Construction has started on site at East, an 18-acre strategic development site in Preston.
East is a joint venture between developers HBD and Barnfield Construction, located just yards from Junction 31A of the M6 and close to Preston City Centre.
The first phase totals 69,394 sq. ft. with 5 individual units between 10,000 and 21,000 sq. ft. Construction will be completed by Barnfield and is expected to finish in Q3 2021.
Strong interest is already building for phase one as well as a further 2 units on the wider site.
East has outline planning for industrial and logistics use on the remaining 14 acres, accommodating up to 200,000 sq. ft.
Steve Manifold, Senior Development Surveyor at HBD, said: “East can accommodate a wide range of sizes for industrial and logistics use and we already have a lot of interest, which is very encouraging. The space is designed to appeal to local occupiers – many of which have struggled to find the right facilities in recent years – as well as larger corporates who can benefit from the site’s M6 location.
He continued: “It’s great to see work starting on site, and we look forward to seeing the scheme take shape.”
Tracy Clavell-Bate, Head of Development and Acquisitions at the Barnfield Group commented: “It’s great to be in a strong position to start speculative construction, on a site that has laid undeveloped for many years. We find many end users are often more interested in schemes once we start on the site and we’re confident this scheme will be pre-let/sold prior to completion.
“We are delighted to be working in the Preston area again following the success of Millennium City Park; our second project as a joint venture. Our construction team are very much looking forward to starting on site.”
The agents for East are Gerald Eve and Eckersley Property.
HBD has a diverse UK-wide portfolio, which includes office space and logistics, through to residential innovation and award-winning heritage projects. In addition to its Manchester base, HBD also has offices in London, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow.
Based in the North West of England, Barnfield are contractors, developers and investors active on over 30 sites throughout the UK, predominantly in the North West of England. The organisation is a market leader in its field, with an excellent track record in almost every sector of the industry. The business is based on developing successful partnerships, ensuring all development and construction projects are completed to a high standard so that repeat business is secured.