Origin has completed the first phase of SPARK, delivering 270,000sq ft at the £126million GDV manufacturing and logistics scheme in Walsall.
The wider 44-acre site has been transformed by HBD, working in partnership with previous landowners, Walsall Council and Homes England, to ready the land for development. The high-profile regeneration project injected new life into the site, which is expected to create as many as 1,100 new jobs.
Once complete, SPARK will create 370,000sq ft of best-in-class I&L space across five units. The first two units are now complete and ready to occupy; 18,000sq ft at Unit G and 250,000sq ft at Unit A. The scheme, which sits adjacent to J9 of the M6, has been designed to the highest ESG standards, targeting BREEAM Excellent and EPC A.
HBD recently secured Reserved Matters planning for SPARK Phase II which will deliver a further 101,000sq ft across three units, targeting practical completion in Q3 2026.
Origin is a joint venture between HBD and Feldberg Capital. It was launched to own and develop next-generation, ESG-compliant industrial and logistics assets in the UK’s mid-box market and aims to deliver £1billion of high-quality I&L schemes over the next five to seven years.
Vivienne Clements, Executive Director at HBD, said: “It’s fantastic to see the first phase of SPARK now complete – it’s an excellent example of public private partnership done well, creating one of the best I&L schemes in the Midlands, just minutes from the M6 at the heart of the UK’s manufacturing and logistics economy and with the potential to create hundreds of new jobs.”
Jamie Acheson, Managing Director of Feldberg Capital, said: “The delivery of SPARK’s first phase underlines Origin’s strategy of investing in well-located, ESG-compliant assets with strong fundamentals. SPARK is a best-in-class I&L scheme that meets the evolving needs of occupiers while supporting long-term economic growth in the region.”
The agents for SPARK are Cushman and Wakefield and Box4 Real Estate.