Construction starts on 400,000 sq ft smart logistics development at Eclipse Doncaster

L-R: Mike Baugh, Executive Director, CBRE; Rob Whatmuff, Head of Leeds, Colliers; Alice Vacani, Vice President, Blackbrook; Danielle Raunjak, Associate Director, CBRE and Ben Ward, Managing Director, Rula Developments

Construction of a state-of-the-art 405,411 sq ft distribution and logistics facility in South Yorkshire has started at Eclipse, Doncaster. Building contractor Bowmer & Kirkland has been appointed to deliver the smart scheme. CBRE’s Industrial team in Leeds, alongside Colliers, are joint agents for the Grade A industrial space, acting for Blackbrook and Rula Developments.

Doncaster Council granted planning consent in December 2022 for the speculative development unit, a scheme by Blackbrook Capital and Rula Developments, which is scheduled for completion in January 2024 and is expected to achieve a BREEAM Excellent certification and EPC A Rating.

Blackbrook is a specialist investment firm focused on future-proof supply chain infrastructure across Europe. Rula Developments is a commercial developer focused on identifying and developing sites across the UK for immediate development or for medium to longer-term strategic development, delivering high quality buildings and schemes.

Blackbrook has invested in the carbon neutral building which will deliver 381,150 sq ft of much needed high quality, modern warehouse/industrial space to meet demand in the region. The development has capacity for up to 100% coverage of roof solar PV panels and will deliver more than 24,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation with 256 car parking spaces and 26 EV charging points on site.

Adjacent to the M18 motorway at J5, the facility is ideally situated for both national and regional distribution with excellent links to the M1 and M62. The location also benefits from access to two rail-freight ports (Doncaster Railport and iPort Rail) and three East Coast seaports (Goole, Immingham and Hull).

Mike Baugh, Executive Director, CBRE Leeds Industrial team said;

“We are delighted to see works starting on site at the brand new Eclipse logistics development which will deliver much needed high quality industrial space to the regional pipeline. Eclipse offers market-leading sustainability credentials, designed specifically to reduce energy use, mitigate climate risk and boost biodiversity. It fulfils a number of ESG criteria sought after by occupiers.”

Alice Vacani, Vice President at Blackbrook said:

“We are excited to see ground breaking on this excellent new addition to our portfolio. We prioritise sustainability at the design, construction and operations of our assets which perfectly align with the growing needs and demands of customers. The development is strategically located with prime highway connections, providing a gateway to the region and wider UK logistics network.”

Ben Ward, Managing Director at Rula Developments said:

“With limited speculative development taking place within the industrial and logistics sector, at a time of severe supply shortages, we are proud to be driving forwards with this extensive unit.”