£2.5m refurb of Aquila 120 complete

Aquila 120 site

National logistics developer db symmetry and funding partner Barwood Capital have completed the £2.5m refurbishment of Aquila 120, a 120,000sq ft warehouse and manufacturing facility capable of accommodating up to 200 people, at Huyton Business Park in Knowsley on Merseyside.

Situated on a 9.4-acre site, Aquila 120 comprises 100,926sq ft of industrial space and 18,889sq ft of office and amenity space.

Other occupiers at the Park include Halewood International; Olympic Oils; Parcel Force and Beesley & Fildes.

Db symmetry and Barwood Capital acquired the scheme from CBRE Investors in 2014, in a deal worth £5.2m. Following the successful negotiation of an early surrender premium, the joint venture invested a further £2.5m in its refurbishment, bringing the scheme up to a rating of BREEAM Very Good.

The project has been supported with £2.3m from the Chrysalis Fund, which was launched in March, 2012 to kick start regeneration across Merseyside.

Simon Dixon, development director at db symmetry, said: “Working with Knowsley Council and our funding partners we have created a facility of which there is nothing else of its kind in terms of quality, size and location in this area of Merseyside.

“We expect the building to answer the demand from businesses looking for well-connected, high quality and efficient industrial space.”

Darren Hill, associate director at CBRE, joint agents for the scheme with JLL, added: “There has been a huge amount of interest in Aquila. Located immediately adjacent to Junction 6 of the M62 and Junction 1 of the M57, just 6.5miles from Jaguar Land Rover, the scheme will act as an excellent location for the supply chain to the automotive industry.”

The project team includes architect 5Plus, engineer, Shepherd Gilmour and main contractor ISS.

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