By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

Developer Regal London unveiled the plans for the port as part of its transformation of Orchard Wharf which has lain untouched since 1993.

The mixed scheme envisages affordable homes, purpose built student accommodation and an urban freight logistics port catering to London’s last-mile distribution needs.

The urban freight port will be developed in collaboration with the Port of London Authority and has been designed to protect residents in terms of noise and air quality, with an enclosed Wharf Box ensuring that the wharf activity remains separate from local activities. Regal London’s plans are set for submission to London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Spring 2024.

In 2020, Regal London submitted a hybrid planning application proposing 826 new homes across five buildings ranging from 15 to 30 storeys, an operational logistics box, and flexible commercial space totalling some 88,000 ft2. The application was subsequently withdrawn in Spring 2023.

Orchard Wharf has been safeguarded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) since 1997. The site is part of the London Plan and Tower Hamlets Development Plan. Policy 7.26 of the London Plan is ‘is to increase the use of the Blue Ribbon Network to transport freight’.

As part of this policy development proposals ‘should protect existing facilities for waterborne freight traffic, in particular safeguarded wharves should only be used for waterborne freight handling uses. The redevelopment of safeguarded wharves for other land uses should only be accepted if the wharf is no longer viable or capable of being made viable for waterborne freight handling.’’ 

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

RULA DEVELOPMENTS has secured a 10-acre site close to Junctions 33 and 34 of the M1 motorway in Sheffield with plans to deliver up to 230,000 ft2 of new, state-of-the-art industrial/logistics accommodation.

Existing occupier, Tinsley Bridge Group (TBG) has completed a sale and leaseback of its 62,000 sq ft factory and headquarters building which has been sold to Moorfield.  TBG plans to vacate its old factory and remainder of the site in 2025, making way for redevelopment.  

Rula will submit a planning application in the first quarter of 2024 but is yet to determine building plot sizes subject to demand.  

Rula Developments Development Director Anthony Clitheroe said: “The requirement for high quality, purpose-built industrial accommodation in the region remains high and we plan to develop the plot in line with occupier demand.”

CPP represented Rula on the site acquisition and investment sale and have been retained as agent for the new build alongside Colliers.

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

Guide rents for modern Grade A big sheds in the Midlands are set to exceed £10 per ft2 in 2024 according to property pundits in the region.

A recent deal which saw IM Properties secure Octopus Energy on a 47,000 ft2 building at Hinckley Park, is thought to have closed at nearly £11 per ft2. Already larger properties coming to the market have been given guide rents in excess of £10 per ft2.

Only in July this year Savills Big Shed Briefing put quoting rents at £9.75 per ft2 but this has now moved on with Colliers latest industrial rents research indicating that rents for big sheds in South and East Birmingham are now at £10 per ft2 and Avison Young’s latest data putting rents in Coventry in the same rent bracket.

Rent levels are expected to continue to grow with a shortage of space still prevalent in  the region.

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

THE FOUR new speculative units will range in size from 116,000 to 300,000 ft2 targeting BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating.

ESG is at the heart of the scheme, with roof-mounted PV arrays and EV charging points being provided as part of the base build. The new units are expected to be available for occupation from January to March 2024.

Jingdong Property, purchased Apollo as part of the Project Venus portfolio, in July this year. The 1.1 million ft2 first and second phases of Ansty Park, which were part developed, are, according to property analyst CoStar’s models, thought to be worth around £180 million of the £248 million portfolio price.

Jingdong Property, is a subsidiary of JD.com, a Fortune Global 500 company and China’s leading e-commerce platform. Jingdong made its UK debut in July 2022 acquiring a 361,00 ft2 warehouse in Milton Keynes from Abrdn.

The first phase of the Apollo scheme comprised two units totalling more than 240,000 ft2, which are fully let.

Cromwell Property Group is the asset manager for Apollo, Ansty Park. Joint agents are Cushman & Wakefield and JLL

Ansty Park is situated near both the M6 and M69 motorways.

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

BIDFOOD AGREED a build to suit scheme which will comprise a state-of-the-art cold store with ancillary office space at ground and first floor, a 40m-deep service yard providing sufficient loading docks, level access doors and parking.

Planning has recently been secured for the 62,431 ft2  building and it is expected that work will commence at the beginning of 2024.

Stoford has also submitted planning for a unit on Plot 8B, alongside the Bidfood application. It is a strategy the developer has deployed previously at Worcester Six, providing a clear route to the delivery of a unit for potential occupiers. The proposed unit extends to 57,705 ft2 and can be ready for occupation in Q4 2024. 

Bidfood which supplies more than 10,000 products to over 45,000 caterers and foodservice businesses around the UK, is opening its first facility in the region, occupying a bespoke building on Plot 8A. 

Bidfood Head of Property, Estate Services & Procurement Claire Cox said: “The new depot in Worcester will provide excellent transport links to the Midlands region, enhancing our ability to provide customers with service excellence, as well as benefiting the local community with around 200 new jobs.”

