Bristol’s foresight in the 1990s is revealed in two giant industrial buildings that have come back on to the market, according to a leading commercial property consultant.
Russell Crofts, partner at Knight Frank in Bristol, says that buildings such as the WA248 and WA312 distribution warehouses at Western Approach near Severn Beach were well ahead of their time when they were constructed.
“Bristol was way ahead of the curve in recognising the role of very large distribution buildings and around 25 years ago a number were built that were greater than 100,00 sq ft in size – unusual and forward thinking at the time, but absolutely what is required in today’s market.
“As a result, there is a thriving market for these warehouses as their initial 25 year lease ends and they again become available. Remarkably, their structure and design are still totally appropriate today and relatively little work is required to bring them up to 2018 standards, which is why there is such a thriving market in buildings like these.”
The WA248 building is 248,000 sq ft in size and the WA312 is 312,000 sq ft in size – very large back in the 1990s when they were constructed but dwarfed today by buildings such as the 2.2 million square foot multi-storey Amazon Mega Shed to be built at Central Park in Avonmouth.
