Author: lexielewis

Completion reached on a landmark 115,600 sqft speculative warehouse development in North Bristol

One of the largest single speculative warehouses to be built in Bristol has now reached practical completion at Horizon38, the landmark regeneration and employment scheme in Filton, north Bristol.

Unit G5, a 115,600 sq ft warehouse has been delivered by St Francis Group and ALMCOR with main contractor MCS Group Ltd. The property is immediately available for occupation.

The unit has been completed to a high specification, featuring 10 dock level doors, and 2 ground level doors, 50 KN/m2 floor loading, haunch height of 12m and a large secure yard, as well as a wide range of sustainable features including 6 EV charging points. The space also includes 5,600 sq ft of office space on the upper floor.

Situated within the Filton Enterprise Area, Horizon38 benefits from a ready labour supply within walking distance, the new Brabazon development, great local transport links including the MetroBus route, and accessibility to the city as well as the motorway networks.

Nigel Lax, Joint Founder of iSec Group (now Almcor), said: “Unit G5 represents the culmination of 7 years hard work on the part of Almcor and St Francis Group in regenerating the former 65 acre East Works Site and creating North Bristol’s premier business park. We are very proud of what our joint teams have achieved and look forward to successfully letting the final unit at Horizon 38”.

James Short, Associate at Avison Young, added: “Unit G5 will be a continuation of the high quality, sustainably built, speculative units developed at Horizon38, sitting alongside prestigious occupiers such as The Delivery Group and Elemis.”

“As a result of this accessibility, the size and high spec development of the new unit, the warehouse could easily act as a major industrial HQ for a local company, a strategic logistics hub servicing the region, or a facility to expand the neighbouring aerospace industries.”

Horizon38 combines industrial and distribution buildings totalling 580,000 sq ft with a further 25 acres of mixed employment space including new offices, trade warehouses, motor trade outlets with high profile occupiers including Village Urban Resorts, Volvo, GKN and CarShop.

Welcoming the Government’s green light for Thames Freeport

Thames Enterprise Park (TEP) has welcomed the Government’s green light for Thames Freeport and its confirmation of £25 million in initial funding to drive development and accelerate the delivery of the Freeport’s benefits and potential.

As a ‘Customs’ site within Thames Freeport, TEP will deliver the ‘additionality’ which is so central to the Freeport regeneration objective, complementing the already identified ‘Tax’ sites and offering its unique land platform into the Freeport ecosystem.

HM Government confirmed its commitment to Thames Freeport (20 March announcement – read here).

Rupert Wood, Head of Strategic Land at ALMCOR, speaking on behalf of Thames Enterprise Park, said: “Thames Freeport has significant potential to be transformational for Thurrock, South Essex and the wider Thames Estuary.  The Government green light and funding commitment is another important step forward.  At Thames Enterprise Park, we have a strategic land platform to bring into the overall Thames Freeport area and we expect to deliver substantial ‘additionality’ in terms of jobs, return on invested capital, and a full spectrum of broader commercial, social and environmental benefits.”

TEP is part of Thames Freeport alongside Port of Tilbury, Ford Dagenham, DP World London Gateway and the Port of London Authority (PLA).

Triggered by the Government announcement, Thames Freeport will now receive up to £25 million seed funding from government and potentially hundreds of millions in locally retained business rates to drive growth in the UK’s advanced manufacturing, biomanufacturing, logistics, and low carbon industries.

Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison said: “We’re delivering on our mission to grow the economy and level up right across the UK.  Thames Freeport is up and running and will bring high quality jobs, investment and trading opportunities for businesses in the region.”

Robin Mortimer, Maritime UK Chair said: “This latest wave of Freeport approvals is a major boost for UK maritime and the wider levelling-up agenda. Business, and the wider communities, will now be able to benefit from the wave of investment, development and jobs that Freeports are projected to generate.” 

Thames Freeport estimates that it will generate over 12,000 new jobs, and as a gateway to London, its hubs are well placed to provide global shipping routes for exporting UK produced goods and importing vital products for supply chains.

