by Mark Simmonds and Marc Lopatin
Haulage firm Eddie Stobart has taken 46,450m2 (500,000 sq ft) at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal and will spend £25m on the construction of a massive distribution centre which it hopes to have in operation by September.
Stobart is the first occupier to commit to the 147ha (364 acre) DIRFT site, which lost the first round of a publicity battle with PowerGen’s competing scheme at Hams Hall, near Birmingham.
PowerGen recently signed Rover Group to take 92,900m2 (1m sq ft) there.
The haulier will act as an anchor for DIRFT’s proposed logistics park, which has outline planning permission for a further 232,250m2 (2m sq ft). The Severn Trent development is funded by Hermes Property Asset Management, which committed £75m last year. The other part of the scheme, a 92,900m2 (1m sq ft) public rail port, is expected to open this summer. DIRFT was advised by Baker Rose, Howkins & Harrison and Jones Lang Wootton.
- IKEA has drawn up a shortlist of sites for a 55,740m2 (600,000 sq ft) national distribution centre.
The Swedish furniture chain has narrowed its search to a handful of locations, most of which are along the A14 corridor in the East Midlands. It is rumoured to favour Hanson Land’s 162ha (400 acre) commercial and industrial site at Hampton new town on the edge of Peterborough. The others include: Gazeley Properties’ Latimer Park; Kingspark’s Eurohub at Corby; Parlison Properties’ A1/M1 at Thrapston and Kier Construction’s Warth Park at Raunds, near Wellingborough.
The company is likely to need up to 20.24ha (50 acres).
