Real estate investor and developer Evans Randall Investors has announced that it has started construction on the latest major facility at MIRA Tech Park (MTP), near Nuneaton.
Global occupier 3M has signed a 10-year lease to occupy half of the facility and has relocated to interim accommodation at MTP while the unit is under development. Construction is now underway, with the official steel signing taking place yesterday including representatives from 3M. The unit will be ready for occupation by the end of the year.
Targeting BREAAM Outstanding, the 34,000 sq ft building combines office and technical space and is the second of the “R&D Hybrid” buildings that Evans Randall Investors has brought forward at MTP in the past 12 months. It has completed 72,000 sq ft of accommodation and now has a further 140,000 sq ft in its development pipeline across four units.
The pre-let at Plot 44 follows the announcement last May that audio technology company Warwick Acoustics had signed a 10-year lease to occupy the 36,000 sq ft hybrid R&D unit located at Plot 9. That unit was completed this January by GMI Construction Group, who are also the appointed contractor on plot 44.
Covering over 850 acres, MTP is the largest automotive and mobility cluster in Europe with an expanding presence in autonomous technologies, clean tech and hydrogen with companies such as Bentley, Bosch, Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota and Michelin all having a presence on site. Companies are drawn by the cluster’s 40 separate testing facilities, deep engineering expertise, multifaceted real estate offer and significant talent pool with over 1,500 people located at MTP. MTP has also been recognised as one of the top 12 internationally competitive clusters in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy green paper published last year.
Evans Randall Investors has an ambitious goal of growing MTP’s built area and has a pipeline of 1 million sq ft of research and development (R&D) and advanced manufacturing space. This will be further complemented by the additional 2.3 million sq ft of advanced manufacturing and industrial facilities planned for its South Site, which secured approval in February 2025. This expansion of MTP is expected to create 2,500 skilled jobs and will be supported by major power and road infrastructure investment.
The pre-let and steel signing are the latest steps in the strategic development and expansion of MTP, which is being led by Evans Randall Investors in a joint venture with HORIBA MIRA.
Ned Williams, Managing Director of Evans Randall Investors, said: “This latest pre-let and start on site speaks to MTP’s reputation as an internationally recognised innovation hub. This transaction continues the strong momentum at MTP and demonstrates the breadth of demand for the facilities and capabilities that are unique to this cluster, from start-ups to globally established operators.”
Cushman & Wakefield is the appointed leasing agent for MTP.
