New regeneration future for brownfield site

New life is set to be breathed into the largest brownfield site of its kind to front the A27 corridor in Sussex and Hampshire.  

Hughes Ellard and its joint partner in Chichester, Henry Adams Commercial, have been appointed by the developer to ascertain industrial development demand from potential new occupiers.  

Concrete manufacturer Tarmac sold a 10.5-acre (4.2-ha) plot of land at Portfield, on the eastern edge of Chichester, to a developer with a proven track record in delivering major schemes.  

Glenmore, which has built business parks and industrial estates throughout southern England, purchased the land for £3.3m against 21 other bidders.  

Russell Mogridge of Hughes Ellard and Alex Medhurst of Henry Adams Commercial said: “There is a scarcity of this kind of brownfield site, which we understand to be the largest of its kind available freehold that fronts the A27 corridor in Sussex and Hampshire.  

“Portfield is an established employment use, away from residential areas, and provides a rare opportunity to breathe new life into what is currently a disused concrete factory, bringing businesses and scores, if not hundreds, of jobs to Chichester.  

“Glenmore intends identifying demand through us before deciding what to build, subject to planning permission, such as 175,000 sq ft (16,258 sq m) of storage and distribution warehousing, for which there is already outline planning consent.  

“We’ve already been approached by a number of food producers, who like the strategic location by the A27 Chichester bypass, with direct vehicular access.  

“Glenmore has a proven track record in similar schemes involving economic regeneration and we are confident of delivering high-calibre occupiers.  

“The 10.5-acre site, which was acquired for £3.3m against 21 other bidders, would ideally suit large warehouse distributors because of the easy access to the A27, but it may well be that hotels, pubs and motor dealerships come forward as well.”  

It would be at least a minimum of 18 months, subject to planning permission, before construction on the scheme could begin.  

The obsolete concrete factory site at Portfield is close to Portfield Retail Park, home to well-known brand names such as Halfords, Currys, Harveys and Allied Carpets.  

London-based Glenmore acquired Plot 1 as part of an informal tender held by freeholder Tarmac for 129.5 acres (52.4 ha) of mixed-used development land at Portfield.  

Other regional schemes completed by Glenmore include Regent Trade Park in Fareham and The Glenmore Business Centre in Gosport, both near Portsmouth, The Glenmore Centre in Southampton and The Glenmore Centre in Folkestone.