St. Modwen outlines plans for first phase of new logistics park

Developer St. Modwen has submitted detailed plans for the first phase of its new Staffordshire logistics park.

The company plans to develop a 35-acre site, east of junction 10 of the M42, in what will be known as Tamworth Logistics Park.

Once completed, the development could create up to 1,700 jobs in the area. The site will go some way towards meeting the urgent demand for industrial and commercial space in the region.

The new proposals come after the Longbridge company completed the £7.25m acquisition of a property in Merseyside.

St. Modwen yesterday exchanged contracts with specialist asset manager Gresham House for its Southern Gateway site in Speke.

The application for Tamworth Logistics Park proposes the construction of three industrial units, ranging from 12,375 sq ft up to 49,000 sq ft and extending to 90,000 sq ft in total.

Outline planning consent for industrial, storage and distribution uses for the full 677,000 sq ft site was obtained in January 2017.

Gregg Titley, Development Director at St. Modwen, said: “Based on the 10-year average take up for new warehouses in the West Midlands the amount of space available will be gone within one year. The development at Tamworth Logistics Park will therefore deliver much needed accommodation in a strategic location on the M42 corridor for both distribution and manufacturing companies.”

Meeting the high demand for industrial and logistics space, not just in the Midlands but across the UK in general, is increasingly becoming a focus of St. Modwen’s development strategy.

Out of the company’s overall medium–term commercial pipeline, St. Modwen has identified 7.5m sq ft of industrial and logistics projects deliverable over the next few years. During 2017 the company expects to develop 1m sq ft of industrial and logistics space across its UK portfolio, of which 50% is already sold, let or pre-let.

As part of the Tamworth development, St. Modwen will create a new access off Trinity Road to service the site. A substantial area of existing open space to the south-west of the site will also be retained, providing natural wildlife habitats.

Subject to planning, works are due to start on site during the first quarter of 2018.