Henry Boot has secured planning consent for a new development at its £110 million industrial and logistics project in the West Midlands.
The group’s property investment and development arm, HBD, will deliver three units totalling 464,000 sq. ft at the SPARK logistics and manufacturing hub in Walsall.
Henry Boot CEO Tim Roberts said the win was testament to HBD’s ability to navigate an “increasingly onerous and complex planning system”.
The wider 620,000 sq. ft SPARK development partnership includes:
- Walsall Council
- Homes England
- West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
- Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
HBD is aiming to begin construction of the first of the three units in Q4 of this year, with tenant occupation set for the summer of 2025.
The first unit is expected to add £40 million to HBD’s existing £154 million gross development value (GDV) pipeline.
The wider, former James Bridge Copper Works site, next to Junctions 9 and 10 of the M6, is undergoing specialised remediation works which HBD is set to complete in Q3 of this year.
Once SPARK is fully developed, it will add 1,100 jobs to the local and surrounding area.
Roberts said: “Industrials and logistics remains one of our high conviction sectors and carrying out the specialised remediation works and securing detailed planning for the first three units at SPARK is testament to HBD’s expertise in navigating an increasingly onerous and complex planning system.
“We’re already seeing good occupier interest in the project, due to the lack of high-quality space with strong sustainability credentials in prime Midlands locations, which gives us confidence that we will have secured an occupier and started on site developing the first units by the end of the year.
“This new logistics and manufacturing hub will add to our growing industrial portfolio and replenish our committed development programme.”
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