Construction starts on Co-op’s Biggleswade RDC

A sod-cutting ceremony was held on site to mark the official start of construction with completion due later this year.

Designed by AJA Architects, the 661,000 sq ft (61,409 sq m) BREEAM Excellent facility – which is on course to be fully operational in 2022 – will create up to 1,200 new jobs and have an investment value of over £90 million. The project team includes planning consultant, Woods Hardwick, and Savills Project Management.

Andy Perry, supply chain & logistics director, Co-op, said: “We are delighted to have committed to this exciting new project and look forward to developing a market leading RDC with our partners at Tritax Symmetry and Winvic. The site will deliver greater agility, scale and efficiency – improving service and availability at existing stores while building capacity to support our ambitions for continued growth.”

Situated off the A1 at Symmetry Park, Biggleswade it is 29 miles north of the M25, and is designed to support the Co-op’s continued growth strategy across London, the South and South East.

Speaking about this latest milestone, Tom Leeming, development director at Tritax Symmetry, commented: “Following a competitive tender process and having now appointed Winvic as main contractor, we are thrilled to be commencing construction of this major new facility. True to both Tritax Symmetry’s and The Co-op’s values, the unit will be one of the most sustainable in the country and is targeting BREEAM Excellent status and EPC ‘A’. We look forward to announcing future development phases in the near future.”

Winvic operations manager, Darren Turner, continued: “As we have worked with Tritax Symmetry and the Co-op previously, we know both companies demand exceptionally high standards and we are delighted our reputation for exceeding expectations has led to Winvic’s appointment at Symmetry Park for a turnkey solution. We look forward to working with all parties as one team to create this BREEAM Excellent temperature-controlled distribution centre, which will add to the circa 60 million sq ft of modern industrial units that Winvic has delivered to date.”

Councillor Kevin Collins, executive member for planning & regeneration, Central Bedfordshire Council, concluded: “It is pleasing to see the arrival of the Co-op to Biggleswade remains on schedule. The modern and efficient scheme will inject significant investment into the area and create a large number of jobs for the local community. We look forward to seeing the build come to fruition.”