Construction has started on an eight-hectare logistics development in Milton Keynes. 

Glencar, a specialist in big shed construction, is putting up three units for Trammell Crow Company’s first European project.

US commercial property developer Trammell Crow Company (TCC), a subsidiary of CBRE, launched in Europe last year and has so far acquired three sites in in the UK – in Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Heywood – as well as two in Germany, three in Spain and one in the Czech Republic.

Milton Keynes is the first to start on site and construction is scheduled to take 43 weeks.

The development will comprise units of 221,500, 71,000 and 45,500 sq ft with clear heights ranging from 12.5 to 15 metres. The units will have strengthened rooves to support photovoltaic arrays. A BREAM Excellent certification is targeted.

TCC head of European logistics construction Graham Reece said: “With construction having begun on our first European site, set to be closely followed by our Sheffield and Spanish sites, Trammell Crow Company has taken another step towards being one of Europe’s leading developers of prime industrial and logistics space. We’re building these assets with a sharp focus on quality, ensuring they have the flexibility, the energy supply and the ESG credentials to meet investors’ and occupiers’ needs now and the future, staying ahead of whatever demands regulations and technology introduce.”

Glencar regional managing director Pete Goodman said: “As Trammell Crow Company’s inaugural project since coming to Europe Glencar are extremely proud and honoured to have been appointed to construct this fantastic new speculative logistics site and we look forward to delivering. It’s great to see the fantastic progress that has already been made with the site being levelled and ground being stabilised ahead of vertical construction later in the summer.

“We have worked very closely with TCC and the planning and design teams to design a scheme that we will build to an extremely high specification and which is future proofed to meet investor and occupier requirements going forward together with being ahead of cutting edge ESG credentials and energy demands.”