On Tuesday 1st November, SEGRO plc (‘SEGRO’) hosted a ground breaking ceremony at its SEGRO Park Rainham development in East London. The scheme, previously called Beam Reach 5, will deliver a 333,000 sq ft Grade A development which forms the first phase of the East Plus industrial property portfolio.
SEGRO was chosen as the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) development partner for East Plus in October 2015. The redevelopment, which covers 86 acres of brownfield land across Newham, Barking & Dagenham and Havering, is set to deliver 1.4 million sq ft of modern industrial space over the next 10 years and will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of London Riverside.
At the launch event, David Sleath, CEO of SEGRO, commented:
“Today represents an important milestone in our relationship with both the Greater London Authority and the London Borough of Havering. As the Mayor of London’s development partner, this ground breaking event marks the official start of the regeneration of the GLA’s East Plus portfolio which consists of 86 acres of vacant industrial land across five key sites in London Riverside.
“SEGRO has a long track record of regenerating and modernising industrial space in London which has helped to support business growth and job creation in the Capital for many decades.”
Commenting on the East Plus partnership, Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, GLA, said:
“As part of the Mayor’s vision for East London, this partnership with SEGRO will unlock significant economic benefits for London Riverside. I am delighted that work is now underway to deliver important training, education and employment opportunities over the course of the next decade by modernising East London’s portfolio of industrial land.”
Cllr Roger Ramsey, Leader of Havering Borough Council, added:
“We are very pleased with the quality of proposals that SEGRO have developed for Park Rainham since becoming the GLA’s chosen development partner. The scale and flexibility of units will create opportunities for our businesses to expand and grow and to attract new inward investment into the Borough. We envisage that this will be the beginning of a wave of new development which will see this strategic industrial location expand and grow to better serve Havering, London and the South East.”
The ground breaking ceremony followed an official tour for GLA representatives, local council delegates and stakeholders at the Centre of Excellence for Manufacturing and Engineering (“CEME”). During the tour, David Sleath, together with CEME CEO Bill Williams, launched a joint Gateway to Skills initiative, a £70,000 SEGRO investment package to develop and inspire the next generation of employees. The initiative will fund 1,000 students from Havering, Barking & Dagenham and Newham schools to participate in STEM skills training, a range of which were demonstrated as part of the tour.
Commenting on the Gateway to Skills initiative, Bill Williams, CEO of CEME, said:
“CEME is delighted to be re-launching our Gateway to Skills (GTS) programme in partnership with SEGRO and Havering College. The purpose of GTS is to engage young people in design and technology and with the sponsorship from SEGRO, we will be able to offer this opportunity to 1,000 young people from Havering, Barking, Dagenham and Newham over the next two years. We already have a long waiting list from schools within these boroughs so would encourage interested students to register sooner rather than later. We would like to thank SEGRO on behalf of all schools, parents and students in the region for enabling young people to better understand what a career might look like in manufacturing, engineering and technology.”
Construction at SEGRO Park Rainham will be completed in two phases. Phase one, which is expected to complete in 2017 will provide 230,000 sq ft of modern speculative industrial space. The development will consist of an ‘Enterprise Quarter’ with 42 units ranging from 500 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft, designed to attract and grow start-up and small businesses. The plans also include another plot for three units of 15,000 to 22,000 sq ft and two detached units of 52,000 sq ft and 66,000 sq ft. Phase two, which will begin in September 2018, will be developed on a pre-let basis, and will see the construction of one detached industrial unit of 102,984 sq ft.
It is anticipated that the completed development could deliver up to 1,000 direct jobs and, in addition to its partnership with CEME, SEGRO is working with Havering Council to deliver a dedicated skills, training and employment programme to support both construction and occupation of the development.
Earlier this year, SEGRO announced the launch of a £300,000 grass root community fund which will be awarded to projects focused on employability and education, specifically to those projects who work with young people or homeless people, or those at risk of homelessness.
The completed scheme, which will be developed to achieve a ‘BREEAM Excellent’ rating, will be one of the most sustainable industrial locations in London and the South East, featuring a number of environmental technologies including photovoltaic panels and solar walls to help reduce energy costs by up to 30%, as well as LED lighting and electric car charging points.
The site is ideally situated adjacent to the A13 with excellent connectivity to central London and the M25 motorway. Close proximity to the Port of Tilbury and London Gateway Docks also means the site is well positioned for businesses reliant on import and export markets.
