The remarkable renaissance of the Midlands motor industry has seen the manufacturers’ organisation, EEF, expand its Birmingham-based technology-training centre.
It’s barely two years since the manufacturers’ organisation opened its hi-tech base in Aston, to deliver the latest skills to the next generation of engineers. Now though, EEF has signed for the spec-built Hub 55, another 55,000 sq ft of brand-new space.
Hub 55 is located at the nearby Hub industria/distribution park, on the outskirts of Birmingham, which will also be home to the new Birmingham Wholesale Markets.
EEF’s head of estates and facilities, Ian Christie, said it needed more space to offer further hi-tech training facilities for apprentices, management and commercial staff working in the region’s motor industry and advanced manufacturing sectors.
“We are committed to supporting UK manufacturing, and this space will allow us to further expand and extend our training offer to provide the skills our sector needs in order to grow.”
CBRE Global investors (CBRE GI) acquired five units, including Hub 55, in April – as part of a £192m portfolio acquisition for an international pension fund client – but IMP still owns 29 acres of development land at the Witton-based park.
Rob Trevor, CBRE GI senior director, was understandably pleased that Hub 55 had been let so swiftly after completion.
“We are delighted to welcome EEF to the Hub. I believe the early letting reflects both the high quality of the development by IMP, and the strength of the Midlands market,” he said.
“This was a real team effort, with ourselves, IMP and EEF working closely together to meet the tight occupational deadline, because the training space needed to be available by September. We now only have one 55,000 sq ft unit remaining – Hub 54, which is already attracting good interest.”
IMP’s development director, Richard Lawrence, was delighted that the EEF had taken a 16-year lease.
“As a developer, we’re always looking to identify quality locations which offer significant future potential, so it’s always pleasing to meet occupiers who also take a long-term view,” he said.
“Hub 55 was the second of our spec-built units, delivered through the ‘Five Live’ strategy we announced last autumn, which will ultimately bring forward 500,000 sq ft of much-needed industrial space.
“It’s only weeks since the first new unit, at our Birch Coppice Business Park, was let to Autins Group, and it’s very satisfying to see that the pent-up demand is there for quality space.”
The Hub’s agents are the Birmingham offices of CBRE, Knight Frank and Savills. The EEF was represented by Chris Sinclair, from the Nottingham office of Innes England.
