Verdion to start work on €480m Doncaster port project

Logistics developer Verdion said on Tuesday it is one step closer to starting its £400 mln (€480 mln) Inland Port scheme in Doncaster, UK after work officially started on site to build the Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme link road.

Inland Port (iPort) is a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) which will deliver over 6 million sq ft (570,000 m2) of Grade A logistics warehousing linked with a high-specification rail freight intermodal container facility providing rail freight services with Continental gauge clearance to all major UK ports and the Channel Tunnel.

Verdion, with backing from its funding partner the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), is developing the scheme on a 283-hectare site in Rossington, Doncaster. Enabling works will commence in November this year.

Planning permission was secured for iPort in July 2011.

Michael Hughes, CEO of Verdion, said: 'This Strategic Rail Freight Interchange will offer the very best in UK and European logistics design and building quality, with buildings available for occupation from as early as Q1 2015.'

Verdion, formerly known as Helios Europe, announced last week that it had entered into an agreement with the Canadian pension fund Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) to fund and develop €1 bn worth of logistics parks in Europe.

HOOPP and Verdion said they will work together exclusively on logistics development throughout Europe, building a portfolio with a value of over €1 bn over the next five years.

Verdion was established in January 2010 by CEO Michael Hughes, and is fully owned and controlled by Hughes, together with his fellow directors.