Onward Holdings secures planning permission for 66,000 sq ft warehouse at Phoenix Park

Companies seeking a foothold in the north of England are being offered a prime location to establish a distribution hub by Onward Holdings Ltd after the company secured planning permission for a new, high bay warehouse facility at its Green Lane Industrial Estate in Featherstone.

This latest development for Phoenix Park is an exciting design and build opportunity as Onward Holdings will accommodate any alternative plans interested parties may have to suit their own specific requirements. The new building could be available to interested occupiers by March 2019.

There has been significant investment by Onward Holdings in the Green Lane Industrial Estate over the years, which has seen a wide range of companies occupy space at the site, bringing a much-needed jobs boost and business to the local area.

Gaining planning B8 permission for Phoenix Park is also a welcome shot in the arm for the region’s logistics supply chain as it has been well documented that warehouse facilities, especially close to excellent transport links, are lagging behind demand due to a proliferation of e-commerce and discount retailers taking up available space.

Offering over 66,000 sqft of accommodation, the warehouse will consist of steel portal frame construction, benefitting from 12m eaves height, uniform floor loading of 50 kNm2, six loading doors (including 4 docks), first floor offices and 62 car parking spaces. It will provide a good-sized yard, excellent loading facilities and state-of-the-art security systems.

Green Lane Industrial Estate has a great geographical position with the M62 junction 31 less than three miles away. Other major transport connections include the M1 and A1M, northern container ports and Doncaster airport all in close proximity. The railway freight network via the Wakefield Europort is also nearby to make light work of the distribution of goods across a variety of sectors.

This site will provide an ideal solution for businesses wishing to service the north of England. A significant proportion of UK warehousing is currently centred on the West Midlands, but with the move towards same day delivery in certain parts of the country there is now increased demand for additional facilities in the north.

Neil Storey, director of Onward Holdings, said: “The shortage of suitable warehousing is an ongoing problem for businesses so we’re delighted to have been granted planning permission for a new design and build facility in Featherstone. Firms looking for northern warehousing will benefit from the location’s fast track to around 80% of the UK’s population within four hours.”

The message from Onward Holdings to companies struggling to establish a logistics platform in the north of England due to the lack of suitable warehousing is ‘Watch this Space’ for further developments from the company, as the demand for quality properties is expected to continue to outstrip supply into the next decade.

Family-run business Onward Holdings specialises in operating highly competitively priced industrial warehousing and retail parks in the North of England. Its other warehousing sites include nearby Castleford, Doncaster, Ackworth and Scunthorpe as well as the very busy Onyx Retail Park at Wath upon Dearne.

Site promotion is being handled jointly by Andrew Miller, Andrew Miller Chartered Surveyors and Iain McPhail, Knight Frank.