World-class Manchester multimodal hub to transform UK logistics
In the UK, ambitious plans are afoot to transform a 75 acre brownfield site on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal into a world-class multimodal port hub that "has the potential to change the way that the UK’s occupiers think about logistics."
The new £500 million Port Bridgewater site, on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in North West England, will be an example of port centric logistics, a supply chain management concept where containers are unloaded at the port and its contents then transported inland, for example as palletised freight.
The new hub will allow for more than 1,000,000sq.ft of multi modal storage space, diversifying and strengthening private real estate firm Peel Ports offering, across a variety of sectors.
The area is the site of a former paper mill that existed at Ellesmere Port, a large industrial town and port in Cheshire, Greater Manchester.
Councillor Mike Jones, Leader of Chester and Cheshire West Council, said: “We have the opportunity to create a real catalyst for change in the world of logistics. The new port facilities will open up access to new worldwide markets.”
Estate agents Jones Lang LaSalle and B8 Real Estate have been appointed to masterplan the project.
The development plans will transform the brownfield site into a multimodal port hub. Once completed, it will allow Peel Ports to offer customers an enhanced port centric logistics solution, which capitalises on excellent connections to the UK’s major transport networks.
An existing operating berth on the Ship Canal connects it directly to the Port of Liverpool via Peel Ports’ container shuttle service, and the rail network is easily accessed with an on-site branch line. Direct access to the UK’s motorway network comes by way of junction 7 of the M53 which is within 750 metres of the site gate.
Tom Davis, Partner at B8 Real Estate, said: “Rarely does a site of such scale and flexibility come to the market and we are delighted to be working with Peel Ports to deliver their vision of transforming UK logistics.
“The former Bridgewater paper mill site responds to the need for large building footprints and is linked back to the Port of Liverpool and Liverpool2 – the post-Panamax deep water terminal currently under construction in the River Mersey. The Liverpool2 terminal will double container capacity at the port when it opens for business in 2015.
"With an existing planning consent for port use, the site can be developed quickly and is set to be a major force in UK logistics.”
Richard Evans, Industrial and Logistics Director at Jones Lang LaSalle, said: “The site has the potential to change the way that the UK’s occupiers think about logistics. We have the ability to deliver a 75 acre site, with excellent road, rail and water access linked back to Liverpool2. UK logistics is changing and this site will be at the forefront of that change”
This development is a significant part of Peel Ports’ wider development plans for the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal, which include a number of multimodal port hub developments.
Peel Ports is strategically located to serve the whole of the UK, with five major gateways from Clydeport to Medway handling a broad spectrum of international trade amounting to over 65million tonnes of cargo a year.
Andrew Martin, Head of Land and Property at Peel Ports, said: “We are pleased to announce that Jones Lang LaSalle and B8 Real Estate have been appointed to market the Port Bridgewater site. Following its acquisition in 2011 the site has been cleared and with the support of the local authority, Cheshire West and Cheshire Council, it has been granted consent for redevelopment for Port use.
“Unrivalled flexibility is provided through existing rail and water links, enhanced by direct access to the region’s motorway network. The site provides the perfect platform for port centric development linked to the new Liverpool2 terminal.”
