LSH lines up seven sites for £300m waste PFI

Lambert Smith Hampton advised on the acquisition of 34 acres on seven sites across Greater Manchester on behalf of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority and Viridor Laing.

LSH's Manchester office was appointed to acquire the sites for the delivery of specialist waste management facilities including Household Waste Recycling Centres and In-Vessel Composting uses, following an extensive site search.

The acquisitions follow confirmation of the £300m, 25-year private finance initiative waste management contract with Viridor Laing, which was signed last week.

The contract is the largest of its kind in the country, and possibly in western Europe, to provide waste reduction, recycling, composting, treatment, recovery and disposal facilities for over 958,000 households across Greater Manchester.

The seven sites include 1.4 acres at Rosehill, Stockport; one acre at Walmsley, Bury; four acres at Boysnope Wharf, Irlam; eight acres at Longley Lane, Sharston; 1.5 acres at Raikes Lane, Bolton, 9.5 acres at Little Hulton, Salford; and nine acres at Nash Road, Trafford Park.

Andrew Aherne, head of industrial agency at LSH's Manchester office, said: "The project was extremely location sensitive, with each site having to match the GMWDA's very precise criteria. As a result, the number of potentially viable sites was limited and, therefore, to acquire all seven off-market is a tremendous achievement."