Work starts on £75 million Hellaby distribution centre despite traffic issue
Major logistics real estates developer Panattoni has begun work on the 710,000sq ft warehouse project on Cumwell Lane, Hellaby.
Panattoni Park Rotherham will comprise two buildings beside the M18 at Rotherham — the larger of which will be the biggest of its kind in the north at 630,000sq ft.
The company has described the 40-acre site as having major advantages, with transport links through the M18 and M1 to the M62, the large markets of Leeds and Manchester plus the ports at Liverpool, Hull and Immingham.
Buckingham Group Contracting has been appointed main contractor and is now on site, starting earthworks for the development.
Dan Burn, Panattoni’s head of development for the region, said: “The development has already seen substantial interest from occupiers, especially with the lack of supply of grade A space in the region.
“Panattoni’s speculative development programme keeps providing these opportunities that are missing in the market.”
Cllr Simon Ball, Conservative councillor for Hellaby & Maltby West ward on RMBC, asked at cabinet on Tuesday about the revamped junction set to add a new right turn into Cumwell Lane from Bawtry Road.
He said: “The building work [on Panattoni] is now started but they can’t take the waste away because they haven’t got planning permission for the traffic lights yet.
“We’ve got about 600 houses being built in Maltby but we’re still waiting a decision for these traffic lights on Cumwell Lane.
“Is the traffic from the houses being factored in to these lights on Cumwell Lane?”
Paul Woodcock, the council’s regeneration and environment director, said: “Any planning application that comes through has to have traffic as part of that approval process.”
He said he was happy to meet Cllr Ball with RMBC officers to discuss the specifics of the traffic arrangements.
The buildings are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2023.