Panattoni starts speculative West Yorkshire mega-shed

Industrial developer Panattoni is speculatively developing AEW’s Wakefield515 in West Yorkshire.

The building is set to be the largest speculative warehouse under construction in the North of the UK this year and signifies one of the sectors’ largest commitments since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The unit is anticipated to be ready for occupation in Q2 2021.

The cross-docked warehouse will benefit from generous yards of up to 100m and will incorporate sustainable features including rainwater harvesting systems, use of energy efficient materials, PV ready roof and LED motion sensor lighting. The building will be built to a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ and EPC rating of ‘A’.

Andy Preston, development manager at Panattoni, said: “There is a lack of supply of large warehouse facilities along the M62 corridor, and despite tougher economic conditions as a result of the on-going pandemic, e-commerce remains strong and we believe that the new development of Wakefield515 will attract a high level of demand.”

Mike Haigh, partner at Dove Haigh Phillips, said: “Speculative development of large distribution units in Yorkshire have been scarce over recent years while demand has taken-up all existing supply. The pipeline of new development remains thin so Wakefield515 will be a key addition to the Yorkshire market.”

Richard Harris, managing director, pan-EMEA Tetris, at JLL said “The logistics sector in the UK has bucked a lot of trends in recent years as demand, particularly from online retailers has remained high. The growth of online shopping has only accelerated during the Covid-19 crisis and is fuelling demand for flexible space in the right location. Yorkshire and Wakefield515 is perfectly positioned to offer access to key markets.”

Joint agents are Dove Haigh Phillips and JLL