British Land secures planning for latest logistics hub in its pipeline

Above: CGI from British Land of the four floor, c 140,000 sq ft last-mile logistics scheme on Mandela Way Southwark, which will be well-positioned to service South and central London

British Land has received a resolution to grant planning permission for a c. 140,000 sq ft multi-level last-mile logistics scheme on Mandela Way, Southwark, which is the latest scheme in British Land’s 2.9m sq ft pipeline. The site sits close to the junction of New Kent Road, Old Kent Road and Tower Bridge Road and will deliver a last mile logistics hub for Southwark and central London.

The former Southwark Council car pound will be redeveloped to feature four floors of flexible, high-quality, sustainable logistics space with exceptional access to local consumers and central London making it suitable for a range of prospective occupiers. The asset’s ground floor logistics space provides access for a variety of distribution vehicles including HGVs and cargo bikes, while upper floors will be served by lifts.

In line with British Land’s “Greener Spaces” pillar of its 2030 sustainability strategy, the scheme will target a BREEAM Excellent rating and implement low-carbon materials, and a circular economy strategy to lower embodied and operational carbon emissions.

British Land’s pipeline of urban logistics projects in Greater London has a gross development value of £1.3bn. It includes, alongside Mandela Way, an additional project adjacent to the Old Kent Road on Verney Road, the Finsbury Square Car Park and The Box at Paddington Central, which received planning consent earlier this year. Additionally, British Land received approval in July to deliver 455,000 sq ft of multi-level logistics space at Heritage House, Enfield, located near Junction 25 of the M25.

Mike Best, Head of Logistics at British Land, said:

“Mandela Way is the latest scheme in our London urban logistics pipeline to receive planning consent following approvals at both Paddington Central and Enfield earlier this year, enabling us to bring forward another high quality logistics project and continue to address the acute undersupply of sustainable, modern warehousing in Greater London.

“We continue to explore new opportunities to leverage our longstanding investment and development expertise to source and execute acquisitions which unlock opportunities to densify London’s logistics supply.”