Barberry Developments is developing a £9.8 million, 72,000 sq ft, speculative warehouse unit at the site of a former DIY store in Northamptonshire. Barberry Developments has started on site at the 3.5-acre site, at Sopwith Way, Daventry. Benniman has been appointed construction contractor and practical completion is expected in May
Gazeley is proposing to speculatively develop a 746,478 sq ft warehouse at its Magna Park Lutterworth scheme in the East Midlands subject to planning. The huge facility is one of four properties on a speculative scheme totalling 1.3 million sq ft being brought forward by Gazeley following its acquisition of
Construction work has started on a 55,000 sq ft industrial warehouse which is being developed on a speculative basis. MV55 is the newest addition to Markham Vale, a 200-acre industrial and logistics development located at Junction 29A of the M1 – a joint venture between Henry Boot Developments (HBD) and Derbyshire
The latest technology to deliver engine testing and research into sustainable power concepts has been brought to Coventry with the construction of a new automotive hub. Built by Willmott Dixon, the Centre for Advanced Low-Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS) houses some of the most advanced test facilities currently in the UK
The current rise in speculative development will help replenish an undersupplied UK market, according to research from Cushman & Wakefield. Eight million sq ft of speculative development was underway across 44 buildings over 50,000 sq ft at the end of 2018, while the average void period for spec built space
The team at KAM Project Consultants was recently selected by logistics and industrial development company Baytree to provide construction services for the build of a warehouse, which is being hailed as ‘the most sustainable warehouse in the UK’. KAM, which has company offices in Leicester and Milton Keynes, provided employer’s
Barberry Developments is developing a £9.8 million, 72,000 sq ft, speculative warehouse unit at the site of a former DIY store in Northamptonshire. Barberry Developments has started on site at the 3.5-acre site, at Sopwith Way, Daventry. Benniman has been appointed construction contractor and practical completion is expected in May 2020. Barberry secured the site for an undisclosed sum from New River Retail and achieved planning consent from Daventry District Council earlier this year. Barberry development director Jon Robinson said: “Barberry 72 will be a prominent high quality warehouse/manufacturing unit, in the highly sought-after mid-box range, in what is an excellent location. “We currently have a logistics/industrial pipeline of circa 2.8 million sq ft. All of our warehouses are available on both leasehold terms or as freehold purchases.” Meanwhile, the Richardson Barberry joint venture construction of five mid-box industrial units, totaling 174,500 sq ft, at More+ in Bristol, has reached practical completion. The JV has also been selected as development partner to deliver a £140 million business park – with 1.75 million sq ft of accommodation – at Aycliffe Business Park in County Durham, and recently gained planning consent.
Gazeley is proposing to speculatively develop a 746,478 sq ft warehouse at its Magna Park Lutterworth scheme in the East Midlands subject to planning. The huge facility is one of four properties on a speculative scheme totalling 1.3 million sq ft being brought forward by Gazeley following its acquisition of a 220-acre tranche of land from DB Symmetry, known as Magna Park South. In a planning statement regarding the new mega shed and the intention to raise its external eaves height to 21m, Gazeley said it wished to “proceed as swiftly as possible following a grant of planning permission” on the scheme. A spokesperson for Gazeley said: “Having received outline planning permission for the broader expansion of Magna Park, we can confirm that we have submitted a Reserved Matters application for four new buildings at Magna Park Lutterworth. We have seen strong levels of customer demand for space at Magna Park Lutterworth and this application is a response to that demand. We look forward to working with the Council and other stakeholders in the coming months to bring forward this exciting development.” The new cross-dock mega shed will boast 18m eaves, 100 dock and eight level access doors and will have parking for 557 cars and 150 trailers on a 31-acre site. As usual with Gazeley it will also include a host of sustainability features and will reach BREEAM Excellent. The last time such a large warehouse was built speculatively in the UK was in 2005/6 when HelioSlough, a joint venture between Slough Estates – now SEGRO – and Helios Properties, built the 750,431 sq ft Nimbus warehouse in Thorne, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The scheme was forward funded to the tune of £42 million by CBRE Investors and was originally let to DHL/MFI on a ten-year lease at an annual rent of £3.075 million in 2007. The cross dock property has 15m eaves as well as 75 dock and 13 level access doors. Following the collapse of MFI, the property was relet to The Range on a £20 year lease at a rent believed to be around £4 per sq ft with five yearly rent reviews. It was sold to Tritax Big Box REIT for £48.5 million, reflecting a net initial yield of 6.1% on the asset acquisition, assuming 5.8% purchase costs. The new speculative mega shed is being constructed on a 220-acre plot of land bought by Gazeley to the south of Magna Park Lutterworth from Tritax Symmetry. This is allowing Gazeley to create what is considered the largest dedicated logistics park in Europe in one ownership. The combination of all three sites Magna Park, Magna Park North and Symmetry Park – now known as Magna Park South – totals some 1,360 acres and could eventually have 15.8 million sq ft of buildings. DTRE and Burbage Realty are advising.
