Warehouse completes on popular Leicestershire industrial estate

Stephen George + Partners (SGP) is delighted to announce the completion of a 43,484 sqft (GIA) warehouse on the Hilltop Industrial Estate, Coalville. Sited on 1.34 hectares of brownfield land, the warehouse includes 3,060 sqft of offices on the first floor and a mezzanine floor for plant, along with car parking, service yard, landscaping and earthworks.

Explains Hing Ow, Associate at SGP: “We worked closely with our client Westmoreland Properties Ltd to optimise the unit size and facilities whilst keeping a significant area of existing woodland. The treatment of the eastern side of the warehouse will include timber effect panels, responding to the concerns of the local council for the development to reflect its environment, being on the edge of the National Forest.”

SGP’s landscaping proposals focus on integrating the units within the surrounding industrial and woodland setting, retaining existing features such as the woodlands to the north and east of the site.

SGP’s design uses window placement and profiled and flat aluminium fascia panels for banding to add proportion and articulation to the unit, with timber effect louvres to mitigate overheating and glare in the summer and a canopied entrance to provide protection and a visual cue for visitors. Parapets have been introduced around the roofline for the safety of staff maintaining the roof, and this also helped achieve a clean contemporary finish to the building.

The building has received BREEAM accreditation and its fabric has been designed to be highly airtight with greater insultation. Low energy LED lighting, an efficient heating system and PV panels have been installed to support the sustainability agenda.

Concludes Hing: “The development clearly demonstrates its economic and social benefits as well as the client’s understanding of the sensitivities around the existing landscape and future building environment. We have taken a lot of care to make sure our design delivers a fully optimised development while safeguarding design quality.”

Hilltop Industrial Estate is an established development, conveniently located within the east midlands with good access for the M1 and A(M)42 motorways and East Midlands airport, one of the UK’s major freight airports.