A home building giant is to create scores of jobs in the area when it transfers its logistics operation to Kingston Park, Fletton. The 189,687 sq ft warehouse will give Peterborough an employment boost with as many as 60 jobs being created by the move. Jobs will be split between full time and agency staff.

Taylor Wimpey will move from their current base near Newmarket and hope to be fully operational by March 2021.

Ideal location
 

The new UK distribution centre is regarded as the perfect location from which to move building materials and products to construction sites across the country. Peterborough offers the developers a central location which will help to improve supply chains across the UK. 

Staff will also be able to relocate easily to the Cambridgeshire town located just off the A1. A lease on the premises has been agreed. Previously occupied by paper cup manufacturers Dart Products Europe, the site had lain empty since 2019 when they pulled out of Peterborough.

Plans submitted
 

News of the home builders relocation follows news that plans were submitted in November for a 1,000 home development on farmland close to the junction of the A16 and A47.
 
When completed the Paston Reserve development will also include new primary and secondary schools plus community facilities and play areas. The application is currently with the council's planning department. 

The proximity of the new distribution centre would help to minimise disruption for residents, one of the major areas of concern raised by local councillors.

New lease
 

A spokesman for Taylor Wimpey called the distribution centre deal 'one of the most multi-layered deals' struck during the pandemic. Knight Frank and Bidells brokered the deal for the lease that saw Dart released from its ongoing liabilities with seven years left to run and owners Logicor securing a new tenant.

Dart was holding an eight figure liability sum on the property and the solution has benefitted all parties, especially in the current climate. Mike Best, Asset Manager at Logicor, said he was delighted to welcome Taylor Wimpey to the company's UK portfolio.
With share prices currently soaring, the home construction giant is said to be delighted to have acquired a national distribution warehouse in such a central location.

Fit out
 

Knight Frank will now project manage the modifications to the building and deliver a total refit over the coming months. The warehouse will be operational by early next year and is expected to supply a diverse range of projects across the UK.

The current Newmarket-based operation supplies products to all 24 regional housebuilding businesses across the UK including new projects like the Taylor Wimpey West Scotland development at Barrhead, which will provide 316 new homes in the East Renfrewshire area.

Frank Knight have fully removed the VNA racking and reinstated the floor to FM2 (special) standard. Some 25,000 pallet locations and 4,900 floor bolts were removed and fork lift tracks infilled in just two weeks.

Nick Wright, Supply Chain Director at Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd, said the acquisition of the warehouse was an important step in streamlining business operations as the company look ahead to 2021.