Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, will speculatively develop the final two units at its sustainable logistics development in Aylesford, Kent, after agreeing pre-lets for the rest of the space. The two units of 100,000 sq ft and 130,000 sq ft at Panattoni Park Aylesford, which are
A business event hosted in partnership with Crewe and Nantwich MP, Dr Kieran Mullan, has attracted interest from more than 40 companies in the local area who are all keen to play their part in HS2’s construction and seize the opportunity for future business growth. The event, held at Crewe
hub South West Scotland and Cruden Building, part of the Cruden Group, have started work on a third affordable housing development in Avon Road in Larkhall on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council. This is the third new housing development in a series of new developments that Cruden, as hub South
Work Starts On Speculative Development Of Circa 650,000 Sq Ft in Five New Industrial Units Citrus Durham (“Citrus”) has secured £75M funding to enable the speculative development of circa 650,000 sq ft of new industrial space, to be known as Connect, at the Integra 61 mixed-use project at J61 of
Caddick Construction, on behalf of Caddick Group and AAA Property Group, has completed 180,000 sq ft of commercial space at Moor Park 25, Mirfield, West Yorkshire. The second phase of this industrial and logistics development includes five new buildings ranging from 19,000-59,000 sq ft. The development at Moor Park 25,
Experts create ‘UK Regeneration Hotspot’ ranking Study unveils Westminster as the UK’s top regeneration hotspot With the last two years presenting many challenges for businesses in hospitality and changes to how their customers behave, many have had to look at ways to upgrade and invest in their commercial spaces. Following
HBD and the Barnfield Group have submitted outline planning permission for a 25ha employment scheme at Roman Way in Preston which, if approved, has the potential to create circa 1,500 jobs. The proposed development would deliver circa 800,000 sq. ft. of new industrial and warehouse space, helping to ease the
Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, today acquired zero trust cybersecurity provider – Tempered Networks, based in Seattle, Washington. Tempered Networks has created ‘Airwall’ technology, an advanced self-defence system for buildings that enables secure network access across diverse groups of endpoint devices, edge
• National Grid’s Tunnel Boring Machine completes almost 7km journey across South London • 140-tonne machine travelled at depths of up to 50m from Hurst to Eltham • Key moment for £1 billion project to rewire London and prepare it for future electricity demands National Grid team members were celebrating
Construction at Millwrights Place and Coopers Court, Finzels Reach, Bristol, has reached a major milestone with ‘topping out’ being achieved. The projects form the second Cubex/Grainger Build to Rent scheme in the city, providing high-quality rental homes and much needed affordable new homes for Abri. Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member
Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, will speculatively develop the final two units at its sustainable logistics development in Aylesford, Kent, after agreeing pre-lets for the rest of the space. The two units of 100,000 sq ft and 130,000 sq ft at Panattoni Park Aylesford, which are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023, will be built to a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ and an EPC rating of ‘A’. They will benefit from 15m clear internal height, 2 level access doors, electric charging points for cars, access to the park’s car share scheme and 50m yard depths. The development of the speculative units follows the success of the recent pre-lets at the park to DHL, Fowler Welch and Evri. Panattoni is in detailed discussions with other occupiers for the remainder of the space at the park. Panattoni is developing a high-quality logistics space on the former Aylesford Newsprint site, close to junction 4 of the M20, to serve London and the south east. Panattoni Park Aylesford is a £180 million investment in high-quality, sustainable logistics development, infrastructure, parking, landscaping and access, including the new £7 million Bellingham Way link road. The sustainability strategy aims to minimise the operational use of carbon, which includes some scope three emissions from tenant activity and installed equipment and systems such as heating and lighting. Every building at the park will have air source heat pumps to control temperature in the offices and photovoltaic panels on the roofs. It is expected that these measures will generate up to 15% reductions in regulated energy use across the building. Panattoni is also working in partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust to achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity at the site. Tony Watkins, Development Director at Panattoni, said: “Our decision to speculatively develop the final two units at Aylesford reflects the strong demand from occupiers looking to benefit from its excellent location. “In just nine months since we acquired the site, we have let nearly 80% of the space. We are on site delivering multiple buildings with the first ones ready for occupation in the third quarter of this year, we look forward to welcoming them to the Park and other occupiers to follow”. Agents at Panattoni Park Aylesford are CBRE, Avison Young and JLL.
