News

Turley secures planning approval for Prologis Park Luton

Acting on behalf of Prologis UK, Turley has secured the green light for Prologis Park Luton, a new high quality logistics and business park which represents a multi-million pound investment into the town.

We provided expert Planning, EIA, Sustainability, Townscape and Economics services for the 17-acre site, located on Windmill Road, which will be a phased development, with an initial focus on demolition, groundworks and rejuvenating the River Lea.

Planning permission for Prologis Park Luton has been put forward in stages. We secured hybrid planning consent in 2023, comprising detailed approval for seven industrial and logistics units on land to the north and west and outline approval for two further development plots on the land to the east and south of the River Lea. In August 2024, reserved matters approval was given to develop a 165,000 sq ft unit on land adjacent to Windmill Road.

The site will be well known to local residents as the former Vauxhall Motors headquarters, Griffin House and BWI Group. As part of its transformation into Prologis Park Luton, the River Lea, which intersects the site, will be significantly rejuvenated, improving the ecology, planting of additional trees and delivering a net gain in biodiversity.

New pedestrian and cycle paths will run alongside the River Lea, allowing people access through the site from Osborne Road to Manor Road for the first time and enhancing accessibility into Luton town centre for residents.

Prologis is taking the first steps to prepare for construction, with demolition and groundworks scheduled to complete in May 2025 and, in line with sustainability targets, materials from demolition recycled. 

The recently approved 165,000 sq ft facility will be constructed on a build-to-suit basis, ideal for businesses seeking a custom-designed distribution centre in a prime urban location adjacent to the M1, providing direct access to London, as well as the surrounding area. The wider Prologis Park Luton will feature seven further logistics units sized between 14,000 sq ft and 37,000 sq ft.

Councillor James Taylor, portfolio holder for Inclusive Economy at Luton Council, said:

“It’s great to see work underway at Prologis Park Luton. We have been working closely with Prologis since 2022 to bring these proposals to life. This fantastic new development will provide local people with new employment opportunities and businesses with the facilities to grow. We’re also pleased that the River Lea will be reinstated to a more natural setting, encouraging wildlife and ecology to re-establish and this links in well with our future plans to open up the river through the town creating new waterside space and a green corridor which will also help improve air quality.”

Paul Weston, Regional Head at Prologis UK, said: 

“We want to make Prologis Park Luton an economic asset for the town, bringing back businesses to the site and creating hundreds of new jobs. We’re extremely excited at what this scheme can deliver for the local area, from modern commercial space to support local businesses to our proposed green link that will transform an inaccessible site into an attractive place to walk and cycle through alongside the river.”

Christopher Schiele, Associate Director, added:

“Through its strong focus on sustainability, the creation of meaningful spaces for future users of the site and the local community, and thereby framing the revitalisation of a site with such an industrial heritage, Prologis Park Luton has quickly become much more than a typical industrial and logistics development. We are proud to have supported Prologis in securing planning permission and subsequent reserved matters approval for this important project.”

17 October 2024