Avison Young has completed the letting of a 133,324 sq ft facility at Swan Valley in Northampton to WT Transport Limited, a haulage company providing warehouse and transport solutions. The letting was completed on behalf of Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc (‘Aviva’).

WT transport has signed a 10-year lease for the facility known as Rothbart 133.

The unit reached Practical Completion in July 2022 and benefits from 14 m haunch height, 50 m yard depth, 12 dock doors and two level access doors, as well as parking for 43 HGVs. The property also has a BREEAM sustainability rating of ‘Excellent’ and an EPC rating of ‘A’, with EV charging points and PV solar panels to the roof in part.

The building forms part of Aviva Investors’ wider ownership at Swan Valley, situated four miles south-west of the Northampton town centre and adjacent to Junction 15a of the M1 Motorway. This follows the recent development of Odette58, which was let last year to Fisher & Paykel on a 10-year lease term. Other occupiers on the estate include Morrisons, Pets at Home, Royal Mail and Levi Strauss.

Alexandra Sorrill, Associate Director of Real Estate at Aviva Investors, said: “We are pleased to have gained a high-quality tenant for this unit in the form of WT Transport so soon after completing speculative development of the unit. This is a welcome validation of our ability to develop and supply high-quality facilities which have occupiers’ needs front-of-mind whilst also being sustainable and more in keeping with a low carbon future.”

Warren Tattersall, Director of WT Transport added, “We are delighted to have secured this site as our new operating centre. The site has been developed to an extremely high standard, offering a significant increase to the number of pallet locations available for new and existing clients. Offering 3PL services from a first-class operating centre provides a platform for our business to continue its year on year growth. Partnering with Aviva Investors & Avison Young is a clear demonstration of the progress that we have made over recent years. We’re proud of our team that has worked hard to make this move possible & are looking forward to what’s to come.”

“Rothbart 133 is a state-of-the-art logistics facility, benefitting from Grade A specification and built with ESG at the forefront of the development. Aviva really had the needs of occupiers in mind when working on the initial specification, for example with shower and locker rooms provided as part of the base build in the undercroft. It was a pleasure to deal with Ian McRae, who acted on behalf of WT Transport, and to achieve a great result for the client, letting the building just after Practical Completion”, said David Tew, Director at Avison Young, who acted on the deal.

Letting agents are Avison Young and Burbage Realty. Chadwick McRae acted for WT Transport.