News: Leading developer buys Hellaby site

Panattoni, the largest industrial real estate developer in Europe, is taking forward plans for a huge distribution centre development alongside the M18 motorway in Rotherham - its biggest-ever speculative logistics building in the UK.

Outline plans were approved for "Interchange Park" at Hellaby last year and applicants said that it could be home to over 1,000 jobs.

Those applicants, Stretton Property Group, has now sold the 40 acre site to Panattoni for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in the USA in 1986, Panattoni has grown to become the world’s largest privately owned industrial developer.

The outline plans enable a 630,000 sq ft facility to be built along with a smaller 85,000 sq ft facility by junction 1 of the M18. Panattoni said that it is aiming to submit a reserved matters planning application in the next few weeks, with a view to beginning construction in the first quarter of 2022.

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The development is part of Panattoni’s commitment to a significant speculative development programme in the UK in 2021 in response to strong demand from occupiers for immediately available space. The acquisition of Interchange Park increases the size of Panattoni’s current speculative development programme to around 4.2 million sq ft across eight locations across the North and Midlands, the largest of which are at South Normanton, Derby, Northampton and Crewe.

Dan Burn, development director for the North West and Yorkshire at Panattoni, said: "Our continued appetite for speculative development reflects the strength of demand from occupiers for immediately available space. In the first quarter of this year half of all take-up in the logistics sector was of speculative developments, driven by demand from e-commerce companies. And in the last 12 months alone, we have let more than 6 million sq ft of space.

"Having let our speculative Wakefield 515 development in May, we are delighted to have acquired this strategic site and look forward to bringing this nationally significant scheme forward over the coming months."

Letting agents at Interchange Park are M1 Agency, Legat Owen and Knight Frank.

Panattoni website

Images: Panattoni

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News: Planning consent for M18 development

Stretton Property Group has successfully secured outline planning consent for over 720,000 sq ft of prime industrial opportunities at Interchange Park, J1 of the M18 in Rotherham. The development has the capacity to create over 1,000 regional jobs.

Rothbiz reported last month that the plans were set for approval after information regarding the transport impact and access was updated.

The planning consent granted to Stretton Property Group from Rotherham Council will bring forward a new logistics warehouse development to address chronic regional shortages of prime, Grade A industrial accommodation to meet the continued high levels of demand across the sector. Stretton has appointed the industrial agency teams at CBRE and M1 to market the scheme.

The 40 acre Cumwell Lane site, located strategically at the tip of the M1/M18 triangle, has outline planning consent to deliver up to 720,000 sq ft of B2, B8 and E(g) employment space. The scheme can accommodate a range of Grade A industrial warehouse unit sizes, suitable to a variety of occupiers. The units will be designed to incorporate office accommodation and extensive parking.

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Agents say that the development comes at a time where there is an acute lack of supply across the region and as a result, the scheme is expected to attract a mix of regional and national occupiers looking to be strategically located within Yorkshire.

Edward Chantler, Group CEO at Stretton Property Group, said; "We are delighted to have secured consent to unlock this strategic, job creating site and to facilitate the delivery of much needed stock for the Yorkshire industrial market. The regional logistics sector continues to go from strength to strength and we are pleased to bring Interchange Park to the market to deliver a range of opportunities for occupiers in South Yorkshire."

Mike Baugh, senior director of industrial agency at CBRE, added: "It's fantastic news that Stretton Property Group has secured outline planning for Interchange Park. Yorkshire will represent around 30% of all the UK logistics take-up this year due to its appeal to a wide range of occupiers. As a result, we are experiencing severe shortages of big box supply in the region and Interchange Park is hitting the market at the right time to satisfy occupier demand. The site's key location and the potential range of accommodation opportunities make the development an excellent choice for a wide variety of occupiers."

Interchange Park website

Images: Stretton / CBRE

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News: Massive M18 development set for planning approval

Outline plans for a large distribution centre development alongside the M18 motorway in Rotherham are being recomended for approval.

Applicants believe that, if approved, "Interchange Park" could be home to over 1,000 jobs.

A number of objections have been received against the new use for the former greenbelt land.

Rothbiz reported in 2018 that plans were being drafted for 16 hectares of agricultural land at Cumwell Lane, Hellaby, near J1 of the M18. Applications for residential development were refused planning permission in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The application from Stretton Denman Ltd is due to be discussed at the next meeting of Rotherham Council's planning board and updated information regarding the transport impact and access seems to have appeased council officers and Highways England.

