Prologis, the UK’s leading developer of logistics parks, has announced plans to build a new, two-unit campus at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (Prologis RFI DIRFT) for Eddie Stobart, to allow the company to expand its road and rail operations.
Eddie Stobart is a long-term tenant at DIRFT, having had a presence on the site since 1997, and will vacate its existing properties on completion of the new units. The £75 million build-to-suit project will see Prologis provide two buildings with a total area of 538,000 sq ft, separated by a shared loading yard that can be split, if needed. The buildings will have a clear internal height of 18m, and will feature level access points, allowing for loading and unloading of curtain-sided HGVs.
Sally Duggleby, vice president in the leasing and development team at Prologis UK, said: “We have a long relationship with Eddie Stobart and it’s brilliant to be enabling them to expand their distribution operations at DIRFT even further. We knew there would be a need for extra capacity and having a plot that is ready to go, with infrastructure in place, means we can move quickly with the construction. Due to time constraints we want to make the transition from Eddie Stobart’s old buildings as smooth as possible”
Classed as a nationally-significant infrastructure project, DIRFT is one of the most successful intermodal (road/rail) logistics parks in the UK. From its location in the logistics ‘golden triangle’, at the heart of the UK’s motorway and rail network, the site has excellent road links to the M1 and M6 motorways, and to the West Coast Main Line. Home to household names such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco, the site’s connectivity has played a significant role in keeping goods and services flowing around the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DIRFT is covered by a development consent order and planning decisions at the site are made under delegated powers. This means that planning consent for the new campus was granted in eight weeks.
Sally Duggleby, continues: “There is a huge amount of development going on across DIRFT, including £100 million of infrastructure works and a brand-new rail freight terminal. Over the past 12 months we’ve seen just how important logistics and rail freight has been in supporting the nation, and we’re extremely proud that Eddie Stobart has chosen to further expand its foothold here.”
Prologis is advised at DIRFT by Savills and JLL; Eddie Stobart was advised by Roebuck Asset Management. The project is due to be completed in Q3 2022.
