St. Modwen has submitted a planning application to build in the region of 1m sq ft of additional employment space at its leading industrial and logistics site, St. Modwen Park Access 18 Avonmouth.
If approved by local planning authority Bristol City Council, the developer will carry out an eighth phase of development at the scheme, providing further high-quality accommodation with build to suit opportunities of up to 450,000 sq ft – and an increase in the scheme’s total floor space to c. 2 million sq ft.
A 125-bed Premier Inn hotel and associated facilities have also been included as a detailed element of the planning application. The Whitbread-owned hotel chain is expanding across the UK, Ireland and Germany and is on the hunt for the next generation of leading locations.
St. Modwen’s plans could create a further 1,130 new jobs, with the developer having already delivered over 1m sq ft of warehouse space as part of its regeneration of the former industrial site. Its commitment to creating a high-quality environment for its customers saw St. Modwen let the largest unit in the South West region of 150,000 sq ft to Ocado Retail late last year.
Ongoing construction is continuing at the site throughout 2020, with both mid-box and smaller units available for immediate occupation at the site’s prime location.
The 28 units developed at St. Modwen Park Access 18 to-date already accommodate 17 businesses, including Ocado Retail, Hermes Parcelnet and catering equipment providers Nisbets PLC.
Peter Davies, Development Director at St. Modwen Industrial & Logistics, said: “St. Modwen Park Access 18 has proven to be an incredibly popular scheme and this application will allow us to provide more bespoke opportunities to suit the specific needs of industrial and logistics occupiers. The site’s proximity to the M5 makes Access 18 an ideal base for these types of businesses.”
Paul Smith, Regional Acquisitions Manager at Whitbread, added: “Our strategy is to continue to grow and innovate Premier Inn in strategic locations where we are under-represented and where our customers want to us to be. A new Premier Inn hotel at Access 18 will bring excellent quality, good-value accommodation to the business park and will create more than 30 new jobs with the UK’s leading hospitality business. Submitting full plans shows our desire to open at Access 18 and we believe a new Premier Inn will trade very well there.”
Sitting adjacent to Junction 18 of the M5 and within 10 miles of Bristol city centre, the site is a stone’s throw from Avonmouth Docks and is accessible from nearby residential areas via public transport. St. Modwen Park Access 18 Avonmouth forms part of the developer’s biggest-ever committed industrial and logistics pipeline, standing at 1.5m sq ft nationally.
Joint marketing agents for the scheme are Russell Crofts of Knight Frank and Andrew Ridler of Alder King.
Andrew Ridler, Partner at Alder King, added: “By growing this popular scheme we’ve no doubt that St. Modwen will continue to attract major businesses to the South West. This application follows hot on the heels of a significant letting to Ocado Retail and I’ve no doubt that other household names will be attracted to the park’s desirable location. The quality of the proposed units make Access 18 a highly sought-after site and we anticipate significant demand for this next phase if planning is granted.”
