Peel Ports has confirmed it is hoping to attract a single one-million square foot occupier to its planned logistics base on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal.
The 75-acre facility is being constructed on the site of the former Bridgewater paper mill at Ellesmere Port and would offer excellent transport connections to road, rail, air and water. It also has immediate links to The Manchester Ship Canal, the Port of Liverpool and a future connection with the new deep water container terminal Liverpool2.
In a statement Peel Ports — part of the Peel Group one of the biggest private real estate, media, transport and infrastructure investment companies in the UK — said the multi-modal hub adjacent to the M53 motorway already has planning permission for build-to-suit premises ranging from several smaller 100,000sq ft units to a single “big hut” of around one-million square feet.
Port Cheshire was unveiled earlier this year as a three-way joint venture between the Peel Group, its logistics offshoot, and regeneration specialists Harworth Estates. Half the development would be owned by the group, with Peel Ports and Harworth taking a 25 per cent share each.
Andy Martin, group land and property director at Peel Ports, explained the planned facility, which could be completed within 12 months if a single tenant could be attracted, was within a catchment area of 10-million people living less than one-hour from Port Cheshire.
The area already boasts a skilled industrial and logistics workforce feeding major employers such as original equipment manufacturers General Motors and Airbus. Other nearby companies include India’s Essar Energy, Bank of America and the Swedish-owned Nynas.
“Port Cheshire offers customers unrivalled flexibility, through existing rail and water links, enhanced by direct access to the region’s motorway network,” Martin added. “It also provides the perfect platform for port-centric development linked to the new Liverpool2 terminal and the Manchester Ship Canal.”
As part of its build-to-suit offering, Peel Ports says the site could adapted to cater for automotive or hard standing demands or for bulk or liquid storage. Because of its location access to Government and European grants is also open.
Headquartered at Manchester’s Trafford Centre — its first major foray into property development — Peel’s real estate assets consists of nine-million square feet of investment property and over 33,000 acres of land. It also owns or is a majority shareholder in three UK regional airports: Liverpool John Lennon Airport, City Airport Manchester and Durham Tees Valley Airport.