TEP anticipates making a significant difference to occupiers and industries that want to be part of the Freeport ecosystem and will benefit directly from locating at TEP where they can be part of the sustainable industries, clean fuels, advanced manufacturing and decarbonisation hub that TEP will provide.

TEP has planning permission (‘Resolution to Grant’) for  up to 3.7 million sq ft of commercial development within an integrated site masterplan for the regeneration of the former Coryton oil refinery site. 

With multi-modal connectivity (river, rail and road) together with deep-water jetties and important pipeline infrastructure already in place, TEP will provide outstanding commercial space for advanced logistics, advanced manufacturing and next-generation energy technology uses.  It will particularly benefit businesses looking for energy resilience, decarbonisation and ESG goals.

On its own, TEP will create up to 5,500 new jobs and deliver an estimated £350 million per year to the local economy.

It will transform 412 acres of brownfield land into a new commercial district with the first plots expected to be ready for development during 2023

TEP is one of ALMCOR’s major brownfield regeneration projects.  It is part of ALMCOR’s portfolio of large-scale, complex redevelopment sites where ALMCOR’s capability and expertise is making the difference in bringing strategic sites forward.

Corringham Christmas lights sparkle – with a little help from Thames Enterprise Park

As Christmas comes to Corringham, Thames Enterprise Park (TEP) is pleased to be playing a part in helping to create and celebrate the festive spirit.

Working with the Corringham, Fobbing & Homesteads Community Forum, TEP is delighted to be funding improvements and essential upgrades for the town centre Christmas lights for the second year running.

Roy Jones, Chair of Corringham, Fobbing & Homesteads Community Forum, said: “The Christmas lights make a really important contribution to Corringham town centre and bring a bit of sparkle for the festive season.  Without TEP’s support we would have struggled to finance the improvements needed so we’re tremendously grateful.  It’s excellent to have partnerships with local Thurrock businesses, like we do with TEP and a number of others, to help us achieve the things the Forum wouldn’t otherwise be able to achieve on its own.”

Graham Stark, Development Director at Thames Enterprise Park, said: “The Thames Enterprise Park site has been a major local employment location for over a hundred years and we’re delighted to continue to be an active member of the local community and ensure that TEP makes a positive difference where we can.  Helping to make sure that the Corringham Christmas lights shine bright in an energy efficient way is something we’re proud to support.  We wish everyone a peaceful, safe and happy Christmas.”

The Corringham Christmas lights are put on every year by the Community Forum.  TEP’s funding has allowed for new timers and important new parts to be purchased and installed, meaning the lights can operate safely, effectively, and in the most efficient way again this year.

 

Thames Estuary Growth Board (TEGB) has appointed ALMCOR Head of Strategic Land, Rupert Wood, to its Board.

TEGB is responsible for coordinating investment into the Thames Estuary region with a remit to turn its potential into good, green growth for the local area and the national economy.  The organisation works closely with businesses, investors, residents and communities to build partnerships which will transform the area.

Rupert joins the Board to reinforce its regeneration and development expertise.  In his ongoing role at ALMCOR, he currently oversees a significant portfolio of regeneration projects in key locations which include Thames Enterprise Park in Thurrock and Horizon 29 in Derbyshire.  He has previously managed major urban regeneration projects with Lendlease and St Modwen.

Rupert Wood said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Thames Estuary Growth Board.  I look forward to working with the Board and the Thames Estuary Team and to building on the momentum that has been made with ‘The Green Blue’ Action Plan as we set about unlocking the potential of the Thames Estuary.”

Rupert’s appointment is one of four as TEGB expands and strengthens its advisory team.

Thames Estuary Envoy and Growth Board Chair Kate Willard OBE praised the appointments: “I’m delighted to welcome our new Board Members.  The Thames Estuary Growth Board comprises some of the most brilliant business and elected member brains and the most dedicated people you will ever find.  Each of our new members is hugely talented in their field and will be an enormous asset to this already fabulous Growth Board.  I’m looking forward to working with all of them as we work together to play our crucial role in unlocking the potential of the Thames Estuary, attracting investment, and supporting infrastructure and job creation in the region.”