A business event hosted in partnership with Crewe and Nantwich MP, Dr Kieran Mullan, has attracted interest from more than 40 companies in the local area who are all keen to play their part in HS2’s construction and seize the opportunity for future business growth. The event, held at Crewe Alexander’s Mornflake Stadium, gave businesses of all sizes the opportunity to understand more about HS2’ current and future pipeline of contract opportunities so they can be among the first to benefit. Dr Kieran Mullan MP said: ‘’It was great to see the enthusiasm displayed at the event and I am keen to see businesses here in Crewe benefit from HS2. “Hearing the success stories from companies delivering work on the first phase of the project is extremely encouraging. I’m grateful to HS2 for working with me to host this event so that our local businesses are in the best possible position to benefit.” With plans already in place to extend the HS2 network to Crewe, and the Bill to extend the railway between Crewe and Manchester currently going through Parliament, Crewe finds itself in an enviable position at the heart of Britain’s new high speed network. The town is already among three in the Midlands and the North set to benefit from contract awards supporting the manufacture and maintenance of HS2’s fleet of 54 high speed trains, which will be the fastest in Europe and among the world’s most energy efficient. Crewe’s Alstom factory secured the contact to make the trains’ bogies, bringing the manufacture of these vital components back to the UK for the first time in over 15 years, supporting jobs and opening opportunities for more local businesses across the supply chain. Matt Hadlington, Senior Business Engagement Manager at HS2 said: “Getting job-ready for the thousands of upcoming HS2 contract opportunities is vital, and this event was designed to help businesses in Crewe understand exactly how to do that. “Over 2,500 UK business are already engaged in our supply chain, but we want to see more companies in Crewe stepping forward to take advantage of the opportunities on their doorstep.” As part of its continued drive to help local businesses win work, HS2 is now working with closely with South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership to host a roundtable session with HS2’s civils construction partners. This will allow greater insight into the tier two and three contract opportunities that they will be creating in the months and years ahead. For more information about joining HS2’s supply chain visit hs2.org.uk/supply-chain/
hub South West Scotland and Cruden Building, part of the Cruden Group, have started work on a third affordable housing development in Avon Road in Larkhall on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council. This is the third new housing development in a series of new developments that Cruden, as hub South West Scotland’s construction partner, is building in South Lanarkshire to support the local housing strategy. The latest £6.5m project, designed by MAST Architects, will see 38 new homes developed at the former site of Craigbank Primary School on the edge of Morgan Glen. This modern housing development will consist of several house types, ranging from one bedroom cottage flats to four-bedroom semi-detached properties. All of the homes are equipped with a number of energy-efficient features including photovoltaic (solar) panels. Work on this latest development comes as hub South West Scotland and Cruden have successfully completed two new housing developments for South Lanarkshire Council, supported by grant funding from the Scottish Government – Auldkirk, a £7.4m 48-unit development in Cambuslang, and Glengonnar, a £3.48m 20-unit housing development in Larkhall. Councillor David McLachlan, Chair of Housing and Technical Resources at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “I’m delighted that the Council is continuing its commitment to increase the supply of affordable housing across South Lanarkshire. By working with a range of partners, the council aims to ensure the needs of tenants continue to be met and the quality and type of available housing is improved.” Michael Ross, Chief Executive of hub South West Scotland, added: “We are excited that construction is underway on the Avon Road housing development in Larkhall. This is our fifth social housing project as development partner of South Lanarkshire Council and our third social housing project with Cruden Building as our construction partner. With all these projects, we have been able to see the valuable impact of enhancing the local housing strategy along with the benefits to the local community and economy in using the hub South West partnership model. Gordon Lee, Partnering and Procurement Director of Cruden Building said: “This is an important milestone as we start work building this third modern and sustainable housing development for hub South West Scotland and South Lanarkshire Council. Not only will this trio of housing developments make a huge difference to the lives of residents, but the wide range of benefits to the local community will leave a lasting legacy for years to come.”
