ProLogis Developments is set to begin construction of a 525,000 sq ft warehouse unit in Barnsley this month, following the purchase of a 36-acre site from Harworth Estates.

(Left) Leader of Barnsley Council Stephen Houghton CBE with (right) Simon Jenkins of ProLogis the site of the new development at Houghton Main

The speculative development will further strengthen the Midlands company's push into the distribution and logistics industry in Yorkshire and the North East.

Solihull-based ProLogis will speculatively build the half-million sq ft warehouse as a cross-dock facility, on a former coalmine site, at Houghton Main. The site has easy access to both the M1 and M18, and the new unit is expected to attract interest from both retailers and third party logistics companies.

ProLogis bought the prime site last October, after Harworth Estates - a division of UK Coal PLC - decommissioned the pits at Houghton Main and reclaimed the land for employment use. The joint agents are CB Richard Ellis and Fuller Peiser, of Birmingham and Leeds respectively.

Mark Fitzpatrick of CBRE said the site was perfect for redevelopment, in terms of available workforce, location and the area's emerging distributor market.

"As well as its excellent location on the Coalfields Link Road, and easy access to the motorways, it also has a huge pool of labour within half an hour's drive time, which is ideal for any occupier," he said.

"Also, most facilities only offer dock loading on one side of the building but, from an occupier's point of view, it's much more flexible and efficient to have cross docking, which is why ProLogis has incorporated it into the design."

Simon Jenkins, first-vice president development at ProLogis added: "Yorkshire and the North East is an emerging area for large-scale distributors, so we anticipate a great deal of interest from retailers and third party distributors. Contractors are arriving on site this month, with the building expected to be delivered by autumn this year."

At the turf-cutting ceremony Leader of Barnsley Council Stephen Houghton CBE said “We are delighted that ProLogis have chosen to make this significant investment in Barnsley and welcome the local jobs this development will create. I see this investment as a vote of confidence in our area and the work we do to promote Barnsley as an excellent location to do business”.

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