Panattoni secures two major development sites

By Liza Helps, Property Editor, Logistics Matters

THE ACQUISITIVE developer intends to deliver a 500,000 ft2 cross dock warehouse facility to be known as Panattoni Wakefield 500, on the Wakefield site which it acquired from Delin Property which will have 56 dock and eight level access doors,50m yards with parking for 62 HGV spaces, and a power supply of 2.5 MVA. The scheme will target BREEAM Outstanding and will achieve net zero carbon in construction, aligning with occupiers demand for sustainable, future-proofed buildings.

Panattoni said: “This development comes at a time when supply of large-format logistics space remains severely constrained across the UK. Opportunities at the approx. 500,000 sq ft scale are particularly limited, with no units of this size currently under construction on a speculative basis in the Yorkshire region. Delivering the scheme on a speculative basis also provides occupiers with greater certainty around pricing and deliverability in an otherwise volatile market.”

Over in the Northwest, Panattoni has secured a 16-acre site from developer Russell LDP’s 2.1 million ft2 HPARK scheme within the Atom Valley where Panattoni is proposing a 402,485 ft2 facility  which will target BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating.

The site sits within Northern Gateway, the largest single development site in Atom Valley,  an approx. 1,000 acre employment and innovation location stretching across Rochdale and Bury that has been identified as a priority destination for advanced manufacturing, logistics and industrial investment.

Atom Valley as a whole encompasses 17 million ft2 of flexible employment space and has the potential to support 20,000 new jobs and 7,000 new homes. Atom Valley is a mayoral development zone, a designation that helps streamline the planning process, similar to the London Legacy Development Corporation that transformed London’s Olympic Park.

HPARK will deliver 2.1 million ft2 of high-specification, flexible space, including larger combined units. Targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and an EPC A rating, it also offers strong sustainability credentials and a high power capacity alongside excellent connectivity, with direct access to the M62 and M66 linking to Greater Manchester and the wider motorway network.

The site will be plateaued in preparation for development, which Panattoni intends to bring forward as rapidly as possible. A revised planning application to increase the approved building area will be submitted in the coming months. Panattoni will work  with Russell LDP to amend the existing reserved matters consent and progress infrastructure delivery across the site.

DWF acted as legal adviser to Panattoni. Freeths acted as legal adviser to Russell LDP.