Work Starts On Speculative Development Of Circa 650,000 Sq Ft in Five New Industrial Units Citrus Durham (“Citrus”) has secured £75M funding to enable the speculative development of circa 650,000 sq ft of new industrial space, to be known as Connect, at the Integra 61 mixed-use project at J61 of the A1(M), Durham. Avison Young and Colliers acted for Citrus Durham on the funding. Connect will comprise a 342,000 sq ft industrial/logistics development of four high quality units ranging from 43,000 to 152,000 sq ft. In addition, a 298,000 sq ft stand-alone, 15 metre high bay industrial/warehouse unit will be delivered on an adjacent plot. Connect 298 will be the largest speculatively developed industrial/warehouse unit in the North East for over a decade and will fill a crucial void in the regional supply pipeline. Avison Young and CBRE will be marketing the new units to potential occupiers, helping to meet the demand for high quality new build industrial/warehouse accommodation in the region. GMI Construction has been appointed as contractor for the build and work has started on site with the Connect units ready for occupation in summer next year. The acute shortages of high-quality modern logistics/industrial supply in the North East have been analysed by the Citrus team and the units have been sized to satisfy the growing regional demand for units in this range. Integra 61 is one of the North East’s most significant regeneration projects with outline consent in place for over 3 million sq ft of employment space with the potential to create some 4,000 jobs. Already home to Amazon’s 2m sq ft Fulfilment Centre, occupiers can choose design and build packages for units to meet their specific requirements, and this speculative phase of development will satisfy those companies looking for space that is already under construction. David Cullingford, Project Lead for Integra 61 and Citrus, said; “The funding will accelerate delivery of the next phase of development at Integra 61. 2022 is proving to be an exciting year with lots of activity on-site and we are looking forward to delivering these new speculative units as quickly as possible. We have a real opportunity here to make a significant contribution to the regional pipeline for industrial/logistics accommodation and to ease the well-documented shortages in the North East. This is a thriving region with a superb workforce and businesses and we hope to bring more jobs and opportunities with this next multi-million pound investment at Integra 61.” Located at J61 of the A1(M), Integra 61 is just 4 miles away from the City of Durham and will also include circa 270 new homes, 70-bed hotel, family pub/restaurant, nursery, drive-thrus and a number of trade counter/roadside units all adding to the diverse offering.
Caddick Construction, on behalf of Caddick Group and AAA Property Group, has completed 180,000 sq ft of commercial space at Moor Park 25, Mirfield, West Yorkshire. The second phase of this industrial and logistics development includes five new buildings ranging from 19,000-59,000 sq ft. The development at Moor Park 25, located in close proximity to Junction 25 of the M62, started in 2019. Phase 1 completed in 2020 and was immediately let to Incora, the aeronautics supply chain specialist. Caddick Developments subsequently ‘forward sold’ this next phase of five units to AAA Property Group, which also purchased the Phase 1 building as part of its expansion into the industrial and logistics sector. Identified as one of 10 Enterprise Zones across Leeds City Region, it is set to inject a cash boost of up to £12.5million to the local economy. All five new units are in advanced negotiations. Caddick Construction, with support from KPP Architects, was retained for both phases and worked alongside structural and engineering consultancy Dudleys, engaged specifically to support Phase 2. Chris Wilson, Commercial Development Director, of Caddick Construction said: “It’s great to see such demand for the units resulting in the scheme being fully let well before completion. The quality of the build, its facilities and prime connectivity to the M62 corridor are all particularly sought after in the north, in a very competitive market.” Myles Hartley, managing director of Caddick Development said:“With demand for light industrial and logistics floorspace continuing to grow a-pace, we’re delighted to be delivering what growing local and regional businesses want. It’s great seeing the project come to completion, and we look forward to the benefits it will bring to the region’s economy and growth.” Anil Chima, director of AAA Property Group added:“We are delighted to have been able to work with fellow Yorkshire-based Caddick, and be able to bring forward a scheme that will contribute so positively to the local areas – particularly in light of the need for Covid-19 economic recovery. The investment into the project will provide many jobs as well as provide much-needed industrial space in the region.” The project has involved working closely with both Kirklees Council, and the Leeds City Region (LEP) in their role overseeing key strategic enterprise zones. Joint agents on the project are Avison Young and Dove Haigh Philips.
