Ripple Road, A13 Barking

This complex project comprised the redevelopment of shop shelving and warehouse racking specialist Eastwood plc’s 4.57 acre London Works site fronting the A13 Ripple Road in Barking, 2 miles east of the A406 North Circular Road, on a build-to-suit (D&B) basis to provide a new 17,000ft² (1,580m²) office and warehouse building on 0.729 acres for them and also a new 'Platform' Builders Merchant trade warehouse of 65,000ft² (6,035m²) over two buildings on 3.681 acres for St. Gobain Building Distribution Limited. The redevelopment also included the relocation and replacement of a mobile phone telecommunications mast for Vodafone and the erection of an illuminated billboard advertising tower/totem. As Eastwood required to trade continuously from the site uninterrupted during the development, it was completed in two phases with their new unit being completed first which then facilitated demolition of the bulk of the existing buildings to enable the trade warehouse buildings to then be developed.

 

The trade warehouse was divided into two units. The first was arranged as a sales warehouse for access by the public of 32,620ft² (3,030.50m²) together with a 1,500ft² (139.25m²) mezzanine office and a 5,508ft² (511.68m²) covered ‘goods inward’ area. The second was arranged as a bulky goods warehouse of 25,331ft² (2353.34m²) together with loading yard incorporating a waste transfer area. Both buildings benefitted from canopies along their facing elevations. The two builders’ merchant buildings were pre-let to St. Gobain on basis of a 20 year lease at a rent of £600,000 per annum exclusive. The investment, which included the lease to St. Gobain, a lease to Vodafone and a lease to an outdoor advertising company of the advertising billboard tower, was retained by Standard Life, who funded the development, while Eastwood plc retained the freehold of their new building.