Bermondsey multistorey warehouse contractor secured
British Land has chosen McLaren Construction to build a four-storey last mile logistics hub in Bermondsey, Southwark to serve central London.
By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters
THE PROPERTY is described as the first of a new generation of multi-storey logistics hubs by British Land. The 135,205 ft2 facility at 25 Mandela Way, Southwark will be built on a 1.8 acre former Southwark Council car pound and will feature four floors of flexible, high-quality, sustainable logistics space. The ground floor logistics space provides access for a variety of distribution vehicles including HGVs and cargo bikes, while upper floors will be served by 5 goods lifts, a further 3 lifts for cycles and cargo bikes and 6 passenger lifts. The development is predicted to provide up to 315 new jobs.
McLaren’s contract includes plant, landscaping, access, vehicle and cycle parking. Building services works are limited to give maximum flexibility to future tenants, meaning around 90% of the build is shell and core only with the remainder built to a CAT A office fitout.
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.
The design also includes 15,822 ft of rooftop photovoltaics above a mix of green and blue roofs, the latter collecting for a grey water system. The total biodiversity net gain for the former car pound site is 167%, which includes creation of an ecological corridor alongside a residential boundary.
McLaren managing director for industrial and logistics David Gavin said: “We are seeing a new generation of clever industrial buildings that stack light industrial, warehouse and distribution space to keep a broader range of jobs in urban areas and serve demand for last-mile distribution space. If there’s one thing they have in common, it’s that they maximise their use of tight urban sites, requiring ingenuity and careful planning for the plant and materials we need for construction.”
British Land bought the site from the council for £22 million in 2022.
Completion is due in Q3 of 2025.
