Driving along the M49, cranes are once again active over Avonmouth, as a new distribution facility for CHEP UK Ltd is beginning to take shape. With the steel structure now in place, the 50,000 sq ft unit on 8 acres at Central Park is on a fast track schedule to be complete in spring 2012.
Pallet and container pooling company CHEP UK has chosen Central Park for its south west regional distribution facility. The global leader issues, collects, conditions and reissues more than 300 million pallets and containers from an international network of service centres, helping retailers, manufacturers and growers transport their products through the supply chain, every day.
For the CHEP unit, the site owners, Delta Properties are working in partnership with Goodman UK Logistics to construct this pre-let building. The Bristol office of GVA has been appointed in a project management role and the building contractors are Winvic Construction.
With the potential for a further four million square feet of new space to be built at Central Park, the south west’s largest distribution park, Paul Hobbs, director of GVA, joint letting agent at Central Park says,
“The pre-let to CHEP UK follows significant infrastructure work at Central Park to create a business destination fit and ready for new occupiers. This unit is being developed in a really short time frame and demonstrates Delta Properties’ ability to serve occupier demand in the south west.
“With Co-op’s new 450,000 sq ft regional distribution centre at a similar stage in development, there are now two major bespoke construction projects in progress in Avonmouth. Over recent years the industrial property market has reacted to changes in the occupier market by pulling away from speculative development, and as such it has been many years since we have seen construction activity on this scale in the region.”
The mammoth 640 acre scheme can support single units over 1 million ft in footprint, and Delta’s discussions continue with potential occupiers, in conjunction with their principal development partner Roxhill.
“With the government also signalling its intention to get infrastructure and construction projects moving once again in Bristol, we are perhaps now seeing a renewed energy in the industry here in the south west for 2012,” concludes Paul Hobbs.