Black Arrow, the proposed new warehouse at Blackthorne Point reflects confidence in the long-term strength of demand for this established industrial location serving London Heathrow
Aberdeen Standard Investments’ AIPUT fund (Airport Industrial Property Unit Trust) has secured a resolution to grant planning permission from Slough Borough Council’s Planning Committee for Black Arrow, a high-quality speculative-build warehouse development at its Blackthorne Point industrial estate in Poyle.
The high-spec, 2,579 sq m GIA industrial warehouse will occupy a vacant brownfield site, immediately across the M25 from Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Black Arrow will be a flexible industrial warehouse unit supporting B1c, B2 and B8 uses, similar in proportion to an existing planning consent granted in 2017. However, the building will incorporate a number of new environmental initiatives – including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels – delivering a 30% reduction in CO₂ emissions over building regulation requirements and the achievement of a BREEAM ‘very good’ rating. AIPUT’s Carbon Strategy requires the fund to achieve carbon neutrality across its portfolio by 2025.
The Black Arrow development follows swiftly on the heels of several key announcements by AIPUT at Blackthorne Point during 2019, following the refurbishment of several existing units. Current tenants at the 15,600 sq m facility include UPS, Horizon International and C. H. Robinson. The delivery of additional high quality warehousing strongly positions Blackthorne Point (and the wider Poyle Trading Estate location) to benefit significantly from the expected future expansion of Heathrow Airport and the growth of its air cargo service, which the airport’s owners project to reach at least three million tonnes per year by 2040.
