Port operator acquires 230-acre site in major expansion
Associated British Ports (ABP) has swooped for a 227.5-acre site known as Stallingborough Interchange.
This site, one of the Government’s original Enterprise Zones, is designated for various commercial port opportunities, including automotive, bulk warehousing, distribution and logistics, advanced manufacturing, and green energy initiatives.
Known as Pioneer Business Park (PBP), the site has been designated for employment use in the local plan since 2013.
Formerly used as agricultural farmland, it is located next to the A180 dual carriageway. The site is also connected to the Humber Link Road, a new port connection road built in 2021 linking Immingham and Grimsby.
Part of the South Humber Industrial Investment Programme (SHIIP), PBP has already seen developments like the Myenergi project and HETA facilities, with more opportunities in progress.
It holds outline planning consent for up to 1.3m sq ft of business, general industrial, and storage and distribution spaces, granted in 2018.
With increasing demand in the automotive sector, especially from new entrants and those transitioning to electric vehicles, ABP plans to submit an outline planning application for up to 80 acres of automotive logistics on the site in early 2024.
Legal representation included Peter Mason and Elizabeth Cook from Addleshaw Goddard for ABP, and Kassra Powles, Ayesha Khalique, and Louise Hunt from Browne Jacobson for NELC.
Simon Bird, regional director of the Humber said: “This is an important milestone in the future growth of the Humber ports. It demonstrates the need for strategic investment in land to facilitate the continued growth of ABP and to maintain the Humber Ports leading position in the UK, as well as significant investment in the region for jobs.
“As demand is expected to increase for energy generation, automotive storage, bulk warehousing, and storage and distribution uses our space constraints within our ports will increase. This additional land will ensure the delivery of state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities, and technological innovation for new and existing customers.”
Greg Lacey, head of property – Humber, ABP said: “It’s always a challenge to bring forward a site of such significant scale and I’d like to personally thank NELC for all the investment in time and costs to get it to this stage. We now pick up the baton to bring to fruition our shared ambition to create a major UK port logistics development.
“This is a unique opportunity, assembled by ABP working collaboratively with NELC and three other landowners. The site is the largest development land parcel in such proximity to the ports and of significant scale versus wider opportunities in the Yorkshire region. It is unlikely any opportunity of the same size will be coming to the market for some time. The sizeable investment we have made in this shows ABP is a key player in supporting the growth of commercial activities within the region.”
