Glencar Archives

Ground Broken on Logistics Gateway Development

Posted on 1 May, 202431 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Glencar, a leading UK construction company, has broken ground with long-term and valued client Wrenbridge on the development of a new 213,874 sq ft logistics and industrial unit at their new landmark ‘Junction’ gateway development in Luton.

To mark the occasion a special ceremony was held on site attended by representatives from Wrenbridge, Glencar and the full project team.

The building forms part of a new business and logistics focussed masterplan that features a broader mix of uses, including flexible workplace, research and development, and distribution. Junction is set to create 2,500 jobs and contribute around £160 million every year to Luton’s economy.

As part of the appointment Glencar will be carrying out the design and construction of an extensive earthworks package, remodelling the entire 4.46 hectare development plot, which is divided by Newlands Road. The project then involves the design and construction of Unit 1, a new 213,874 sq ft gateway industrial and logistics unit, with a clear height to underside of haunch of 18M.

Glencar will also implement Cat A office fit out, new and varied retaining structures, new underground drainage and services, associated external works including external soft landscaping. The scheme also includes new utility connections, and 278 Highways works to facilitate access to the new development from the adjacent M1 Motorway and New Airport Way.

Steels are now rising on the development and construction is expected take 63 weeks to complete with PC expected by Mid-February 2025.

In commenting on the project Pete Goodman, Glencar Regional Managing Director said: “We are very happy to once again be working with our much valued and repeat customer Wrenbridge on this fantastic new gateway development which is set to be truly transformational for Luton. Glencar are committed to delivering a scheme that draws on the context and history of Luton and can be admired as people travel into the town.

“Environmental considerations are also central to our approach for this development, in line with this we are aiming to ensure that ‘Junction’ is one of the most sustainable logistics developments in the UK – a reputation for which Glencar is becoming increasingly recognised as a leading contractor in this space.

“This project serves as the fifth undertaking we have implemented to date with Wrenbridge over the past few years with us also being onsite currently in Basingstoke, building a 209,461 sq ft speculative industrial unit for Wrenbridge just south of the A339. Glencar and Wrenbridge have forged a very close and successful working partnership together and we look forward to working again with the full project team on this job and delivering an outstanding solution.”

Also commenting Richard Arnold from Wrenbridge Land, said: “We are excited to be onsite delivering this high-quality development that will create over 2,500 new jobs for the town. We are committed to delivering a highly sustainable development that exceeds planning policy requirements. These state-of-the-art business units will contribute positively to the growing local demand for industrial, warehouse and logistics space combined with extensive, ancillary offices.”

Junction is situated on the edge of Luton, adjacent to the M1 and A1081. The site has been identified within the Luton Local Plan as a key employment area. The site has been designated as a ‘Category A’ Employment Site, and is allocated for new development and protected for business uses in the local plan.

Fit-out Project Equips Giant Maersk Warehouse

State of the art Logistics Campus

Posted on 5 December, 202331 July, 2025 by Keith McKinley

Glencar, a UK construction company that was recently ranked amongst Europe’s fastest growing businesses, has today announced that it has completed construction of the final warehouse of 771,000 sq ft for leading pan-European and industrial development company Baytree Logistics Developments and its customer global logistics provider Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK at its new 64-acre, 1 million sq ft logistics campus at a site in Nuneaton in the West Midlands.

Baytree Nuneaton, known as the ‘Rhenus Campus’, comprises of two warehouses of 210,000 and 771,00 sq ft on 64 acres and sets new benchmarks in environmental and social responsibility within the logistics sector.

The scheme, developed by Baytree, was designed by award winning architectural practice Chetwoods and has been developed to achieve significant reductions in whole life carbon, designed with reference to the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) Framework Definition for Net Zero Carbon Buildings, ensuring that Rhenus can reduce their own carbon emissions but also potentially support its customers with reducing theirs. Renewable energy will be generated on-site, with solar panels.

Included on the site is a three-storey 30,000 sq ft office headquarters with a structure constructed entirely from CLT and Glulam. This is pioneering because it’s one of the first cases in the UK of timber being used in the build of a large-scale structure within an industrial and logistics setting by a logistics developer.

When compared to conventional materials, procuring timber structural elements can deliver significant embodied carbon savings, especially as timber also sequesters carbon in its creation. The value of timber is demonstrated by the estimate that there are around 1,000 metric tons of sequestered carbon in the timber frame of the office at Nuneaton – the equivalent of enough embodied carbon to power a 20w lightbulb for 21,853 years or to drive around the world approximately 208 times.