The scheme is for 722,000 sq ft of new employment floorspace (Class B1b&c/B2 and B8) and up to 54,000 sq ft of ancillary office use floorspace (Class B1a), along with an HGV fuelling station and lorry washing facilities.

There is no end user identifield but the plans state that: "Based on the maximum capacity of the proposed development, the proposals have the potential to deliver 1,119 full time equivalent employment opportunities."

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Earlier this year, the applicants submitted further details explaining that: "There has been extensive dialogue with both Highways England (HE) and Rotherham Council's Transportation Team regarding both Highway capacity and Site Access Strategy. Further to considerable discussions with both parties, agreement has now been reached regarding Highway capacity and the Site Access Strategy."

The planned improvement scheme would allow for a right turn into Cumwell Lane from Bawtry Road (travelling in an easterly direction from the M18), this would be via a dedicated lane with two lanes alongside this lane allowing for traffic to move straight ahead only to the roundabout.

Travelling in a westerly direction on Bawtry Road, Cumwell Lane will be accessed from the nearside lane which allows for vehicles turning to the left or continuing straight ahead to the M18.

In terms of exiting Cumwell Lane to Bawtry Road, vehicles will only be able to turn left. A traffic island will prevent any unauthorised movements.

Some road marking alterations are planned at the M18 junction in a bid to reduce delays.

Letters of objection were received from the occupiers of 207 properties along with objections from Hellaby and Bramley Parish Councils, Maltby Town Council, Bramley Action Group, and local MP, Alexander Stafford.

Issues mainly relate to traffic impact and the use of (now, no longer) greenbelt land.

Planners admit that "the highway impact of the development is significant and requires mitigation and sustainable transport measures" but conclude that the proposed conditions such as the traffic scheme and new footways and cycleways on Sandy Lane, mean that the plans should be approved.

The planning board is due to discuss the proposals on November 26.

Images: Stretton / CBRE / M1

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News: Massive M18 development in the works

Plans have been outlined for a large distribution centre development alongside the M18 motorway in Rotherham - and it could help to create hundreds of new jobs.

Developers and landowners came forward during the creation of the borough's new local plan with a number of sites including those currently in the Greenbelt such as 16 hectares identified at Cumwell Lane, Hellaby, near J1 of the M18.

With the local plan now adopted, an outline planning application has been submitted to Rotherham Council detailing what sort of industrial development the Hellaby site could accommodate.

Applicants, Stretton Denman Ltd, have developed a scheme for 722,000 sq ft of new employment floorspace on just under 15.7 hectares of land bounded by the M18, Cumwell Lane and Sandy Lane. The applicants add that the proximity to the M18 motorway reinforces the suitability of the proposed development of warehousing and distribution.

The plans also state that: "Based on the maximum capacity of the proposed development, the proposals have the potential to deliver 1,119 full time equivalent employment opportunities."

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Currently entirely in an agricultural use, the proposal includes a range of employment uses - B1/B2/B8 , and approximately 62,000 sq ft of ancillary B1a (office) floorspace, HGV fuelling station and lorry washing facilities.

End operators have not yet been identified. An illustrative masterplan from Calderpeel Architects shows one 602,779 sq ft shed with an adjoining 51,667 sq ft office building and one 64,029 sq ft shed with an adjoining 3,100 sq ft office building.

The area was reallocated from Greenbelt to employment use in the Local Plan.

The plans, put together by agents, SATPLAN, add: "The allocation of the Site was needed that the Borough achieves their objectives for growth in compliance with the identified settlement hierarchy over the plan period, as set out in the Rotherham Core Strategy.

"The next stage in the planning process is the approval of outline permission, which will ensure the delivery of the Site and the associated benefits with the development are experienced as soon as possible.

"When fully operational this has the potential to provide to 1,119 full time equivalent employment opportunities for local people."

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The application also includes transport, ecological and landscape surveys highlighting appropriate mitigation for the proposed scale of development. Key design features are reserved for the detailed design stage to follow.

Not yet detailed is a proposed new junction to the busy A631 close to the motorway roundabout. The plans add: "The potentially high number of vehicles requiring access to the site may suggest the need for traffic management at the junction between Bawtry Road and Cumwell Lane."

The other side of the M18 at Bramley is the Government's preferred route for the HS2 line to Leeds.

Investor and developer, the Stretton Property Group has developed over six million square feet of commercial industrial and office property. It currently owns just over 1.5 million sq ft of industrial units.

Stretton Property Group

Images: Stretton Denman / Calderpeel

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