Planning secured for major warehouse scheme

Onwards Holdings is set to build a 66,000 sq ft distribution hub in West Yorkshire to alleviate what it says is a shortage of warehouse capacity in the region.

The company has secured planning permission for a high bay warehouse facility at its Green Lane Industrial Estate in Featherstone.

This latest development for Phoenix Park could be available to interested occupiers by March 2019, the company said.

There has been significant investment by Onward Holdings in the Green Lane Industrial Estate over the years, which has seen a range of companies occupy space at the site.

Gaining planning B8 permission for Phoenix Park is also a welcome shot in the arm for the region’s logistics supply chain as Onward Holdings says that warehouse facilities, especially close to excellent transport links, are lagging behind demand due to a proliferation of e-commerce and discount retailers taking up available space.

Neil Storey, director of Onward Holdings, said: “The shortage of suitable warehousing is an ongoing problem for businesses so we’re delighted to have been granted planning permission for a new design and build facility in Featherstone. Firms looking for northern warehousing will benefit from the location’s fast track to around 80% of the UK’s population within four hours.

“The message from Onward Holdings to companies struggling to establish a logistics platform in the north of England due to the lack of suitable warehousing is ‘Watch this Space’ for further developments from the company, as the demand for quality properties is expected to continue to outstrip supply into the next decade.”

Site promotion is being handled jointly by Andrew Miller, Andrew Miller Chartered Surveyors and Iain McPhail, Knight Frank.