Experts create ‘UK Regeneration Hotspot’ ranking Study unveils Westminster as the UK’s top regeneration hotspot With the last two years presenting many challenges for businesses in hospitality and changes to how their customers behave, many have had to look at ways to upgrade and invest in their commercial spaces. Following a 100% increase in searches for the term “UK regeneration projects” over the last 12 months¹, leading structural glass manufacturer, Specialist Glass Products issued Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 423 local councils to discover the number of empty commercial properties across the UK in February 2019 and 2022 in order to identify the areas with the biggest opportunity for regeneration. Analysing the data², the top ten hottest spots for regeneration are: City of Westminster – 8,456 London Borough of Tower Hamlets – 3,784 Leeds City Council – 3,567 Trafford Council – 2,967 City of Glasgow – 2,758 Salford City Council – 2,178 Birmingham City Council – 2,153 Cheshire East – 1,625 London Borough of Hackney – 1,461 North West Leicestershire – 1,160 Altogether, there were 89,371 empty commercial buildings across the UK in February 2022, a 21% increase compared to pre-pandemic (February 2019). Central London has the most prominent opportunity for regeneration as local councils, the City of Westminster and London Borough of Tower Hamlets, take the top two spots. A total of 8,456 commercial properties were empty and available in the City of Westminster and 3,784 in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. According to the UK Regeneration Hotspot list, the northern city of Leeds is the third biggest area of opportunity for regeneration. If you were hoping to relocate your business to God’s Own Country, 3,567 buildings are currently unoccupied in Leeds. Other northern areas to make the top ten include Trafford Council (2967) and the City of Glasgow (2758). The results suggest both councils in the North and South have an equal opportunity for regeneration, with four councils each in the top ten. Two local councils from the Midlands also made the top ten, Birmingham (2153) and North West Leicestershire (1160).` The new study from Specialist Glass Products also revealed which local councils were most impacted by COVID-19 by comparing the number of empty commercial properties in 2022 against 2019. Of the councils which held the information, the following councils saw dramatic increases in empty properties and made the top three: St Albans City & District Council by 855% Inverclyde Council by 700% Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) by 518% Andrew Taylor, managing director at Specialist Glass Products, commented on the study: “It has been a testing couple of years for many businesses with multiple lockdowns and restrictions, Brexit and inflation in energy and cost of living. “Hospitality businesses, in particular, have had to find ways to adapt to the new ways of living by sourcing new commercial space with large external areas that are more sustainable. When searching for an area to invest in, business owners should always be on the lookout for areas pushing regeneration; this is often an indication of future growth and demand. “If you would prefer to stay where you are and simply adapt current space, business owners should seek alternate materials such as glass which has many functional and decorative qualities. Structural glass can be used to create outdoor dining spaces such as roofing and balustrading, glass dining pods and takeaway windows with greater security from severe weather and durability in elevated temperatures. “With July temperatures averaging a daily high of 21 degrees Celsius in the UK, indoor temperatures can get stuffy and uncomfortable, especially if in direct sunlight. By implementing energy-efficient coated glass into commercial design, you can help keep interiors cool in the hotter months and warm in the colder months.” You can find the full results of the study here: https://www.specialistglass.co.uk/the-uks-top-regeneration-hotspots/
HBD and the Barnfield Group have submitted outline planning permission for a 25ha employment scheme at Roman Way in Preston which, if approved, has the potential to create circa 1,500 jobs. The proposed development would deliver circa 800,000 sq. ft. of new industrial and warehouse space, helping to ease the significant shortage of suitable buildings within the region. The site, an allocated employment site within Preston City Council’s Local Plan, sits to the east of the existing Roman Way Industrial Estate; a large and well-established industrial development. Chris Newsome, Senior Development Surveyor at HBD, said: “The site is very well-connected, close to the motorway network and within just 1.2 miles of the M6, making it an ideal