Construction work has started on a 55,000 sq ft industrial warehouse which is being developed on a speculative basis. MV55 is the newest addition to Markham Vale, a 200-acre industrial and logistics development located at Junction 29A of the M1 – a joint venture between Henry Boot Developments (HBD) and Derbyshire County Council. Markham Vale is home to the likes of Great Bear, Gist, Ferdinand Bilstein and Sterigenics. This latest building fronts the M1 and includes flexible office space ranging from 2,500 sq ft – 5,000 sq ft alongside high-quality industrial facilities and 50 on-site parking spaces. Andrew Priestley, Development Surveyor at HBD, said: “Our decision to build our latest unit at Markham Vale on a speculative basis is very much a reflection of the strength of the market and continued demand for high-quality, well located industrial property. There is an acute shortage of good quality industrial space across the Yorkshire and East Midlands markets, particularly for buildings between 20,000 sq ft and 100,000 sq ft, resulting in a high degree of latent demand for new-build product like MV55. “We currently have a total of 108,000 sq ft under construction at Markham Vale, with this latest unit scheduled to complete in September along with Protec International’s new purpose-built premises, which started on site last month. Initial conversations have been very positive – businesses are keen to capitalise on its location as well as the high-quality build, which is something occupiers can always count on from HBD.” Derbyshire County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, added: “This is a great opportunity for another business to join our thriving Markham Vale site. This plot has a lot to offer with great links to the M1 and a skilled workforce, high-quality industrial facilities and flexible office space.”
The latest technology to deliver engine testing and research into sustainable power concepts has been brought to Coventry with the construction of a new automotive hub. Built by Willmott Dixon, the Centre for Advanced Low-Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS) houses some of the most advanced test facilities currently in the UK and is available to car makers, airplane manufacturers, small and medium-sized companies to accelerate the creation of new powertrain solutions for use across automotive, aerospace, marine and rail sectors. “It is a pleasure to be working with Coventry University and FEV to create this cutting-edge facility. Research into low carbon technologies is incredibly important and, as a carbon neutral business, it is something close to the heart of all of us at Willmott Dixon. It was a challenging build, but thanks to strong relationships and communication between all partners, C-ALPS has been a great success,” said Peter Owen, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the Midlands. “Similarly, the constrained location came with its challenges due to being surrounded by businesses, a church, a university and residential areas – it’s very different to most of other FEV sites around the world which are normally located miles away from other buildings. Because of this, our design partner Broadway Malyan designed its cladding to blend in with the environment and complement the site’s location,” Peter added. The hub will allow experts from across the world to conduct research into vehicle hybridisation, electrification, plus enhancement of conventional and alternative fuel-based powertrains to meet the requirements of future transportation and future cities. It is part of a long-term collaboration between Coventry University and FEV, the international leader in design and development of advanced gasoline, diesel and hybrid powertrains and vehicle systems. The development has created five testing cells, offices, a workshop, car parking and soft landscaping. It has created strong links into the engineering industry for Coventry University and in turn, will create fantastic opportunities for students and Coventry itself.
