Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

At Express Park in Rushden, construction is well underway on a new 303,225 sq ft warehouse and office facility for the computer company Belkin Components. Completion is scheduled for next February.

It is one of the largest inward investments to have taken place in east Northants for a number of years.

Belkin currently employs 140 warehouse and office staff at its Northampton depot and this move will enable numbers to increase by approximately 120 office staff and around 200 warehouse workers. All the Northampton employees will move with the company to Rushden.

Further opportunities remain available at this site for up to 100,000 sq ft of B1 (business), B2 (industrial) or B8 (storage and distribution) accommodation through Hampton Brook’s agent, Lambert Smith Hampton.

Also in Rushden, Dawson Books has now taken occupation of its 40,000 sq ft purpose-built warehouse property at Rushden Business Park, developed by Hampton Brook. Another 40,328 sq ft industrial premises has been built on the park in seven units, five of which have already been sold.

Meter Mix Systems, Colemans, WEDA GB and Motech have all bought units and only two of 5,646 sq ft remain available.

Hampton Brook has been active at its successful Lakes development in Northampton with an 11,000 sq ft office headquarters building constructed for accountants MacIntyre Hudson. It also took the decision to speculatively construct 15,000 sq ft offices on an adjacent site and this has now also been let.

Also at the Lakes, Hampton Brook has developed the new 115,000 sq ft headquarters office building for Scottish & Newcastle Retail Division.

A new 22,000 sq ft office property for Travis Perkins has also been built by the company at Ryehill Close, Lodge Farm.

Hampton Brook is now marketing a new office scheme on Park Farm Industrial Estate in Wellingborough, which is to be constructed on a design & build basis. The 22,154 sq ft development, to be called This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it has been designed to provide nine new self-contained office premises ranging in sizes from 1,887 sq ft upwards.

The firm is also beginning to develop around 20 acres known as Heartlands Phase II in Daventry, where it is in negotiations with a number of end users. The company is also developing a number of other sites outside of Northants and can provide various sizes of commercial property.

The This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it development in Wellingborough is being marketed to local companies as a premises which offers potentially large savings.

According to the agents, occupiers could make savings of up to £135,000 on the new office scheme. The nine self-contained office properties being built will be available on a design & build basis with freehold prices from just £115 per sq ft. This compares to values of around £160 per sq ft in Northampton. Leasehold options may also be available.

The joint sole agents are Simon Toseland at Underwoods and Mark Brown at Budworth Brown.