location for an industrial scheme of this caliber. It also sits adjacent to the very successful Roman Way Industrial Estate and would help to address the shortage of high-quality industrial space within the region, while providing thousands of new jobs.” If the planning application is successful, infrastructure work would start on site later this year. Tracy Clavell-Bate, Head of Development for Barnfield Group, said: “It is great to get the site to the planning stage; it hasn’t been without its challenges, but we are sure with it being a natural extension to the existing Roman Way site, which is fully occupied, that the development will be extremely successful if planning is granted.” HBD and Barnfield have worked closely with the council since 2020 when initial pre-application discussions began. Since then, a range of technical experts and specialist consultants have been involved in completing comprehensive site assessments, alongside architects Fletcher Rae and Iceni Planning Consultants. Ridge was tasked with assessing flood risk and drainage, Bowland handled ecology and arboriculture, Mode managed highways, Sandy Brown handled acoustics and Applied Geology has considered any geo-environmental factors. Dean Young of Young &Co acted for the landowner. The proposed scheme is the latest of several industrial projects delivered in joint venture by HBD and the Barnfield Group. EAST, an 18-acre strategic development site, is also located in Preston and has proved very successful; its 70,000 sq. ft. first phase was fully let prior to practical completion and the rest of the site under offer. The partnership has also developed an 11.5-acre site in Huyton, Beacon 62, creating around 357 new jobs and transforming an important gateway site.
Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, today acquired zero trust cybersecurity provider – Tempered Networks, based in Seattle, Washington. Tempered Networks has created ‘Airwall’ technology, an advanced self-defence system for buildings that enables secure network access across diverse groups of endpoint devices, edge gateways, cloud platforms and service technicians. It represents a step-change in operational technology built on secure transmission pipelines to ensure buildings data exchanges and service actions can only take place between people and devices that are continuously authenticated. The acquisition gives Johnson Controls the capability to provide zero trust security within the fabric of its OpenBlue secure communications stack, advancing its vision of enabling fully autonomous buildings that are inherently resilient to cyberattack. How Airwall Works Tempered Networks Airwall technology uses the Host Identity Protocol and a cloud-based policy orchestration platform to create new overlay networks built on encrypted and authenticated communication. The policy manager (a.k.a. the conductor) enforces configured digital policies that control connections within the cloaked overlay system. The default position for the policy manager is ‘zero trust’, i.e., only allowing connections between continuously authenticated and authorised entities. Once a communicating device authenticates itself correctly, an encrypted tunnel is created through which data flows. The advantages of this cybersecurity technique are as follows: ▪ The creation of an always-on and software-defined security perimeter protecting device-to-device, device-to-cloud and device-to-user interactions. ▪ Airwall achieves this by using Host Identity Protocol to create a cloaked and micro-segmented network which overlays a building’s existing network infrastructure, making the solution also highly cost-effective. ▪ A new level of authentication for connected building systems is created, allowing for greater system automation of functions such as heating and cooling, lighting, security and airflows. “When it comes to buildings, we must create easily implementable cybersecurity defences as we’re often dealing with critical infrastructure, including assets such as data centres and hospitals,” said Vijay Sankaran, vice president and chief technology officer, Johnson Controls. “Tempered Networks Airwall approach is purpose-built for our sector as it’s designed around principles of zero trust, securing device communications as data moves between devices and the cloud – so enabling remote building optimisation in the most trusted way possible.” Technology Integration Tempered Networks Airwall technology is being integrated into Johnson Controls OpenBlue platform which is increasingly recognised as a leading smart building software platform with advanced AI-enabled building management capabilities[1]. OpenBlue provides a flexible computing approach for converging building technologies and making those technologies more insightful, powerful, and optimised through edge AI and through full machine learning in the cloud. The ultimate goal is to make all buildings smarter, healthier and more sustainable. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. To learn more about Johnson Controls’ approach to cybersecurity, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/cybersolutions. See an explanation video for Tempered Networks Airwall technology below…