The development also incorporates MUGA sports pitches, allotments, edible planting, wildflower grasslands, extensive networks of footpaths to encourage cardiovascular exercise and external break out areas for staff wellbeing. The site, which is bounded by the Coventry Canal, features landscaping with extensive native tree planting, and other works aimed at generating biodiversity such as log piles, locations for apiaries, bat and bird boxes, as well as an extensive balancing pond overlooked by a projecting terrace for staff relaxation.

Internally the facilities will benefit from the latest in robotics, AI and warehouse management systems to provide flexible solutions and control of the supply chain. When fully operational, the development will help Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK achieve its goals of reducing direct carbon emissions. Both state-of-the-art, sustainable warehouses will offer a wide range of warehousing and distribution services to a diverse customer base of Global retail brands, particularly those in the fashion, toy, FMCG, home and health & beauty sectors.

Commenting on the project Glencar CEO Eddie McGillycuddy said: “It is with a tremendous sense of pride and happiness that we today can formally announce practical completion has been reached and we are handing over this truly incredible new dedicated logistics campus to Baytree and Rhenus. This cutting-edge project is one of the largest and most sustainable developments Glencar has ever had the privilege of delivering and we are absolutely delighted with the outcome. The vast scale of the warehouses coupled with the latest emerging warehousing and logistics technology and innovations looks set to ensure Rhenus can accommodate customers well into the future. As a BREEAM Outstanding certified building we are enormously proud of the hard work and dedication that the team has put in to achieve this outstanding success. I would like to thank everyone involved and look forward to seeing the building come into life and enable Rhenus to meet growing demand and exceed its customers’ expectations.”

Also commenting, Amit Babbar, Baytree Development Director said: “We are delighted to have reached practical completion on this industry leading development for Rhenus. The development incorporates a number of industry firsts on a development of this scale and represents our commitment to pioneering advancements in both the environmental and social elements of industrial and logistics buildings. We are extremely pleased with the collaborative approach taken by all involved to create a new benchmark in the sector.”

Harry Wheelhouse, Business Development & Marketing Director at Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK added: “This new site will allow us to meet the demands of our growing business and attract new customers, whilst enabling us to deliver our high-quality, personalised service. More importantly, our new, sustainable warehouses can potentially support our customers in achieving their own carbon-reduction goals. Every aspect of our warehouse environment, will be measured using the latest in digital technology including CO2 levels by area. As all companies will need a plan to achieve a carbon-zero supply chain by 2050, Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK is perfectly positioned to help its customers document their own roadmap to deliver this.”

Fit-out Project Equips Giant Maersk Warehouse

Posted on 5 May, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Glencar, a leading UK construction company that was recently ranked amongst Europe’s fastest growing businesses, has today announced that it has been appointed by Maersk, the Danish shipping and logistics company to undertake comprehensive fit-out works at Mammoth 602, a 602,000 sq.ft warehouse development situated at GLP’s G-Park Doncaster, South Yorkshire development that it has recently occupied.

The £12M project will comprise of the fit out of the existing office areas to category A standard, warehouse high level services and minor external works alterations. Warehouse area fit-out includes lighting, sprinklers including works associated, frost protection, fire alarm and small power.

Works started at the beginning of February are expected to be complete at end of the September 2023. G-Park Doncaster is situated in the logistics capital of the North, just 6 miles from the centre of Doncaster, providing easy access to all parts of the UK and mainland Europe via its central position, along with a vast skilled workforce.

Commenting on the appointment Tom Kersley, Glencar Commercial Director said: “Mammoth 602 is an incredible development and the largest such fit-out project Glencar have been awarded to date since establishing our new special projects division so we are suitably delighted. The specialist knowledge and expertise we have built our name on within the Industrial & Logistics lends itself perfectly to support the needs of a growing number of occupiers requiring specialist fit-out and enabling works. We look forward to expanding our offering in the face of increasing demand. We also look forward to working with the team at Maersk and delivering to their exacting needs”.

The unit which totals 602,000 sq ft was built by leading logistics developer GLP and is the largest and most sustainable logistics building in the North of England.

Mammoth 602 is a strong example of GLP’s commitment to sustainability across its developments. It is GLP’s third building to be net zero carbon for construction, in line with the UKGBC framework, and is part of the Planet Mark accreditation scheme which helps to further reduce the carbon footprint for the occupier.

The development benefits from best-in-class specification that is built for logistics, including two 50m service yards, 20m clear internal height, 60 dock levellers, 16 large dock levellers, 24 level access and 4 van level access doors with visibility from the M18. There is also 28,762 SQ FT of office space within the building, 217 HGV parking spaces, and 372 car park spaces.

Glencar Construction was established in 2015 with the aim of providing high quality, agile and efficient construction services, primarily to the industrial, logistics, distribution manufacturing, life science and pharmaceutical sectors. Glencar’s co-founders are industry experts, and they are supported by a dedicated team who have gained a wealth of specialist experience over many years in the sector.

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