Commercial property developer Stoford has submitted plans for a new £12m head office for one of Britain’s largest vehicle leasing companies.
Stoford director, Gerard Ludlow
The purpose-built 36,000 sq ft administration complex, at Emersons Green in Bristol, would allow ALD Automotive to move its staff from its existing headquarters in the city’s Fishponds area. It would also allow ALD to expand both its business and workforce.
South Gloucestershire Council is considering the application for the Vertex Park three-storey premises with Stoford hoping to be on site this autumn. The project is due for completion late next year.
“It is well documented that the Bristol office market has very limited stock and it is that lack of availability of Grade A accommodation that has led ALD Automotive to consider the design and build route,” explained Stoford director, Gerard Ludlow.
“This will be the first sizeable out-of-town pre-let office development in the Bristol market for five years. The site’s proximity to the Bristol & Bath Science Park and established facilities such as the National Composite Centre, its location on a modern business park makes it a very attractive proposition.
“ALD Automotive — advised by Hartnell Taylor Cook — has committed to a new lease and the move from its current headquarters will provide a fantastic new office environment for its current team and allow further opportunity for expansion,” added Ludlow.
Vertex Park, part of Bristol’s Emersons Green Enterprise Area, is close to the nearby ring road and has direct access to the M32 motorway and the M4 and M5 corridors.
Mel Dawson is managing director of ALD Automotive, which now employs almost 400 staff as part of an international group that manages more than one-million vehicles across 40 countries. “We moved to our current location in 1995 when we had less than 100 staff and it’s important that our new office environment not only reflects the size of the business we now are and allows us to continue our planned expansion, but helps us to operate more effectively in meeting the needs of our customers,” he said.
The county council’s strategic economic development manager, Antony Merritt, claimed South Gloucestershire has one of the highest levels of employment in the UK. “The authority is delighted ALD Automotive has chosen to build its new facilities at Vertex Park,” he admitted
“We very much look forward to continuing to work with Stoford Developments, Taylor Wimpey and ALD to support this relocation and expansion.”
Stoford has also recently completed two award-winning prestigious office developments in the South West and Wales. In Clifton, Bristol, the company delivered a 62,275 sq ft office development for leading healthcare insurance provider, Simplyhealth. The scheme was built on a gateway conservation area site at Whiteladies Road.
In Cardiff, the £60m headquarters of insurance group Admiral was officially opened earlier this year. The 243,000 sq ft city centre building was Wales’ largest ever pre-let office development.
Stoford has so far delivered more than 10m sq ft of pre-let development and, this year alone, has around 950,000 sq ft of pre-let space under construction throughout the UK.
