Property briefs: 600,000 sq ft Asda pre-let at Omega, and more

A NEW £100m Asda logistics centre at Omega South near Warrington is expected to create hundreds of jobs.

Planning was granted for the 600,000 sq ft base by councillors at Warrington Council last week.

It marks the start of development on Omega South, the larger half of the 575-acre mixed-use scheme at junction 8 of the M62 which is a joint venture between Miller Developments and Royal Bank of Scotland-owned KUC Properties.

Asda will be taking warehouse and office space on a 28-acre plot. The joint applicant was Bericote, an industrial developer which builds distribution bases for the major supermarket groups.

Andrew Sutherland, joint managing director for Miller Developments, said: “This positive decision is extremely important for Omega South. Not only will it bring a new occupier and more jobs to Warrington but this first logistics development will also deliver a vital new £6m access road and roundabout.  

“This will open up development opportunities within Omega South and, as has happened on Omega North, serve to accelerate occupier interest in the office and business plots already consented.”

On the eastern part of Omega South, planning consent is already in place for 1.5 million sq ft of office space which will be developed when there is market demand. In December Omega agreed a pre-let on a 200,000 sq ft warehouse on the northern part of the scheme for food distributor Brakes.

The Homes and Communities Agency, which owns the land, invested £32m in the new junction 8 of the M62 and associated carriage works in 2002 and has been working closely with Omega Warrington, the Warrington Council and the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnerships to unlock the scheme.

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CONSTRUCTION group Galliford Try has secured a £4.2m contract to build 50 houses in Salford for Kent-based housing association Affinity Sutton.

The development at Humphrey Booth Gardens, near Langworthy Road, will have two, three and four-bed properties.

Darren Leary, development director at Galliford Try Partnerships (North West), said: “We are delighted to have secured the contract to deliver Humphrey Booth Gardens on behalf of Affinity Sutton with whom we have a strong working relationship across the UK.

“The scheme represents our first opportunity to work with Affinity Sutton in the North West region and we look forward to delivering a high quality sustainable development that provides much needed affordable housing in Salford.”

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MANCHESTER architects, Fletcher-Rae (UK), has completed the latest phase of a new facility in Burnley for stainless steel precision valves manufacturer Fort Vale.
 
The £1.3m research and development facility at Calder Vale Business Park, in Burnley, is part of a masterplan drawn up by Fletcher-Rae to incorporates over 300,000 sq ft of industrial and commercial accommodation, including the existing engineering production facilities and head office.
 
The Manchester practice has obtained outlined planning for over 200,000 sq ft of new-build accommodation, which includes the recently completed 18,000 sq ft R&D facility.

The remainder of the 20-acre redevelopment site has detailed planning consent for a bespoke foundry, special projects facility and other industrial and commercial buildings.
 
Andrew Rae, joint managing director at Fletcher-Rae, said: “The completion of this latest phase of development marks another significant milestone in our longstanding relationship with Fort Vale. Over the last six or seven years, we have been involved with Fort Vale’s head office development. In addition, we have assisted in developing a long-term strategic masterplan that’s designed to facilitate the internationally-acclaimed company’s growth, as well as future expansion, with the next stage hopefully beginning later this year.”

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HOUSING association Riverside is building 21 houses at Fairfield in Liverpool.

Eleven properties are going up on an empty site in Lomond Road and there will be 10 on nearby Alford Street.

David Croft, a director of architect Croft Goode said: “We went out to public consultation last year for the properties on Alford Street and had a very positive reaction to our plans. The local community viewed it as positive regeneration of the local area, especially as these homes replace a number of derelict properties.

“Both the scheme on Lomond Road and the plans for Alford Street will help to provide some much needed affordable properties in a part of Liverpool where demand is very high.”