SPARK Reaches Major Milestone as Steels Complete West Midlands
Construction on SPARK reached a major milestone this week as steels complete on the first buildings at the £110million GDV Walsall devel- opment. The first phase of SPARK is being delivered by Origin, a joint venture between HBD, part of Henry Boot, and Feldberg Capital.
SPARK has transformed the former Copper Works site and will create 620,000sq ft of high-spec, net zero carbon enabled space at the heart of the Midlands’ manufacturing and logistics economy.
Contractor Bowmer and Kirkland have completed the steels on the first two 25-250,000sq ft and 18,000sq ft buildings.
It’s an exciting moment for SPARK, with life set to return to the site having lain empty for two decades. It is an important scheme for Walsall and the wider region, creating as many as 1,000 new jobs while attracting valuable inward investment and boosting skills.
Units range from 18,000sq ft – 250,000sq ft, with pre-let and build- to-suit options both available at the 44-acre scheme. Planning has already been submitted for the second phase, which will deliver a further three units at the landmark site. Construction is expected to begin in January 2026, completing in Q3 2026.
Vivienne Clements, Executive Director at HBD, said: “Seeing the steels complete is an exciting milestone for SPARK as the development begins to take shape. It’s an important scheme not just for the local community, but for the wider region. Given this excellent progress, the first two units are on track to be completed in Autumn and ready for occupation before the end of the year.”
Jamie Acheson, Managing Director of Feldberg Capital, com- mented: “Following on from the launch of Origin in December 2024, the speed of progress at SPARK demonstrates the col- laboration and success of our joint venture. SPARK is a flag- ship scheme in a very under-supplied micro-location and will bring critical employment and social benefits to the surrounding community.”
HBD completed a complex remediation project to ready the site for development.
The works were completed in partnership with Walsall Council, Homes England, Black Country LEP and West Midlands Combined Authority. Located just minutes from Junction 9 and 10 of the M6, SPARK sits at the gateway to the Midlands and boasts a 12MVA power supply.
Origin was launched to own and develop next-generation, ESG- compliant industrial and logistics assets in the UK’s mid-box market and aims to deliver £1billion of high-quality I&L schemes over the next seven years.
SPARK is one of three Origin developments to start on site in 2025, with work progressing apace at INTER, a 71,000sq ft industrial hub in Welwyn Garden City, and ARK, 107,000sq ft scheme at Markham Vale in Derbyshire.
The agents for SPARK are Cushman and Wakefield and Box4 Real Estate.
Sandwell and West Midlands Mayor appoint developer to drive forward 600 new homes in Wednesbury
Plans to regenerate one of the largest brownfield sites in the West Midlands and build a new, 600 home community have reached a key milestone. Sandwell Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) have appointed top 10 housebuilder Keepmoat as their preferred developer to construct the Friar Park Urban Village scheme in Wednesbury.
The appointment follows a selection process which has been pro- gressed since January 2024 and ending with Sandwell Council Cabinet approval at the end of July.
The scheme, a joint project between the council and WMCA, will see around 600 homes built on the huge site, approximately the size of 32 football pitches. At least 25% of the homes will be classed affordable.
The site, which is joint owned by the council and WMCA, has been home to a waste treatment plant, a foundry and hospital in the past but has lain undeveloped for more than 40 years due to the com- plexity involved in making the land ready for housing.
The first phase of work on Friar Park Urban Village will be to treat the land to address historic contamination issues so that it can be made ready for housebuilding.
A planning application will be submitted by the Council and WMCA for the remediation work shortly and will be available for public comment.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MONTHLY 2025
Tungsten Properties secures consent and commences construction to deliver Nuneaton 37
Tungsten Properties, one of the UK’s leading industrial and ware- house developers, has secured planning permission and commenced speculative development to deliver Nuneaton 37, a new 36,730 sq ft (3,412 sq m) industrial and logistics warehouse at Bermuda Park, Nuneaton in Warwickshire. Bermuda Park is home to com- panies which include Evri, Unipart, RS Components, Saputo Dairy and Rhenus Logistics which take advantage of both the connec- tivity to the M6 motorway, via junction 3, and strong local skilled labour pool. Nuneaton 37 is to target BREEAM Excellent and EPC A rat- ing and will include 10 metre eaves height, three ground level loading doors, a secure self-contained yard and fully fitted offices. Parkway Construction has been appointed with the project forecast to create approximately 150 construction jobs and 95 jobs in operation.
Jenny Clarke, associate development director, Tungsten Properties said: “We are very pleased to have secured the planning consent and look forward to repositioning the former brownfield site into a modern sustainable industrial and logistics facility. We are now working to deliver Nuneaton 37 in Q4 2025 and building upon our previous successes in the region as well as deliver jobs in both the construction and future occupation phases.”
Phillips Sutton and Savills have been appointed commercial leasing agents and will offer Nuneaton 37 on both a leasehold or freehold basis. The development is being funded by Tungsten Properties’ bal- ance sheet, alongside debt funding of £3. 75 million from Frontier Development Capital. Completion is targeted for December 2025.
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