The current rise in speculative development will help replenish an undersupplied UK market, according to research from Cushman & Wakefield. Eight million sq ft of speculative development was underway across 44 buildings over 50,000 sq ft at the end of 2018, while the average void period for spec built space fell to nine months in the final quarter of 2018. Cushman & Wakefield estimates that at current take-up rates, vacant newly built space will reach 14 million sq ft by the end of 2019. However, the research said that low vacancies (around 5 per cent), scarcity of land in prime locations and a restrictive planning regime are likely to prevent any over-supply while pent-up demand for Grade A space will continue to fuel rental growth. Simon Lloyd, partner, national logistics & industrial, said: “While there will continue to be demand from occupiers for built to suit solutions, particularly in the manufacturing sector, the availability of speculative buildings is important in this dynamic market sector. The immediacy of a building solution for an occupier means they can focus on the operational aspects of their requirements, and therefore satisfy the demands of their customers. The current supply of new buildings does not represent many months’ take-up, and consequently occupiers will still need to focus on building solutions at an early stage.”
The team at KAM Project Consultants was recently selected by logistics and industrial development company Baytree to provide construction services for the build of a warehouse, which is being hailed as ‘the most sustainable warehouse in the UK’. KAM, which has company offices in Leicester and Milton Keynes, provided employer’s agent and cost manager services for the build of the warehouse in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, which has been praised for a number of environmental and technological advances and is now ready to market to potential occupiers. Using mixed reality technology called Microsoft HoloLens, a first for the UK logistics sector, the warehouse will allow customers of the future occupying business the chance to visualise and interact with the building in a variety of different 3D scales to showcase fitouts within the warehouse and offices. Insulated and airtight, the building is fitted with solar panels and contains air source heat pumps that extract heat from the air outside to power equipment inside. Clear panels in the warehouse ceiling reduce the need for artificial lighting and all existing lighting is LED and environmentally friendly. The building is also fitted with an energy monitoring system complete with smart meters which track energy usage and turn lights and heating off when parts of the building are unoccupied, this can be controlled remotely. The sensors monitor air and water quality, internal noise, lighting, humidity, temperature and patterns of occupancy. Services for future employees range from solar-powered electric car charging points to outdoor gym equipment, and the company has installed walls covered with reindeer moss to improve air quality and absorb noise. The fire track for the building has been designed to have dual use as a running track and there are also allotments and orchards for workers to cultivate and enjoy their own fruit and vegetables grown onsite. Construction works completed on the warehouse at the end of 2018, and the site will eventually comprise two warehouses – one of 267,000 sq. ft and one of approximately 360,000 sq. ft once a pre-let has been secured for the second. Developers say that once the pre-let is secured, completion can be expected for the second in approximately six months. David French, director at KAM Project Consultants said: “We’ve really enjoyed being part of this project to put such a sustainable build on the map. From a business point of view, it’s so important to consider the environmental impact of your work and so much planning went into this build to ensure a sustainable working environment for the occupier, which is key for the future of the logistics sector. “The build consists of many sustainable elements and will provide a fantastic and modern space for a logistics business and its employees – we look forward to seeing more of this type of innovation and sustainable effort in our future projects.” For both the first and second warehouses, Baytree hopes to attract high-quality occupiers who will bring a variety of skilled employment opportunities to the area. A pre-let has yet to be signed for the second building, but there has already been interest from a number of parties. The location of the site close to the M1 is ideal for potential tenants including businesses in the retail, pharmaceutical or manufacturing sectors. Alongside KAM, Savills, Chetwood Architects, Hydrock Consultants, Kelly Taylor Associates and David Lock Associates supported Baytree with the build of the warehouse.
