Plans approved for 375,000 sq ft Airport City shed 

Icon Industrial, a joint venture between industrial and office developer Stoford and US investor TPG Real Estate, has won full consent to build a warehouse at the World Logistics Hub near Manchester Airport. 

The 375,000 sq ft warehouse project will also feature an adjoining 19,000 sq ft, three-storey office block and a separate 4,000 sq ft, two-storey office hub.

The joint venture submitted two alternative applications for the scheme. The one that has been approved proposes a cross-dock development that removes the need for long-term storage, giving the developer greater flexibility on the type of occupier, based on demand.

The other application proposes a single-aspect shed based on demand for storage, and this is expected to be approved in the coming days or weeks. It is understood that early-stage talks with prospective tenants are underway, and the developer will decide which application to pursue based on the type of occupier.

The warehouse will sit on an 18 acre-plot within the 45-acre Icon development between the M56 and the A538 Wilmslow Road.

The architect is Webb Gray and Avison Young is the planning consultant.

Icon Industrial bought 45 acres at Airport City in July 2017 and has since sold off parts of the land in parcels to in-flight catering firm Alpha and e-commerce firm The Hut Group, which are being developed into a total of 600,000 sq ft of logistics space. Stoford retains the remaining land.

Contractor Winvic is on site at the first phase of The Hut Group’s £150m logistics park, which includes 168,000 sq ft of logistics and content creation facilities and 104,000 sq ft of offices, over four floors. 

Icon is already home to DHL and Amazon. 

Icon’s retained agents are CBRE, JLL, and DTRE and talks with potential occupiers are at an early stage.