Winvic Construction has started the main £107.5m infrastructure works at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton Gateway, a 450-acre multi-modal logistics hub located next to junction 15 of the M1. When complete, the development will comprise five million square feet of sustainable industrial facilities and a strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI).

The project has been designated as a "nationally significant infrastructure project" (NSIP) and the infrastructure works include the 35-acre SRFI – capable of handling sixteen 775m long trains a day – new rail connections and significant improvements to the strategic road network. 

This work – incorporating major upgrades to Junctions 15 and 15a on the M1, a new bridge over the West Coast Mainline, the construction of a bypass around Roade, improvements to the A45 and safer junctions along the A508 – will be delivered by Winvic in partnership with Highways England, Network Rail and local authorities.

Winvic will also undertake an extensive landscaping programme with over 80 acres of parkland and amenity grassland, 18km of footpaths and cycleways, 20km of hedgerows and the planting of 60,000 new trees. The first plots are scheduled to be ready for building construction to start in late 2021 and infrastructure works are anticipated to be completed by the end of 2023. Winvic’s contract for the infrastructure works is valued at £107.5m.

Since summer 2020, Winvic has been conducting enabling works for SEGRO, which include ecology, archaeology and geotechnical site investigations to prepare the site ahead of this next phase.

Activities beginning this month include:

• Demolition of existing unsafe buildings and removal of vegetation;
• Ecological improvements, such as hedge translocation and badger sett relocation;
• Exploratory service digging and service diversions;
• Commencement of initial earthworks – involving stripping of topsoil and cut and fill – at Junction 15 of the M1;
• Earthworks and water management operations for the industrial unit plateaus.

In addition to delivering road and rail improvements for the region, the scheme will create around 7,500 direct jobs, with around 120 being created during the infrastructure construction phase. Working alongside the local council and community partners, SEGRO and Winvic are also set to deliver an employment skills programme that will provide training for members of the community, enabling them to become active members of the workforces created by the scheme.

Rob Cook, civils and infrastructure director at Winvic, said: “Apart from this being a significant and exciting project, it’s fantastic be working in the town where our head office is located and to be able to deliver a substantial local employment skills programme with SEGRO. The enabling works we have managed to date have been delivered to schedule and the team is now very much looking forward to the 2021 main infrastructure phase on the 450-acre NSIP.   

Andrew Pilsworth, SEGRO’s managing director, national logistics, said: “The start of construction at SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton Gateway is an exciting and positive milestone. Now more than ever we are witnessing the vital role logistics is playing in supporting the UK economy and it’s clear that businesses need well located, sustainable facilities from which they can meet their customers’ demands. SEGRO Park Northampton Gateway is perfectly located with easy access to key road networks and with the new rail links and strategic rail freight interchange, will present great opportunities for businesses to flourish.”