The Range appoints Stoford for mega-shed

Stoford has been appointed development partner to deliver a new £90 million regional distribution hub for The Range near Bristol.

At 1.2 million sq ft, the enormous warehouse at Central Park will be the largest the Birmingham-based commercial property developer has ever delivered, according to managing director, Dan Gallagher.

The development at a 55-acre site, between Avonmouth and the Second Severn Crossing, will bring 1000 jobs to the region and inject millions of pounds into the local economy.

The new distribution hub for the well-known national retailer will be the biggest single building in the South West and one of the largest in the UK. It is thought to be the equivalent size of 15 Wembley Stadiums.

With existing planning consent, work on site is scheduled to commence in April or May with practical completion expected in the summer of 2017, according to Stoford Developments director Tony Nash.

He said: “We are very pleased to announce that we have been appointed development partner to deliver the new regional distribution hub at Avonmouth on behalf of The Range. It is an exciting project and a major part of the 3 million sq ft that we are building over the next 18 months across the UK.

“Central Park is an excellent location, with first class infrastructure including the nearby motorway, on site direct rail freight service and adjacent sea connections.”

Chris Dawson, founder of The Range, said: “This distribution centre is a big step in the expansion plans that I have for the business; it’s non-stop for us. When the warehouse is up and fully operational, it will act as a training hub for smaller distribution centres around the country.”

Stoford is a leading specialist in occupier-focused development. It has delivered over 10 million sq ft of pre-let development and in 2015 has more than one million sq ft of pre-let space under construction throughout the UK.