Logistics developer-investor Gazeley has acquired a land plot in the London Docklands area to speculatively develop the UK’s first three-storey logistics facility.
Gazeley, owned by Singapore-listed Global Logistics Properties (GLP), will develop G Park London Docklands on a 6-acre (2.4-hectare) site in Silvertown. The logistics specialist acquired the site from joint venture partners Galliard Homes and Cain International.
First of its kind
Alex Verbeek, managing director UK at Gazeley, said: 'This type of development has never been done before in the UK. A three-storey warehouse in such a central location will be hugely valuable for Londoners who will benefit from customers being able to deliver goods in record time. London is at the forefront of the digital revolution, but these services require an equally innovative supply chain to facilitate it. We feel that G Park London Docklands will make a big contribution to the infrastructure which is essential to support London’s evolution as a leading centre for digital commerce.'
The warehouse will comprise over 426,000 sq ft (39,577 m2) of space over three levels, allowing for either multiple or single customer occupancy. The building will be used as a 'last mile' logistics hub for London and surrounding areas, targeting e-commerce, distribution and logistics customers.
Gazeley said that the development was in line with Greater London Authority's commitment to land being made available for 'last mile' distribution close to central London and the Northern Isle of Dogs. The warehouse will be 2.5 miles (4 kilometres) from the City of London and has 5.6 million people living within a 30-minute drive.
Central location
The site is located opposite London City airport, immediately next to West Silvertown District London Rail (DLR) station on North Woolwich Road. Each storey will comprise 140,000 sq ft of space with 26 dock doors and 4 access doors on each level. The site will contain 350 car parking spaces and around 75,000 sq ft of ancillary office space.
G Park London Docklands will include a range of sustainability features such as the provision of electric charging points for vehicles, wellness initiatives to improve the working environment for people and a BREEAM Very Good rating.
Gazeley expects the development to be completed by the end of 2019, subject to planning permission.
Global reach
The development of G Park London Docklands follows GLP’s acquisition of Gazeley in December 2017. Nick Cook, CEO of Gazeley, said: 'Following the completion of the acquisition, our priority was to ensure that the expertise that Gazeley and GLP have built over their respective histories was effectively utilised. Multi-storey developments are more common place for GLP and we are delighted to be able to bring this concept to the UK.'
The vendors of the site, Galliard Homes and Cain International, were represented by Simon Higgins at Levy Real Estate.
