Goodman starts work on 340,000 sq ft M25 distribution space

Purfleet groundbreaking (George Glennie, Goodman; Dominic Collins, Readie; Chris Beamer, Goodman; Ben Nicholls, Readie and Paul Heslop, Goodman)

Goodman has broken ground on 338,267 sq ft of e-commerce and distribution space at Purfleet Commercial Park in Essex.

At the heart of the M25 and A13 corridors and just 16 miles from Central London, the high-specification single unit facility, Purfleet 338, offers fast connections to the national motorway network, placing 21 million consumers within a two-hour HGV drivetime with a combined purchasing power of £453 billion.

The site also sits within a thriving logistics employment base, with more than 35,000 people working in the sector and 1.6 million locals with qualifications relevant to logistics and distribution in the wider Essex area. Available for occupation from April 2022, customers will join Tesco, Unilever, DHL, Ocado and Amazon in this distribution hotspot, adjacent to J30/31 of the M25.

Goodman’s commencement of Purfleet 338 forms part of its London and South East focus, with a development pipeline of circa 3.5 million sq ft in the region. This includes a combined 477,370 sq ft at Dartford’s Crossways Commercial Park, available for occupation this summer.

George Glennie, Development Director at Goodman, said:

“Perfect for those operating across e-commerce, retail and third-party logistics, where connectivity is crucial in distributing products to increasingly time sensitive consumers, Purfleet 338 will provide high-quality and well-located space with unrivalled road connections, excellent freight links and proximity to three international ports.
“With work now underway, Purfleet 338 represents Goodman’s commitment to delivering essential infrastructure for a growing industrial and logistics market, and meeting rising demand for space in strategic locations such as the South East.”

Beyond being able to service customers’ rising power needs with 4MVA of power secured, Purfleet 338 will be a highly sustainable development, delivered to a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ specification. Features include roof-mounted solar photovoltaics (PV), rainwater harvesting, infrastructure for electric vehicle fleets and smart metering, helping customers to monitor and achieve energy and cost savings.

Stuart Read, Executive Chairman at Readie Construction Ltd:

“We are excited to have broken ground on this high quality, e-commerce and distribution development. This project further strengthens our excellent working relationship with Goodman. The class leading, BREEAM Excellent building which incorporates a number of health and wellbeing enhancements will be completed to Goodman’s exacting standards in April 2022.”

Agents marketing the scheme include Cushman & Wakefield and JLL.