Rupert’s role with TEGB is outside of his Head of Strategic Land role at ALMCOR where he will continue to lead a team focused on realising value from major land assets and enabling the regeneration of complex sites.

-ends-

Note to Editors:

For more information on ALMCOR visit: https://almcor.com/

For more information on TEGB: https://thamesestuary.org.uk/

Media contact:

Ben Copithorne or Richard Pia at Camargue on bcopithorne@camargue.uk / rpia@camargue.uk / 020 7636 7366

 

Ground broken on latest multi-million development at Horizon 29

ALMCOR and its joint venture partner St Francis Group have announced breaking ground on a new 113,000 sq ft robot led HQ/warehouse for fast growing Chesterfield based Pharmacy Chain Peak Pharmacy at their much sought after Horizon 29 industrial development site at Bolsover, North Derbyshire.

Works on the £20M ultra-modern headquarters and facility commenced at the start of June and are accelerating rapidly. The new facility will use state of the art robotics and automated systems to support staff handling over 400,000 medicines and other prescribed items every month, equating to 20,000 a day, more than 40 every minute.

The new Pharmacy Service Centre will handle prescriptions and dispatch medicines for the firm’s 150 community pharmacies across England. Prescriptions will be assembled for individual patients, then either delivered to local pharmacies for collection the next day, or direct to patients’ homes.

The new hub is expected to take 9 months to build and due to open in April next year. It will house up to 100 staff, with the potential to grow into a 24-hour operation in future.

MCS Construction has been appointed as the main building contractor. The JV partners also acknowledge the support of the North East Derbyshire District Council, Bolsover District Council, Derbyshire County Council and the D2N2 LEP in bringing this development forward.

Rupert Wood, Head of Strategic Land at ALMCOR, said: “Following on from the sale of 80 acres to BentallGreenOak at the end of last year, it’s excellent to be on site with our latest building at Horizon 29. This will be an impressive new facility within an established logistics location in North East Derbyshire.”

Gareth Williams, Development Director at St Francis Group, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have formally marked the start of works on site and to be building this fantastic new facility for fast-growing customer Peak Pharmacy with the team on site already having made significant progress. This new facility serves as the first unit to be built at Horizon 29, welcoming our first occupier. Since we commenced the extensive remediation of the site interest in the scheme has been extensive and the recent sale by the JV of 80 acres of land to BentallGreenOak for the speculative development of 1.2 million sq ft of warehouse and logistics space speaks to that. We look forward to working with the team at Peak Pharmacy and delivering a first-class facility next year.”

Joe Cattee, Managing Director at Peak Pharmacy, said: “These are ambitious plans for our company, staff and customers – in the face of a rapidly changing pharmacy landscape. This new facility will be truly transformational for us. We’re investing now to future-proof our business, so that we can continue to provide great local customer service which means so much to us. We are very pleased to be working with St Francis and ALMCOR and the full project team and look forward to seeing the development rise out of the ground as it happens.”

 

Media contact:

Ben Copithorne or Richard Pia at Camargue on bcopithorne@camargue.uk / rpia@camargue.uk / 020 7636 7366

Regeneration of former Coryton oil refinery site will create 5,500 new jobs and expected to add £350 million per year to the local economy.

Thames Enterprise Park Limited, a joint venture between ALMCOR and Greenergy, has been given the green light from Thurrock Council for one of the most significant brownfield regeneration projects in the South East of England. 

Thames Enterprise Park will revive the former Coryton oil refinery site, initially delivering 3.7 million sq ft of advanced logistics, advanced manufacturing and next-generation energy technology uses.  It will create up to 5,500 new jobs.

The development is expected to add more than £350 million per year to the local economy ultimately growing to more than £3.5 billion.  It will transform 412 acres of brownfield land into a new commercial district with the first plots expected to be ready for development during 2023.

The development will have sustainability at its core and will comprise state-of-the-art construction to the highest standards of energy efficiency.  It will help occupiers to deliver on ESG requirements and feature next generation energy technologies that contribute to the decarbonisation agenda.  