• National Grid’s Tunnel Boring Machine completes almost 7km journey across South London • 140-tonne machine travelled at depths of up to 50m from Hurst to Eltham • Key moment for £1 billion project to rewire London and prepare it for future electricity demands National Grid team members were celebrating a landmark moment for the London Power Tunnels (LPT) project this week (21st June), as the first of five drives by four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) was completed at Eltham. The 140-tonne TBM, named ‘Christine’ after Christine Townley, the former Executive Director of the Construction Youth Trust, known for her championing of diversity and STEM careers, began its journey at the LPT site in Hurst in July of last year. In total, it has travelled 6.7km underneath London, reaching depths of up to 50m underground in the process. The completion of the drive represents a key moment for the £1 billion project to rewire London and prepare it for future electricity demands as the city continues to grow. LPT will also help provide crucial infrastructure for helping the UK energy sector to reach net-zero targets. Members of the LPT project team gathered at the Eltham site to witness this major milestone and celebrate their achievement. National Grid’s three other TBMs, “Edith”, “Grace”, and “Caroline” continue their tunnelling work deep underground across sites in South London. Speaking at the breakthrough, Gareth Burden, Project Director, London Power Tunnels, National Grid, said: “The completion of Christine’s journey from Hurst to Eltham represents a significant milestone for all of us working on London Power Tunnels today. After close to a year of tunnelling, it is exciting to see the first connection between sites. The team has worked so hard to make this happen, in the face of tough ground conditions.Thanks to HMJV, our engineers, fitters, miners and all else involved. A special thanks also goes to the JGL gangs who put in some hard yards down in the tunnel. It’s great to take a moment to celebrate with them all today and see so many flags and kits proudly on display. LPT is a crucial infrastructure project that will ensure people living in Eltham and Londoners more widely can continue to access safe and reliable electricity supplies. LPT is currently under-budget and on time. The project is part of National Grid’s continued investment across the network – connecting, expanding and maintaining through projects such as Hinkley Connection Project, a £900 million investment to connect low carbon energy to six million homes in the South West. It also has a planned series of investments along the East Coast of England to deliver on the government’s target of 50GW of offshore wind generation by 2030. For more information about the LPT project, please visit National Grid’s project website www.londonpowertunnels.co.uk
Construction at Millwrights Place and Coopers Court, Finzels Reach, Bristol, has reached a major milestone with ‘topping out’ being achieved. The projects form the second Cubex/Grainger Build to Rent scheme in the city, providing high-quality rental homes and much needed affordable new homes for Abri. Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing, Delivery and Homes at Bristol City Council, laid the final piece of concrete at Millwrights Place alongside representatives from the respective owners of the two schemes, namely housing provider Abri and Build to Rent Landlord Grainger plc. Millwrights Place, developed by Cubex for Grainger plc, who will own and operate the scheme when complete, will provide 231 ‘Build to Rent’ homes created specifically for renters. All new homes will be professionally managed by Grainger’s dedicated onsite Resident Services team and in addition to offering high quality homes there will be a strong emphasis on shared resident amenity spaces, including roof top terraces, residents’ lounge, gym, co-working space and shared entertainment spaces. At ground level there will be co-working spaces custom-made for those working independently or running their own business. Grainger, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord and a FTSE-250 listed business has over 100 years’ experience as a residential landlord and is a leader in the UK private rental market, leading the way in the emerging Build to Rent sector and raising the bar in the rental market by providing