EXCLUSIVE: Occupier lined up for mega logistics development even before planning submitted
A potential occupier has been lined up for a 570,000 ft2 warehouse facility at the proposed 3 million ft2 Popham Logistics Park off Junction 8 of the M3 motorway near Basingstoke in the Southeast even before a hybrid planning application has been submitted.
By Liza Helps, Property Editor, Logistics Matters
ONLINE CONSULTATION documents note that the proposals are being brought forward through a hybrid planning application that will allow certain elements of the scheme to be brought forward immediately upon receipt of planning permission. The documents also note: “It is currently expected that Unit 300 to the south would be brought forward in detail to accommodate our first occupier from the outset.”
In the indicative masterplans for the 494-acre site, Unit 300 is described as a 570,000 ft2 building. There are other units ranging from 310,000 ft2 to 1,100,100 ft2. All the units will be built to target the highest BREEAM and EPC ratings.
Lidl had expressed strong interest in a 630,000 ft2 distribution centre on the former Newlands Basingstoke Gateway scheme which was refused at appeal in 2022. The discount supermarket currently has a 450,000 ft2 plus requirement for a distribution centre in the Southeast which has yet to be satisfied. It is not known if the retailer has expressed interest in this particular site.
The Popham Logistics Park site on land north of the M3, at Popham is described by West Farm Popham – the entitiy bringng forward the proposals – as a ‘strategic location between the Ports of Southampton and Portsmouth on the key corridors to London and the Midlands’.
The development is set to bring 4,500 jobs to Basingstoke and beyond that could support a cumulative gross GVA in excess of £300 million a year to the sub-regional economy.
In addition to the warehousing there will also be a new community hub, potentially including sports facilities, creche/nursery facilities, green space, or youth activities.
More than half the site will be dedicated to green space and habitat creation, delivering on-site biodiversity net gains.
The site complements proposed home set to be built as part of the Micheldever Station New Town by providing nearby investment, jobs and infrastructure, including leisure and transport improvements
West Farm Popham and its land was acquired by Macquarie Unlimited Company in September 2022. Macquarie Unlimited director Michael Vincent Magnier is son of Irish billionaire John Magnier, who is linked through his interests in Coolmore Stud to Philip O’Loughlin who happens to be a director of West Farm Popham the company behind the Popham Logistics Park development as well as a director of Mitcheldever Station Developments which is an entity wholly owned by the Magnier family, landowner of the Sutton Scotney Estate around Micheldever Station, where the new town is proposed.
Cork-based O’Flynn Group, headed by Michael O’Flynn, has teamed up with Irish billionaire John Magnier to develop the 4,000-acre plus estate in Hampshire, which Mr Magnier bought in 2017 for a reported £45 million.
A second phase of public consultation is starting on September 30 for Popham Logistics Park. A spokesperson said: “This project will fulfil a long-standing need for strategic warehousing space, which has historically been lacking in the South East. This is critical to supporting the UK’s need for enhanced and modernised supply chains. Popham Logistics Park will also be designed to fulfil local needs, creating jobs for the local community, providing clean energy, and driving investment into the region. We’ve listened carefully to feedback from the first consultation and updated our plans to reflect these important views. As we prepare our planning application for next year, we will continue to work closely with local residents to ensure their voices are heard.”
