1.7 million square feet Northampton logistics hub moves closer to completion

Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP) is celebrating the start on site of the sixth and final warehouse at Panattoni Park, near Northampton. The 375,688 sqft unit will complete more than 1.7 million sqft of state-of-the-art logistics and industrial space on the Park.

The latest unit includes a warehouse of 345,475 sqft and 12,000 sqft offices. There is a two storey, 4,000 sqft hub and a 279 sqft gate house. This controls access to the 50m deep service yard, which contains 34 loading docks and 2 level access doors with a 15m clear internal height trailer bay for 60 HGVs.

Says Marcus Madden-Smith, Partner at SGP: “We have a long-standing relationship with Panattoni, as well as a strong track record of designing and delivering successful logistics hubs. We were able to use our experience to create adaptable and flexible spaces that will be attractive to a range of occupiers. The first three units were pre-let before completion, and we expect these will be equally popular.”

SGP has been working on the site since 2015, initially developing the masterplan, and continuing as Principal Designer for all six units.

Continues Arshad Khan, Studio Director at SGP: “We used BIM to help meet the project’s fast-paced construction needs by providing relevant information in a timely manner. This improved communication and the efficiency of project planning, particularly with the 3D render of the steel frame allowing early clash detection. BIM systems were especially useful for handling on-site changes to the design.”

The 120 acre site is in the so-called ‘logistics golden triangle’, considered to be the UK’s most strategically important location for distribution. Upon completion, it will offer more than 1.7 million sqft of state-of-the-art logistics and industrial space, in six warehouse buildings. The first three industrial units, totalling 623,000 sqft were completed at the end of 2020 and fully let to Eddie Stobart Logistics. The 250,000 sqft Unit 1 and 430,000 sqft Unit 2 started on site in December 2020 and are due to completed in September 2021.

The completed buildings will be built to a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ and have an ‘A’ EPC rating.