Once fully developed, Worcester Six will provide 2.1 million sq ft of accommodation. It already benefits from more than 850,000 sq ft having been delivered or committed across the scheme.

Joint agents are Harris Lamb and BNP Paribas Real Estate

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

THE FACILITY on a 2-acre site is known as Leftfield Park Corby and has been built to target BREEAM ‘Very Good’, and an EPC A rating.

The self contained unit has two dock loading doors, two level access sectional overhead doors, ancillary office space, a secure yard plus as ample staff and visitor parking. It is available to lease through joint agents Savills and TBD Real Estate

The building benefits from strong sustainability credentials, including PV roof panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Leftfield Park Corby is the fourth recent development for Leftfield and the second to have been delivered by BPD, following the successful completion and letting of two units comprising 110,611 ft2 of new industrial accommodation at Leftfield Park in Walsall.

BPD managing director Stephen Pedrick-Moyle, said: “This site is one of few immediately available mid-box opportunities in the region and we have already received interest from a wide range of potential occupiers.”

Savills industrial director Christian Smith, added: “This unit answers an immediate question about lack of modern mid box availability in the Corby Area and with its excellent specification it will be popular with occupiers looking for height and docking facilities.”

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

DEVELOPER HBD and Barnfield Group have secured planning for the scheme which can accommodate 12 industrial and logistics units from 25,000 - 500,000 ft2 close to Junction 31A of the M6 motorway and Preston City Centre. 

APTUS is the joint venture partners’ second project in Preston following the successful circa £30 million sale of EAST to Titan Investors in December 2022. The new scheme will provide high-specification, sustainable space with Net Zero Carbon capabilities. Work will start on site in Spring 2024.

Joint agents are Gerald Eve, Young & Co, and Eckersley Property. 

The project has been two years in the making, with the Skelmersdale CDC initially being a pilot site. Hydrogen specialist Plug Power is supporting the project, which provides power for warehouse equipment.

Asda MHE & innovation manager Frances Spence said: “We trialled the Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology, realised the benefits and made this incredible innovation a reality within our operation.”

Asda plans further hydrogen fuel cell roll-outs across its warehouse network.

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

THE PROJECT which is known as Weston Avenue Logistics Hub will see the demolition and redevelopment of nine retail warehousing units into a 644,000 ft2 multi level logistics building at Thurrock Shopping Park.

A planning application for the site was submitted in January 2023.

Construciton of the new facility is set to start in early 2025. The unit will target BREEAM Outstanding and an EPC A rating provinf up to 1,000 direct and indirect jobs. It will provide an estimated gross GVA of £28 million a year and £2.9 million a year in business rates.

In its planning statement the developer said: “The Proposal ensures that this brownfield site maximises its economic potential by providing a high density, employment generating use. It will provide a significant economic contribution to Thurrock and secure the long-term vitality and viability of the Lakeside Basin, whilst setting a benchmark for future delivery of logistics space and addressing a specific demand for logistics use that could otherwise not be met without pressure from development on Green Belt or greenfield land.”

The facility which has a height of 34m at its apex, has a ground floor service yard and a first floor service yard 14m above ground level. Both service yards are allocated 22 HGV docks, seven level access HGV docks and five van loading doors respectively. 

The ground floor level is accessed via the redesigned Weston Avenue roundabout with internal service roads providing separate access to the service yard and car park. Access to the first-floor service yard is achieved by a ramp connection from Weston Avenue to the elevated first floor level service yard and car park. 

The scheme is located adjacent to Junction 31 of the M25, providing exceptional access to Central London and the South East of England.

British Land has a £1.3 billion pipeline of urban logistics developments across London and the South East. Including its Thurrock site, British Land has received consent to deliver 1.3 million ft2 of new logistics space this year, which also includes sites in Southwark, Paddington and Enfield.

British Land Head of Logistics Mike Best, said: “We’ve been extremely busy working on our London Urban Logistics pipeline, and have received planning consents for four schemes this year. This enables us to deliver a number of high-quality new logistics space to meet the growing demand, underpinned by the growth of e-commerce and rising customer expectations on the speed and convenience of deliveries.”

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

A NEW HYBRID application has been submitted to Wakefield Council seeking for site infrastructure works including alterations to existing rail infrastructure, construction of an estate road, highways improvements and outline permission for the development of six logistics and industrial buildings ranging from 100,000 ft2 to 620,000 ft2 with eaves heights ranging from 18.5 – 21m.

The new application ringfences a quarter of the site strictly for general industrial use. All will be developed to target BREEAM Excellent and an EPC A rating and will benefit from PV and EV installation.

The site is currently set in a disused coal stock yard of the former Ferrybridge C Power Station which was decommissioned in 2016 and has now been demolished and cleared for redevelopment. It is located between Castleford and Knottingley and sits north of Junction 33 of the M62 motorway and west of A162, Ferrybridge. 

It has been estimated that the development could support the creation of between 2,000 and 2,500 jobs and will represent a significant economic boost to the local area with a construction investment of approximately £100 million.