Winvic breaks ground at St. Modwen Park Stoke Central project

Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, has won a contract with its longstanding customer, St. Modwen Logistics, to build a 253,000 sq ft warehouse at St. Modwen Park Stoke Central which will be home to Stoke-based National Veterinary Services (NVS). To celebrate, the three companies recently came together for a ground-breaking ceremony on site.

St. Modwen Logistics recently signed a pre-let deal with NVS, meaning Winvic will be working closely with both companies to ensure the warehouse space meets the needs of NVS to supply and distribute products to animal health practices across the UK.

The project comprises a 225,500 sq ft warehouse with a 15-metre clear haunch height, three-storey offices totalling 24,200 sq ft and a 3,300 sq ft two-storey transport office. Externally, Winvic will deliver the enabling civils and infrastructure works to create the development plateau and install all underground services, drainage and attenuation pond. Soft landscaping will also be undertaken and parking for 235 cars – with 20 per cent electric charging points – and 51 HGVs will be created.

Scheduled to complete in November 2022, with early access-provision in October, the project has been designed with Winvic’s input to the St. Modwen Swan Standard which focuses on sustainability. The sustainability features include EPC Rating ‘A’, BREEAM ‘Excellent’, utilising a hybrid air source heat pump and carbon neutral envelope system. Winvic will also fit out the offices to Cat A standard, with a focus on health and wellbeing, sustainability and net carbon reductions; for example, low energy lifts and intelligent lighting.

Danny Nelson, Winvic’s Head of Industrial, Logistics and Distribution, commented: “We’ve worked with St. Modwen Logistics for many years now and it’s motivating for our whole team to be appointed again, especially just a couple of months after we started on a significant four-warehouse scheme for the developer in Derby. As always, we will be delivering the scheme to the St. Modwen Swan Standard, which focusses on sustainability, while also driving the scheme safely, skilfully and swiftly in order to handover in November this year.”

St. Modwen Park Stoke Central is located close to Hanley, 1km north of Stoke-on-Trent and is part of the wider 300-acre Festival Park development. The site boundaries with Festival Way Extension and Shelton Boulevard as well as the western side of the Trent and Mersey Canal; a 10-metre standoff zone between the tow-path and the industrial unit has been incorporated in the design.

Richard Carter, Senior Director Construction, at St. Modwen Logistics added, “The St. Modwen Swan Standard focuses on responsible building practices and core to this is our commitment to delivering sustainability, net carbon reduction and improving the wellbeing of those who work on our parks and live nearby. We continuously strive to improve the quality of our parks and know Winvic shares our ambitions to meet the needs of our customer, NVS, their employees and the local community. Through a true partnership we have every confidence in delivering another high-quality building at St. Modwen Park Stoke Central.”

St. Modwen Logistics has invested £65.5m to support regeneration in Stoke-on-Trent through the development of more than 450,000 sq ft of warehouse space in the past 18 months, with a further 480,000 sq ft currently under development. The significant investment in the area builds on the £56m Levelling Up commitment, announced by the Chancellor in his autumn Budget last year, to support restoration work and encourage employment within the region.

Winvic announced in February 2022 it’s appointment at St. Modwen Park Derby where it is currently constructing a four-unit project within a 10-month timescale. Previous projects that Winvic has constructed for the client include five industrial units at St. Modwen Park Tamworth and the first phases of St. Modwen Park Gloucester and St. Modwen Park Chippenham.