Plans have been unveiled for a £12 million development which would see one of the UK’s largest vehicle leasing companies, ALD Automotive, relocating its head office to impressive new offices in the South West.
The company’s proposed move to purpose-built, 36,000 sq ft office accommodation at Vertex Park, Emersons Green, Bristol, will see its staff move from their existing headquarters in Fishponds, Bristol, to provide much-needed space for further recruitment and planned expansion.
Commercial property developer Stoford has submitted a planning application for the three-storey, Grade A, BREEAM ‘very good’ development to South Gloucestershire Council. It hopes to start work on site this autumn and complete the project by the end of 2016.
Stoford director Gerard Ludlow said: “It is well documented that the Bristol office market has very limited stock and it is that lack of availability of Grade A accommodation that has led ALD Automotive to consider the design and build route.
“This will be the first sizeable out-of-town pre-let office development in the Bristol market for five years. The site’s proximity to the Bristol & Bath Science Park and established facilities such as the National Composite Centre, its location on a modern business park and access to the M4, make it a very attractive proposition.
“ALD Automotive, advised by Hartnell Taylor Cook, has committed to a new lease and the move from its current headquarters will provide a fantastic new office environment for its current team and allow further opportunity for expansion.”
Mel Dawson, managing director of ALD Automotive, said: “We moved to our current location in 1995 when we had less than 100 staff and, since then, we have grown significantly and now have almost 400 employees. Looking after the needs of blue-chip Plcs, SMEs and private individuals – and being part of an international group that manages over 1 million vehicles in 40 countries – it’s important that our new office environment not only reflects the size of the business we now are and allows us to continue our planned expansion, but helps us to operate more effectively in meeting the needs of our customers.”
South Gloucestershire Council’s Strategic Economic Development Manager Antony Merritt said: “South Gloucestershire has one of the highest levels of employment in the country and we are very pleased that ALD Automotive have chosen to build their new facilities here.
“Vertex Park, which is part of the Emersons Green Enterprise Area, is an ideal location for the business with excellent transport access to the nearby ring road and directly to the M32 and M4/M5 motorway corridors. We look forward to continuing to work with Stoford Developments, Taylor Wimpey and ALD to support this relocation and expansion.”
Stoford has recently completed two award-winning prestigious office developments in the South West and Wales. In Clifton, Bristol, Stoford delivered a 62,275 sq ft office development on behalf of a leading healthcare insurance provider, Simplyhealth. The scheme was developed on a gateway site in a conservation area on Whiteladies Road.
In Cardiff, the £60 million headquarters of insurance specialist Admiral Group was officially opened earlier this year. The 243,000 sq ft city centre building – Wales’ largest ever pre-let office development – stands 11 storeys high, with two floors of basement car parking.
Stoford is a leading specialist in occupier-focused development. It has delivered over 10 million sq ft of pre-let development and in 2015 has more than 950,000 sq ft of pre-let space under construction throughout the UK.
