MIPIM 2015: Peel Logistics confirms next wave of projects

Peel has submitted planning applications for a 280,000 sq ft pre-let logistics warehouse at Port Salford and a £50m oil refinery at QE2 Dock in Eastham at the entrance to the Manchester Ship Canal.

The announcements were made during Peel's update on current activity at an event on Wednesday morning at MIPIM 2015. The event marked the first anniversary of Peel Logistics, a marketing collective of Peel-owned sites across the country with a potential investment value of £4bn.

The planning application for the 280,000 sq ft unit designed by Fletcher Rae at Port Salford is due to go to Salford City Council's planning committee next week. Peel Ports agreed the pre-let subject to planning approval with Culina Logistics to occupy the warehouse. The development will be the next stage of the 200-acre scheme between the Manchester-Liverpool railway line and the Manchester Ship Canal. Culina was announced as the £150m joint venture partner for Port Salford in June 2014.

A spokesman for Culina said: "As part of Culina's strategy of responsible and sustainable expansion, the business is exploring the possibility of opening an ambient, shared-user food and drink logistics facility at Port Salford. However, the advancement of this option is dependent on planning permission being granted. At this stage, there is nothing further to report, although Culina will communicate via the appropriate channels should there be any further developments."

Peel also said that it was contracted to deliver an oil refinery at the QE2 Dock at Eastham, which would represent a £50m investment by an as yet unnamed occupier. The 27-acre greenfield development site is nestled among oil and chemicals works for corporations including Essar Energy, which operates Stanlow refinery, formerly owned by Shell.

The developer is also committed to a £15m investment to build 375,000 sq ft of new warehouses within the Port of Liverpool to accommodate customer requirements for more space.

"Only next week we go to planning committee for a 280,000 sq ft pre-let at Port Salford," Peel's Matthew Fitton said. "We are seeing speculative development at the AMP site in Yorkshire, at Hareshill in North Manchester and we have further plans for speculative development in the region which we hope to announce over the coming months.

"The pipeline looks good and I do believe in 12 months we will be reporting on a significant amount of development continuing to come out of the ground across the Peel Logistics portfolio, creating jobs and construction activity across all the land holdings."

At the Mandala restaurant on the beach, Fitton, Andy Martin of Peel Ports and Iain Thomson of Harworth Estates looked at the highlights of the last 12 months, which included defence manufacturer MBDA's acquisition of eight acres at Logistics North in December 2014.

Thomson said: "The North West remains the best property market in the UK outside London and we are in advanced negotiations with two other companies wanting to take space at Logistics North, proving that demand is out there."