Rupert Wood, Head of Strategic Land at ALMCOR, speaking on behalf of Thames Enterprise Park, said:

“This is an important milestone for the project.”

“Thames Enterprise Park is a once-in-a-generation regeneration project and we are very pleased to secure the support of Thurrock Council’s planning committee.  The project will create 5,500 jobs and will play a transformational role for Thurrock and for Thames Freeport, bringing this former employment site back into use with up to 3.7m sq. ft of modern, sustainable business space.  It will also create one of the most significant employment-led regeneration projects in the South-East of England.”

Thames Enterprise Park will play a pivotal part in the long-term success of Thames Freeport, the UK’s leading Freeport, with the site offering significant additionality for the Thames Freeport to achieve its full potential.

The plans will put Thames Enterprise Park at the heart of the decarbonisation agenda and help occupiers looking for solutions in the face of the energy transition and the climate change challenge.

Thames Enterprise Park is one of ALMCOR’s major brownfield regeneration projects.  It is part of ALMCOR’s portfolio of large-scale, complex redevelopment sites where ALMCOR’s capability and expertise is making the difference in bringing strategic sites forward.

 

Further information

You can find out more about Thames Enterprise Park on its website or social media channels (Twitter / LinkedIn).  For planning information, please visit the Thurrock Council website.

More on ALMCOR at https://almcor.com/ and Greenergy at https://www.greenergy.com/ 

Contact details for media

For information about Thames Enterprise Park, contact Richard Pia / Ben Copithorne on rpia@camargue.uk / bcopithorne@camargue.uk or 07850 796401 / 07968 748125 / 020 7636 7366

Notes to editors:

Thames Enterprise Park

• The project is owned and being delivered through a JV between real estate regeneration specialist, ALMCOR and Greenergy.
• ALMCOR is a portfolio company of MARCOL, the pan-European operating investor driving growth, value and innovation.
• More information on Greenergy can be found at https://www.greenergy.com/ 
• Thames Enterprise Park in Thurrock is one of the most significant employment-led regeneration project in the South East of England.
• It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-purpose the former Coryton Oil Refinery site on the banks of the River Thames in Thurrock into a modern, sustainable commercial district, providing up to 3.7million sq ft of ‘next generation’ advanced manufacturing, logistics and energy technology space.
• The proposed redevelopment transforms 412 acres of brownfield land into a sustainable, strategic employment and infrastructure asset, creating up to 5,500 new jobs worth approximately £350m per year to the local economy.
• As well as extensive commercial space, the proposed development also includes an Amenity Hub to promote research and innovation as well as education and training facilities, café, gym and new public access to the riverside.
• Employment, training and apprenticeship opportunities will be promoted to Thurrock residents via a Local Employment & Skills Plan, using local labour sources and advertising for jobs locally.
• Thames Enterprise Park will deliver a comprehensive multi-million pound package of transport investment, including upgrades to the local road network at The Manorway, the A13/Manorway interchange, Sorrells roundabout and M25 Junction 30. 
• The development will maximise sustainable transport choices and enhance connectivity by all transport modes throughout the local area and improve the overall resilience of the transport network. Thames Enterprise Park is one of six identified ‘GrowthHubs’ in Thurrock that are critical to the economy of the Borough to deliver the Council’s action plan ‘Backing Thurrock’.
• It is strategically located on the Thames Estuary with direct access to river, road and rail links.
• Drawing on its energy-related heritage, strategic location and trading connectivity, Thames Enterprise Park is a forward-looking destination for business, driving sustainability and innovation and contributing to the decarbonisation agenda.
• The development will maximise ‘sustainable travel choices’ and enhance connectivity by all transport modes throughout the local area and improve the overall resilience of the transport network.
• Thames Enterprise Park is part of the Thames Freeport, alongside Port of Tilbury, Ford Dagenham, DP World London Gateway and the Port of London Authority (PLA).  Thames Freeport is the Government’s leading freeport opportunity and is set to make this part of the Thames Estuary an economic powerhouse, supporting the UK’s post-Brexit trading future.