Trafford prepares to flip switch on Voltage Park
Plans from BlackRock UK Property Fund and Canmoor for five industrial units totalling 670,000 sq ft off Common Lane in Carrington are tipped for approval as demand for logistics space continues to surge.
The development, known as Voltage Park, would be constructed on a 65-acre former gasworks site, south of the 212,000 sq ft first phase of Himor’s Carrington Gateway industrial scheme.
Himor has objected to the proposals, citing a “significant adverse impact on the highways network”.
Access to the site is proposed off Manchester Road, which then leads to an internal road network accessing all five units.
As part of the plans, BlackRock and Canmoor are to contribute £1.5m towards the creation of the Carrington Relief Road.
Unit breakdown
Unit 1 – 105,000 sq ft
Unit 2 – 62,400 sq ft
Unit 3 – 75,000 sq ft
Unit 4 – 140,000 sq ft
Unit 5 – 280,000 sq ft
BlackRock and Canmoor are seeking approval for their plans, first lodged in 2019, against the backdrop of a rampant logistics market, driven by the pandemic and the rising popularity of e-commerce.
Take-up of North West industrial property in the first three months of this year hit 1.1m sq ft, the largest proportion of any UK region at 21.7% of the national total, according to consultancy CBRE. Total take-up across the country in Q1 stood at 5.2m sq ft.
Michael Sparkes Associates is the planning consultant and architect for the Voltage Park project.
Waterman Group is leading on the landscape, transport, and ecological elements, and Savills and B8 Real Estate are the agents for Voltage Park.
