Work has started on Connexion II, a prime new industrial campus at Frasers Property’s Blythe Valley Park (BVP), scheme, providing the West Midlands market with much needed supply.
Aimed at occupiers with requirements of 25,000 to 50,000 sq ft, BVP is one of the few business parks on the M42 corridor with the available employment land to deliver this type of scheme.
The new industrial units will have 10m eaves and large, self-contained yards. Their construction will target EPC A and BREEAM Excellent standards to align with occupier’s increasingly strong sustainability requirements.
With earthworks now underway with the appointment of contractor, Glencar Construction, Connexion II will be completed and ready for occupation this November.
Eilidh McAllister of Frasers Property said: “The time is right to speculatively build Connexion II, particularly given the extraordinarily low supply and high demand from businesses for space to expand along the M42 corridor.
“Combined with BVP’s excellent connectivity and setting within the region’s premier business park, the new units provide a rare opportunity for occupiers who have been looking for space.”
Connexion II, located off Junction 4 of the M42, offers excellent access to the region’s motorway network – M42, M40, M5, M6 as well as Birmingham Airport, the international train station and the new HS2 hub.
Occupiers at BVP benefit from open access to 122 acres of country park including a network of cycling, walking & running routes and a wide range of amenities including a Virgin Active Gym, Busy Bees Nursery, Java Lounge Coffee House, Your Co-op Food and 24- hour security.
CBRE and Savills are joint agents marketing the Connexion II scheme and IM Properties is development manager.
Tesni Thacker from CBRE said: “Solihull and BVP satisfies a broad range of requirements, however the aesthetic appeal of Connexion II’s contemporary design and setting within a modern campus does lend itself to high end occupiers, perhaps in the automotive, technology and science sectors who need to attract the best labour and have an environment their team will thrive in.
“A prime example of this is Hofer Powertrain, who located their advanced engineering facility here at BVP on the Connexion I industrial scheme, firstly for its access to automotive engineering talent in the area and secondly because it was keen to tap into the wellbeing initiatives promoted by the business park.”
Connexion I which completed in 2018 includes high profile occupants who are pioneers within their respective sectors including Hofer Powertrain, Evac Chair and Gymshark, who has just completed a multi-million pound fit out to create a pioneering innovation centre.
Charles Spicer, at Savills Birmingham, concluded: “Within such a highly constrained market, Connexion II is likely to command a premium and its location as part of BVP presents a major USP, absolutely setting it apart from most locations with its range of amenities on the business park.”
