Berkeley and SEGRO have teamed up to build what is thought to be the UK’s first multi-storey warehouse.
The six-storey shed – SEGRO V-Park – will become part of Grand Union, the mixed-use development in Brent, north-west London, being built by Berkeley subsidiary St George.
The first two floors will be for car parking, with 20 industrial units housed in the upper four storeys. A roof garden will sit on top, while the development will also have solar panels and an internal “green wall”.
SEGRO’s Greater London MD, Alan Holland, said the development was a “new model for delivering much-needed light industrial space as part of mixed-use communities.”
This is not the first time Segro has partnered with a housing developer to marry light industrial with homes. And multi-storey sheds, which have been popular in Asia for some time and more have started to be built in Europe in recent years, are being touted by many as being the future of urban industrial.
“We are strong advocates for multi-storey warehousing in some urban settings, given the pressure on land supply and the need to create space that supports different types of employment,” said Holland.
“We have successfully delivered multi-storey logistics at scale in Paris and now have the opportunity at Grand Union to adapt this format for a smaller urban site.”
The Brent warehouse sits on a 1.7-acre plot and will provide 134,500 sq ft of industrial space. Construction is due to start next summer and finish 12 months later. It will form part of the new 22-acre canalside Grand Union development at the former derelict Northfields Industrial Estate. The mixed-use neighbourhood in Alperton will include 3,350 homes, 35% of which will be affordable.
St George MD, Piers Clanford, said: “SEGRO V-Park Grand Union is a key part of the redevelopment of this complex brownfield regeneration site in bringing even further opportunity for job creation, aligning with the Borough of Brent and the GLA’s ambitions. ”
