The 101,000 pallet coldstore stands at 47.5m high features an automated storage and retrieval system and is designed with an energy efficient external envelope and will operate entirely on renewable energy.
Commenting on the build, ISD director of industrial and commercial projects Jason Denning said: “We believe that the finished building, with its energy efficient design, physical proportions and unique aesthetic features, sets it apart from all previous similar facilities and will raise the bar for future temperature controlled ASRS buildings.”
ISD’s special projects team also designed the facility’s low-bay freezer envelope, split over three mezzanine levels and standing at 24m high. The completed project includes 28 conveyor airlocks, each with two rapid roll airtight doors to minimise hypoxic air loss, with a further 28 fire rated shutters for fire compartmentalisation.
Coldstore features
Meanwhile, 20 loading dock pods each feature inner dock freezer rapid action doors, with strict humidity controlled via a bespoke dehumidification system.
Jonathan Gagg, director at Magnavale’s parent company Sadel Group, added: “Once in operation, in late 2024, we expect that the Easton development will transform frozen storage and value-added capabilities across the UK, allowing our partners to cut unnecessary cost, risk and complexity within their cold chain.
“We thank the team from ISD Solutions for their exceptional work on this project and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Set to be operational later this year, the coldstore will be the latest addition to the UK’s warehousing stock – addressing a shortage issue brought into focus following Brexit and during the Covid pandemic.
‘Lacking in warehouse space’
“We know that the UK is severely lacking in frozen warehousing space, and we also know that high-bay automated warehouses are what is needed to make up this shortfall,” Denning added. “So, we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with Magnavale to help meet that demand.”
Warehouse space in the UK has been on a decline since 2011, with vacancy hitting as low as 3.2% in 2021. However, the vacancy rate of industrial and logistic real estate in the UK rose in 2024, more than dounbling to 6.5% in the first quarter of last year (Statista).
Big shed warehouses – or units over 100,000 sq.ft – experienced slightly higher vacancies, but the vacancy rate ranged between two and eight percent depending on the region.
Meanwhile, Philip Simpson, managing director of ReFood, explores the role of effective cold chain logistics in reducing food waste, increasing food safety and creating a more sustainable food system.
