St. Modwen Industrial & Logistics has delivered a 100,000 sq ft build-to-suit facility as part of the first phase of development at St. Modwen Park Gatwick in Copthorne. The developer is now underway with Phase 2, which is believed to be the largest speculative unit planned for the Gatwick Diamond area in more than a decade.
Phase 1 – which was pre-let on a 15-year lease to Gatwick Airport Limited in September 2019 – comprises a cross-docked unit which was specifically designed to meet occupier needs and features 18 loading doors, nearly 20,000 sq ft of office space and a 50m yard depth.
St. Modwen will now begin work on a further phase of speculative development at the site, after securing detailed planning consent from Mid Sussex District Council in April 2020 to build a 64,752 sq ft unit.
St. Modwen’s delivery of an additional building, G64 – which will have an internal height of 12.5 metres- will cater to market demand for more warehouse racking space and the potential addition of a mezzanine floor.
Strategically located adjacent to Junction 10 of the M23, serving both Gatwick and Crawley, St Modwen Park Gatwick also has easy access to the M25 and the South Coast. The scheme is expected to help meet employment demand for the industrial and logistics sector across the region and has a gross development value of £31 million.
David McGougan, Senior Development Manager, at St. Modwen Industrial & Logistics, said: “This is an important milestone for the site and our continued delivery of high-quality industrial and logistics space in the South East. There is significant market demand for schemes of this nature within the region, and with such a prime location close by to the neighbouring airport, we’re confident in pressing on with our speculative development plans.”
BNP Paribas Real Estate and DTRE are joint marketing agents for the site, and William Merrett of BNP Paribas Real Estate added: “We share St. Modwen’s confidence in this scheme – and have every reason to do so following the letting of Phase 1 to Gatwick Airport. Work on the speculative unit is already gathering pace and we’re beginning to have discussions with last mile logistics delivery businesses.”
