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Expansion of Coventry technology hub

Works have completed at Project Holst – a £75 million industrial warehouse scheme located at Coventry’s renowned Prospero Ansty Park. Ansty Park is a major business park positioned next to the M6 and M69 junction providing unrivalled access to the UK’s major motorway network, which is home to a number of high-profile companies including Rolls-Royce, Sainsbury’s, Cadent, Meggitt and MTC.

McLaren Construction (Midlands and North) commenced the delivery of four industrial units and associated offices at Project Holst in January last year, on behalf of Manse Opus. All units are now finished and open to speculative tenants. The commercial units span a total of 856,109sq ft and predominantly comprise a cladded portal frame with a CAT A open plan layout. The site also features an external logistics yard with a level and dock access area, dedicated parking spaces with electric charging points, communal areas and landscaped gardens.

The offices have a largely open plan design to provide flexibility to prospective tenants, and the architecture has focused on the business culture and purpose of the technology park, reflecting the current variety of highly skilled professions already present within the surrounding developments. Units are highly energy efficient and were designed to meet a BREEAM Excellent rating. Their design has incorporated the application of roof top PVs and rainwater harvesting tanks.

The scheme entailed a complex earthworks operation which took place prior to construction and extensive infrastructure works were needed to access the plots and associated balancing ponds, to accommodate storm water. All removed earth was also reused back within the site, to reduce waste and provide a greater circular approach.

As part of the wider landscaping scheme, new ecological areas were also developed during the construction and population of the site, and prior to works commencing, great crested newts were identified and relocated, with protective fencing installed around the perimeter of the site.

Giving back to the local community, voluntary works were also carried out at the Grace Academy during the summer months and the team created a sensory open space for students to enjoy. Project Holst marks the third scheme at the park that McLaren Construction and Manse Opus have partnered together for, following more than three years of collaboration.

Operations director of McLaren Construction Midlands and North, Shaun Colley said, “We’re delighted to have partnered with Manse Opus again to provide further expansion to Prospero Ansty Park for this next phase, which is now complete. Prospero Ansty Park is a fast-growing business and industrial hub for the West Midlands, for which we previously completed works for Apollo and Cadent. We have managed to overcome many challenges with this site – battling extreme weather. However, our skilled team of contractors managed to stick to the critical timelines of the programme and delivered an exceptional product.

“Our focus for the scheme has been on providing energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality, which ensures energy consumption efficiencies whilst promoting a healthier and inviting workspace," Shaun continued. "The central high-specification commercial office space is ideally positioned to cater to clients in the industrial and logistics sector, bringing our client’s vision to life.”

David Mitchell & Victoria Turnbull, Joint Managing Directors of Manse Opus commented, “We are proud of what we have achieved on site since our appointment in 2019. The transformation of this unused land to create the stunning buildings you see there today has been a great privilege and one we are really proud to have been able to achieve.  We have contributed to safeguarding the legacy of a site which has such an impressive history.”

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