealing and keeps your containers out of reach. It is a good idea to put up barbed wire fences around the property. There’s also an option to add barred or metal fencing around the containers. See to it that local laws allow security fences on your property. 3. Consider Video Surveillance If your storage containers are on your property, it’s wise to include video surveillance and security cameras. Like alarms, a visible security camera can be a great deterrent to trespassing on your property or breaking into your storage containers. Even if criminals do break into your containers, your video surveillance system can help you get to the bottom of the theft attempt and give ample evidence to the authorities. 4. Use An Alarm System It’s one of the best ways to keep your containers secure. If somebody starts messing with your container’s lock, an alarm system can scare them off and alert the authorities. Setting up a camera could be an added deterrent. Conclusion When it comes to storage containers, there’s no such thing as too safe. Thieves will always find a way to break open any containers storing valuables. So, make sure to follow suggestions in protecting your storage container to achieve peace of mind.
RPMI Railpen (Railpen), the investment manager for the £30bn railways pension schemes, and Wrenbridge have achieved planning consent for a 185,000 sq ft warehouse development in Dartford, set to create approximately 500 new jobs. The 9-acre site, which was acquired by Railpen in February 2020, will comprise five Grade A warehouse units ranging in size from 13,000 sq ft to 73,000 sq ft. Work on the new development is scheduled to start in October, and due for completion in June 2021. The new development will form part of The Bridge, a 1.8m sq ft mixed-use development which currently provides commercial accommodation for occupiers such as Mercedes, DHL, Sainsbury’s and Network Rail. The site is easily accessible from Central London and other areas of Kent via major motorway and railway links, and benefits from close proximity to Junction 1A of the M25 corridor and City Airport. The new buildings will also have excellent sustainability credentials, with Railpen and Wrenbridge targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating and Planet Mark Certification. Alastair Dawson, Senior Asset Manager at Railpen, commented: “Despite the challenges presented by the current Covid-19 crisis, we are pleased to be able to efficiently move forward with this major project. Achieving consent for Dartford is a great step in expanding Railpen’s industrial portfolio, and the subsequent creation of jobs reflects the keen focus on social aspects of our investment strategy.” Jeff Wilson, Director at Wrenbridge, added: “Securing planning consent in such a short period of time is testament to our innovative and highly sustainable development plans. The scheme, and those working within it, will benefit from a range of high quality environmentally advanced technologies all within a landscaped setting with amenity on the doorstep.” The newly approved Dartford development joins a wide range of real estate assets owned and managed by RPMI Railpen, including a new scheme of six high specification warehouse units in Waltham Cross, also in partnership with Wrenbridge, which is due to complete in March 2021. CBRE, Cushmam & Wakefield and Glenny have been appointed as the leasing agents for the new development.
Paul Roehricht, UK strategic account manager for Brandsafe, considers the critical role aftersales care and partnership plays in delivering the highest standards of safety and protection in the warehouse and logistics environment. It should really go without saying that taking care of your customers once you have provided and installed products is best practice and the number one priority for any supplier. But too often in the scramble to deliver and look for new customers, it can be to easy to fail to follow through or appreciate that active aftercare can be beneficial for business. Indeed, aftersales care and support reflects a genuine insight into customer needs as well as an opportunity for a supplier to secure additional business in future: it’s been estimated that margins generated by post-sales activities can be several times higher than those of initial product sales. Good customer service does not stop once a purchase has been made, installed and your team has left the building. It’s only right that customers investing significant sums in safety and impact protection systems – indeed, any products – deserve the highest quality service, fast and effective resolution of problems or queries, as well as a touch of added value. Understanding demand and managing the supply chain efficiently to secure product stock levels, supported by the deployment to customer sites of skilled, well resourced service teams, who understand the nuances and critical issues on the ground when it comes to onsite installation of systems and products, are key ingredients in a recipe for getting things right first time, every time. For example, if you cannot supply customers with the right part or product when they need it, and then install properly, they will go elsewhere. Positive experience Customers will be far more satisfied if they see your demonstrable focus on service and aftercare support, too. They’re more likely to purchase from you in the future if they have a positive experience of your company and project management capabilities – they may even recommend the brand to other potential customers as a result. For most companies, better service and aftersales support boosts revenue, delivers greater profitability and inevitably creates a powerful competitive advantage for the brand. Simply put, it’s good business. Undoubtedly, the current pandemic is re-shaping the way many organisations conduct business. And this can be reflected in the role partnership plays in areas such as project management – and how sector suppliers such as Brandsafe go the extra mile. Suppliers and customers who adopt a partnership approach can see rewards and reap significant benefits; particularly in the warehouse and logistics industry, which has been prone to accusations of unwillingness to share best practice and engage collaboratively on safety matters to drive wholesale improvements for the benefit of all sector operators. Supply chain collaboration has a lot to offer. Relying on your supply partner to effectively project manage critical installations, for example, can reduce costs while improving quality and service levels. As we see online sales surge as a result of the pandemic seemingly without end, many retailers and distributors are peddling fast to re-organise and invest to either upgrade or redevelop existing warehouse infrastructures, or build new multi-complexes and international distribution hubs to accommodate strategic growth and expansion. Operators may be rightly concerned about investing at a time when managing the bottom line is crucial but, with so much current change in consumer behaviour and purchasing decisions, there is no time for businesses to rest on their laurels. Indeed, online sales in 2020 are expected to grow 19% year-on-year, up from pre-pandemic estimates of 11%, rising from a total of £66bn in 2019 to almost £80bn this year. Some forecasters suggest UK e-commerce will grow in value by as much as £5.3bn by the end of the year. Supermarket supply chains are also seeing big surges in demand, placing additional pressure on their distribution and supply chain infrastructure. Partnership delivers Skilled labour, which should be utilised effectively, is a resource in short supply, whose use must be effectively deployed. Many businesses in the warehouse and logistics sector might not be able attract or retain all the skills they require to support their capital investment and redevelopment plans, or may need these skills on a more flexible basis. Working in partnership with your supplier, who will have the requisite experience and expertise in place and available for use, will add even more supply chain value and allow people to benefit from skilled resources. Innovative approaches can be shared throughout our sector, opening up advantages and delivering benefits for all. Partnership can make things a lot easier, quicker and cheaper, helping to support your health and safety commitments as you move into new geographical areas, expand operations or enter markets to access new customers and opportunities. It will unquestionably facilitate new dynamics in the supplier/customer relationship, paving the way to mutually beneficial commercial and operational advantages. So in a sector that constantly evolves to meet the ebb and flow of changing consumer tastes and faces challenges around keeping people safe and secure while maximising productivity, surely there’s no better time to explore partnership with your suppliers and the role it plays in delivering the highest standards of protection? More at www.brandsafeprotection.com