BT confirmed yesterday that its new 30,324sq m (326,000sq ft) national distribution centre will be located either at Gazeley Properties’ Magna Park, Lutterworth in Leicestershire, or a 9.3ha (23 acre) site recently acquiried by Royal London with Kingspark Developments in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
BT considered 33 sites in the Midlands for the new centre, which will replace seven existing warehouses situated across the UK. Eight developers were selected for interview and three were invited to submit detailed tenders. The final choice will be announced in the next few weeks, said a BT spokesman.
The Royal London/Kingspark joint venture is promoting its site as Cardinal Point. The greenfield site, at Bitterscote, south of Tamworth off the A5, has outline consent for B1, B2 and B8 use, and was acquired from developer Fordgate,
The choice of Magna Park may be complicated by Sears’ requirement for a new 51,095sq m (550,000sq ft) distribution warehouse. It is considering Magna Park and Wilson Bowden’s Interlink Park at Bardon, to the north west of Leicester, as well as its British Shoe Corporation site in Scudamore Road, Leicester.
According to Chris Palmer of Grimley, which is advising Sears, the firm wants a site of between 12.14ha – 14.16ha (30 – 35 acres) and is about to submit a planning application for Magna Park as one option.
The Sears and BT requirements would together exceed the amount of space in the first phase of Magna Park for which Gazeley has consent. To accommodate both firms, Gazeley would have to invest in a new link road to Jctn 20 of the M1, said Palmer.
EGi News 31/07/96
