Panattoni starts construction of Yorkshire’s only 500,000 sq ft speculative logistics unit
Panattoni, the world’s largest privately owned developer of industrial real estate, has started construction of Panattoni Wakefield 500, a speculative logistics development at Wakefield Europort in West Yorkshire. The development will provide Yorkshire’s only 500,000 sq ft speculative logistics unit and one of the largest immediately deliverable Grade A logistics opportunities in the North of England. The unit is expected to be available for occupation in May 2027.
Located immediately adjacent to Junction 31 of the M62, Wakefield 500 benefits from strong onward connectivity to the M1 and A1(M). Wakefield Europort is also home to a high-capacity rail freight terminal, providing occupiers with a direct alternative to road-based distribution.
The cross-docked facility will include 15-metre clear internal warehouse height, high specification Grade A offices, 56 dock doors, eight level access doors, yard depths of up to 50 metres, 62 HGV parking spaces, 384 car parking spaces, 79 EV charging points, 50 kN per sq m floor loading, and a 2.5 MVA power supply.
The scheme is targeting BREEAM ‘Outstanding’, an EPC A+ rating (on the offices), and net zero carbon in construction. Sustainability features will include roof-mounted solar panels, rainwater harvesting, water leak detection, sub-metering of energy consumption, and 15% rooflights to the warehouse.
Chris Brown, Development Director at Panattoni, said: “Starting construction at Wakefield 500 is an important milestone for Panattoni and for the Yorkshire logistics market. There is no comparable speculative unit of this scale currently under construction in the region, and we are bringing forward a best-in-class building in a proven distribution location with direct access to the M62, the M1, the A1(M), and rail freight. Large-scale occupiers are focused on resilience, labour, power, sustainability, and the ability to serve major consumer markets efficiently.
“Wakefield 500 has been designed around those requirements and will give occupiers a rare opportunity to secure approx. 500,000 sq ft of future-proofed space in one of the North’s strongest logistics corridors.”
Daniel Raemy, CEO of Newport by Panattoni, said: “Wakefield 500 represents the type of high-quality logistics investment we are committed to supporting – strategically located at the heart of the prime M62 corridor, future-ready and aligned with occupier demand. As the second UK project in the pipeline of our Newport by Panattoni Fund III, it reflects our continued commitment to building a high-quality logistics portfolio in key strategic locations across the market.
The development comes at a time of very limited supply, with no available Grade A warehouse space above 190,000 sq ft in West Yorkshire, underlining the strong demand for large-scale logistics solutions such as this.
We believe the scheme is well positioned to attract significant occupier interest and deliver long-term value as part of the pipeline of our Newport by Panattoni investment platform. We look forward to seeing the scheme progress towards completion in 2027.”
Panattoni acquired the 23-acre site at Wakefield Europort from Delin Property earlier this year.
Colliers, Commercial Property Partners, and Knight Frank have been appointed as leasing agents for Panattoni Wakefield 500.