high quality, mid-market rental homes for young professionals, key workers and families on regular incomes. Coopers Court, developed by Cubex for the social housing provider Abri, will deliver 66 affordable homes consisting of 48 homes for the social rented market and 18 for shared ownership. The energy-efficient building includes a bio-diversity roof amenity space, 94 cycling spaces and only four car parking spaces in line with the city’s drive to help tackle the environmental crisis. Together, Coopers Court and Millwrights Place will help to address the housing crisis in Bristol by providing social housing, an opportunity for first-time buyers to get on the property ladder and high-quality rental accommodation all of which is much needed in the city. Both buildings have been designed to have strong identities and a sense of place, whilst ensuring they integrate well with the surrounding area. Significant investment in improvements to the area around the buildings, including new landscaping, traffic management, pedestrian and cycle routes, will help create a more attractive area and foster a sense of community. As part of a £2.4m investment in improvements around the site, there will be new ‘pocket parks’ with seating and soft landscaping to create relaxing spaces the whole community can enjoy. As well as Coopers Court and Millwrights Place, the second phase of Cubex’s mixed-use Finzels Reach development on the former fire station site, incorporates a landmark, sustainable 116,000 sq. ft office building named Halo, with notable tenants confirmed including international legal firm Osborne Clarke and accountancy firm Deloitte. Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homes, said: “Demand for housing in Bristol far outstrips the number of homes available and it’s vitally important that we deliver a mixture of different types of housing to meet our city’s need. These new developments at Finzels Reach, offering affordable homes for social rent and shared ownership, and managed homes for rent, demonstrate that by working together we can deliver good quality homes for all. “We’ve got Bristol building since 2016, with over 9,000 new homes delivered for Bristolians. These new homes in central Bristol will add another 297 to that total – including 66 new affordable homes.” Peter Walford, managing director at Cubex, said: “We are thrilled to have reached this important milestone on Coopers Court and Millwrights Place, an integral part of Finzels Reach phase two. Thanks to a successful partnership approach with both housing provider Abri and professional landlords Grainger, plus our construction partner Wilmott Dixon, this once-derelict city centre site is fast being transformed into much-needed, high quality affordable accommodation to add to the 440 homes we have already delivered at Finzels Reach. Neal Stephens, managing director from Wilmott Dixon Wales and West, said: “Together, Millwrights Place and Coopers Court are the fourth project that we have worked on alongside Cubex and as part of this long standing and collaborative partnership we are delighted to have the opportunity to deliver this regenerative development. Millwrights Place and Coopers Court will provide much needed high-quality housing in Bristol, and we at Wilmott Dixon are proud to be part of the team that has delivered this landmark scheme.” Helen Gordon, Chief Executive at Grainger plc, said: “We are delighted to have reached this milestone for our Millwrights Place development – a great addition to our Bristol portfolio and delivering much needed new homes in one of our key target cities. We look forward to seeing the development progress over the coming months in the lead up to our launch – providing high quality homes, a commitment to excellent customer service and establishing a thriving new community for renters in Bristol.” Michelle Hyde, head of land and planning at Abri, commented: “It’s great to be a step closer to providing affordable homes in such a central location in Bristol and to be helping to transform a former derelict site into a place of real value for the community. “On our part, Abri is committed to delivering 12,500 new homes by 2030 and Coopers Court is a great example of how working with our partners we’re collectively helping to tackle the unmet housing need.” Cubex bought the former fire station site in summer 2018 on behalf of Fiera Real Estate Opportunity Fund IV (UK), a programmatic joint venture by FRE UK that is exclusive to clients of CBRE Global Investment Partners (CBRE GIP). Award-winning Finzels Reach is one of the largest mixed-use developments in the South West. The first phase, which is complete, includes 440 new apartments, 240,000 sq.ft of office space including two Grade A office buildings, a 168-bedroom Premier Inn, plus a host of
