Alfred McAlpine - Offices Development - Swavesey, Buckingway Business Park
Date: 22 Oct 2001
Carisbrooke Swavesey General Partner Ltd has started construction of its 2,787 sq m (30,000 sq ft) third phase, at Buckingway Business Park, Swavesey at the same time as pre-letting one of the units to Veeco Instruments Ltd.
Veeco has taken a pre-let on a 492 sq m (5,295 sq ft) unit on a fifteen-year lease. The company is a UK subsidiary of a major US hi-tech corporation.
The third phase will comprise 2,787 sq m (30,000 sq ft) of development to be split into five self-contained office and R&D buildings ranging from 492 sq m (5,295 sq ft) to 660 sq m (7,100 sq ft). Completion is expected in May 2002.
The developer, in a joint venture between Carisbrooke Investments and Alfred McAlpine Special Projects, completed the 1,579 sq m (17,000 sq ft) fully let second phase after starting on site in February of this year.
Buckingway already has ten companies on site including, insurance brokers Denley Gibbs, Rok Communications, Florensis and IFG Life and Pensions.
The 4.9 hectare (12.2 acre) Buckingway Business Park has potential for 22,296 sq m (240,000 sq ft) of space with, unusually, no local user or office restrictions. Most planning consents in Cambridgeshire are limited to occupiers based in the county and those who are undertaking some form of research and development activity.
Nic Rumsey, a director of Carisbrooke, said, " We are moving rapidly ahead at Buckingway with the start-on-site of the third phase and the deal with Veeco has confirmed our confidence in market demand. The other units are available on a pre-let or pre-sale basis."
Bob Tattrie, regional director for Alfred McAlpine Special Projects, said, "The success of Buckingway is partly due to our partnership as developers and the efficient delivery this offers to occupiers. The fact that we can quickly respond to clients' needs is very attractive to occupiers who do not want to be delayed by the time consuming tender stage.
At Buckingway, the buildings are designed with the upmost flexibility and would provide a solution to a range of occupiers," he added.
Buckingway Business Park is well served by local facilities. A major new Tesco is located in the nearby Bar Hill Centre where there is a Moat House Hotel, golf course and conference centre. On the A14, close to the site, there is a Travel Lodge and Little Chef, and a petrol filling station and an 88-bed hotel has recently been completed on the opposite side of the A14 junction.
The architect for the project is PRC Fewster of Surbiton, Surrey, and the letting agents are FPD Savills and Januarys.
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