Frontier Park nears final phase
Developer Monte Blackburn’s 1m sq ft industrial park is almost complete, with a planning application for the final 275,000 sq ft plot due for submission in September.
Contractor Barnfield Construction has started work on the penultimate phase of the Blackburn site, which comprised two separate planning applications approved under delegated powers by Hyndburn Council in February.
That phase comprises 290,000 sq ft of speculative offices and warehouses due to complete by the end of the year. A total of eight warehouses are to be built, ranging in size from 3,000 sq ft to 86,000 sq ft.
The larger of the applications was for four warehouses of 50,000 sq ft, 64,000 sq ft, 76,000 sq ft, and 86,000 sq ft, totalling 276,000 sq ft.
The smaller application, “for starter units” according to the planning documents, is for three warehouses, two of which are 3,000 sq ft and one which is 5,000 sq ft, located on a 3.5-acre parcel of land to the south of the larger site. A steel structure is to be erected for the buildings next month.
The larger site will hold 280,000 sq ft of warehouses
The developer declined to reveal details of the final phase due to be submitted in September, as they are still being drawn up.
In total, around 410,000 sq ft of business space has already been built and occupied at Frontier Park, which is located next to Junction 6 of the M65. It is the flagship scheme of Mohsin and Zuber Issa’s Monte Blackburn investment vehicle.
Last March, the company agreed a 61,000 sq ft pre-let with machinery supplier Tek-Dry Systems to take part of Unit 1 at Pioneer Court.
Other lettings agreed last year include 185,000 sq ft to MDA, part of Stacci Group; 30,000 sq ft to Modular Group; 77,150 sq ft to Royal Sanders, and a further 30,000 sq ft is under offer.
This leaves 20,000 sq ft of the first phase still available for leasing. The services hub at the front of the development already has a filling station, Spar, Subway, Greggs, Starbucks and KFC.
A £25m, 150-bedroom Hampton by Hilton hotel is under construction and expected to complete in the third quarter of this year.
The Issa brothers are also the owners of Euro Garages, which recently submitted plans for a site part of the land East of Maghull masterplan.
The smaller, 14,000 sq ft phase is targeted towards SMEs
Gemma Newall, senior planner at PWA Planning, said: “These latest commercial developments will create further jobs and attract additional investment into the area.”
Alex Kenwright, development manager of Frontier Park, said: “This next phase of speculative development at Frontier Park is in direct response to the fantastic demand we have seen for space at the site over the last 12 months.
“The units won’t be ready for occupation until Q4 2020, but our agents are already reporting good levels of interest, so much so that we are now turning our attention to the last remaining undeveloped plot.”
The architect is Campbell Driver partnership, Curtins is the engineer, PWA is planning consultant, Barnfield Construction is contractor, and the development manager is Kenwright Consultants.
B8 Real Estate and Trevor Dawson are joint letting agents on the scheme.
